Three members of the Gainesville community will receive honorary diplomas at Gainesville High School's 2023 graduation ceremony May 19, according to school officials.
"For the fourteenth year, we are please to confer these honorary diplomas," Principal Jamie Green said. "These individuals made extraordinary achievements or support of the storied GHS traditions and represent the character and spirit of legendary Red Elephants. They have all earned this high honor," he said.
Gainesville High School was the first high school in the country to recognize honorary diplomas and adopted its tradition in 2009, according to Director of Marketing, Communucations and Public Relations Joy Griffin with the Gainesville City Schools System.
Those three individuals who will recieve honoary diplomas Friday were nominated by people in the community. Nominees were selected for demonstrating "exemplary support for the school's mission and students" but were not required to be graduates of Gainesville High School, Griffin said.
The 2023 Honorary Diploma reciepients are as follows:
| Michael Jackson | Jackson served more than 22 years in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Augusta State University with a master's degree in counseling. He worked at GHS for 15 years as a counselor until he retired. Jackson continues to serve the GHS campus as the public announcer at basketball games. |
| Wyoma Newman | Newman graduated from Armstrong State University. She taught English and literature at GHS for 41 years, teaching junior and senior students until her retirement in 2007. Newman taught AP English, English as a second language, served as department chair and was chosen as a STAR teacher two times during her career. |
| Beverly Nordholz | Nordholz , of Alabama, worked in the Gainesville City Schools System for 35 years in a variety of administrative roles. She served as the principal's secretary for 20 years, and also held a receptionist/special projects position at the school system's central office for 10 years. |
