Enota students and siblings: Catie Rell Oliver (L) and Tug Oliver.


Meet the new Enota MI Academy! On Aug. 8, the NEW Enota MI Academy opened it’s doors (saved from the original Enota building!) for its first day of school, welcoming students, teachers and families, alike. Enota is just the latest of Gainesville City Schools to get a makeover and we have to say it is GORGEOUS and Enota students are a pretty lucky bunch!
According to The Times, the Enota MI Academy, constructed by Carroll Daniel Construction, was a 12 month project. The original Enota building had been educating Gainesville children for six decades. The new school was a $19M project and 129,000 square feet.
We thought Enota, full of Gainesville tradition, was perfect for a Faces of Hall County feature! Imagine this beautiful building telling the store of her history and legacy in our community…please have fun reading her story below!
Question: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I’ve proudly been in Gainesville since 1950. WOW!”

Enota kindergarteners Bryson (L) and Mak Kerr.


Q: Tell us about keeping the original front doors from the former Enota MI Academy?
Answer: “They kept the old wooden doors for me, which I loved. I like that generations of kids will get to use my doors every morning for years to come.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?
A: “The Enota cafeteria, of course!”
Q: What is the biggest change you have seen over the years?
A: “The biggest change is the number of students! We grew from a small elementary school to nearly 800 students today.”
Q: What has not changed with the new building?
A: “The kids want to be loved, want to learn and to have a place to be proud of old or new!”
Q: How big is the building?
A: “129,000 square feet!”

Enota MI Academy in Gainesville, Ga.


Q: What is your favorite part of this change?
A: “I am in the same place, I love my neighborhood and community and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Go Big Red!”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years? 
A: “Still welcoming Gainesville’s children through my doors each school year.”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “To think critically, act compassionately, work meaningfully, choose wisely, and live joyfully.”

Q: What three words mean HOME to you? 
A: “Red Elephants, Love, Tradition.”
Abernathy Cochran Realtor Robert Bell contributed to this feature. 
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.

Brad Abernathy in Enota yearbook, circa: 1977