Hall County School Officials provided updates on the construction of Everwood Elementary School during the Hall County Board of Education's Monday work session.
Everwood Elementary School will combine McEver Arts Academy and Oakwood Elementary School for the upcoming school year, as both will shut down at the end of the 2024-25 school year. EWES Principal Laurie Hitzges shared that as the teachers and staff from both schools prepare to merge, the administration has focused on getting input from both schools’ personnel.
“I began the process by focusing on what matters most, which is the people,” Hitzgues said. “So through the months of December and part of January, I met individually with personnel from both schools.”
The 2024-25 school year marked Hitzgues’ first year as Principal of McEver Arts Academy. She was chosen to take on the role as principal at Everwood, while Oakwood Elementary School Principal Jeremy Boleman will become the principal of Sugar Hill Elementary School.
Hitzguez also told the board that the administration allowed teachers from both schools to apply to be on an advisory board team to make the merger as seamless as possible.
“We come together, we collaborate, and we make shared decisions on things that impact the whole school,” she said. “We have created a vision, a mission, a motto for the school.”
As Everwood prepares to open, district officials also highlighted that Oakwood’s current building will host World Language Academy for the 2025-26 school year. WLA’s current elementary school campus will be demolished.
Both schools have set final walk-throughs for their respective buildings to allow the community the chance to see the buildings before they close. McEver Arts Academy will hold its celebration on May 2 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., while Oakwood Elementary School will hold a walk through on May 17 from 2 to 5 p.m.
While Everwood will be open for the first day of class on Aug.1, an official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Aug. 25.
