Sandra Dunagan Deal Elementary School officially opened its doors for its first school year Friday morning.
As parents gathered at the front of the school to walk their students into the first day, Principal Keri Smith said she saw happy faces in the hallways.
“They are so excited to be at their new school,” Smith said. “I've seen a lot of smiles. Some of our kindergarteners, obviously, they're a little scared, but we're going to take great care of all of our students today and we are so excited that they are here and the energy is great here at Sandra Dunnigan Deal Elementary School.”
SDDES combined students and staff from Riverbend and White Sulphur elementary schools, which both closed at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. It is the first of two replacement schools planned by the Hall County School District, with the second to be placed in South Hall, combining McEver Arts Academy and Oakwood Elementary Schools.
One parent walking her child in on the first day remarked that she and her student, who originally attended White Sulfur Elementary School, are embracing the change together.
“It's exciting because the community is growing,” the parent said. “Two schools are merging, so the school community is growing. And I'm excited to see the new building, the new faces and the old faces.”
The two-story school building features several student resources, including a culinary classroom complete with a full kitchen, a space to learn audio and video skills, an inclusive playground, and a hallway learning space.
SDDES also offers its students two programs of choice through a Dual Immersion Program teaching Spanish and an Advanced Scholars Academy. Smith highlighted the school also plans to encourage a love of reading and academics within its students, in memory of its namesake former First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Deal.
“We are just going to promote our kids and empower them to be lifelong learners, and have a servant's heart,” Smith said. “That's who Sandra Dunagan Deal was. She promoted literacy and we're going to continue doing that. We want kids to fall in love with that, and just fall in love with learning. We're so excited to offer all of the opportunities this year, and I'm expecting just an excellent school year for our students.”
