The Hub, a student success center currently under construction at Gainesville High School, is well on its way to an opening date in January.
Tonya Sanders, director of The Hub, presented an update to the Gainesville City School Board Monday night, not just sharing about the construction progress, but what's next in the pipeline.
"October 16th is our reach-out day in the community, it's supporting looking at mental health, mental wellness trying to de-stigmatize mental health, that's one area that we're working on with community partnerships," said Sanders.
"With the support of the Medical Center, we're obviously going to focus in on the mental and behavoral health, continue those services for our students," Sanders said. The Medical Center Open Golf Tournament will be held October 3, and The Hub is the beneficiary for the proceeds.
And, Sanders said the next round of focus groups to clarify community and student needs would start up in October.
The Hub is a central location for mental health, college and career readiness and basic needs services hosted in Gainesville High, but open to both Gainesville and Hall County students and their families. The Hub is a physical location for services the school system is already offering with outside partners and Sanders said they were easing into six categories they felt needed to be addressed.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent Jeremy Williams discussed the portability of building names, asking the board if named places or things have a life span and if they should or could be carried over when one building was demolished or altered and a new one was built.
"In the past, when it comes up and it's approved there really has not been a revisit to it. I think in some cases it's just assumed that it goes from one to the next and in other cases, it may just disappear all together because it may not fit," Williams said.
Chairman John Filson suggested some kind of archive to remember each dedication. Some plaque dedications are already present at Enota Elementary and Gainesville High School. Meanwhile, board member Sammy Smith asked about maintaining the dedications on a case by case basis, but hoped there would be a way to maintain all of the dedications.
"As we look to revamp the campus of Gainesville High School, these questions will come up," said Williams. "And I'd like to kind of have a direction beforehand than finding out later that something should have stayed or should have been considered portable."
Williams agreed to work on a potential policy with central office staff to bring to the board at a later date.
The meeting was held at Fair Street World School. Principal Gwenell Brown reported Fair Street had 518 students as of Monday, and recognized the Recycling Club and the Young Gentlemen's Club. In addition, a moment of silence was held for Edna Stephens, a Fair Street and Butler High School alumna who was killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks at the Pentagon.
