Meet Jenny Givens. Jenny is a beloved English teacher at Gainesville High School. Along with teaching English, Jenny is the GHS yearbook advisor and student council sponsor.
“Mrs. Givens is an educator, mentor and friend all in one. She’s the kind of teacher that you maintain a relationship with even after graduation because she genuinely cares about you, beyond the school setting,” says one of Jenny’s students.
Jenny has been a Gainesville girl her entire life and is now married and raises her two children here. She enjoys eating dinner on the square, boat rides on Lake Lanier and spending arguably way too many hours at her alma mater and place of employment, GHS.
Question: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Answer: “I realized early on that I liked to connect with people and feel like I could make a difference in their lives. I started working as a camp counselor and knew that helping youth grow into responsible adults was my calling. This led me to looking into future careers that would lead me to be able continue working with youth. I loved my English classes in college and knew that the two would pair well together and make me happy in my chosen path — making a passion and not just a job.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County, and what do you order?
A: “Recess! Hands down! I love the fried green tomatoes with EXTRA goat cheese. I could eat goat cheese off of a tire. I am so weird, because I often get fried green tomatoes and the tomato mozzarella tower — double tomato! Oh, and don’t forget a side of cheese grits. Yum.”
Q: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I’ve lived in Hall County for all of my life with the exception of my college years and four years that I moved to Tennessee. I was born and raised here, and I would not have it any other way.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Hall County?
A: “Jimmy Cutrell. He was my choir director at First Baptist all the way through high school. He showed me what it meant to give unselfishly, love unconditionally, and lead wholeheartedly. Jimmy had a heart that could not be contained and a smile that radiated. He led me and so many others to find Christ through a love for music and the church. Jimmy passed in 2009. His funeral was standing room only — a true testament to a life well lived.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
A: “Italy. Gosh — it seems so pretty and the food seems so yummy! I would love to take a month and just explore — take my time, eat lots of food, see lots of sights and take in the culture of somewhere so intriguing.”
Q: What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theatre?
A: “’Annie.’ It is still, to this day, my favorite movie. I love the old one — love the new one. It makes me smile and brings back memories of my childhood. I had the wig, board games, the VHS tape. I have brainwashed my children to love it as well!”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “Be yourself — in a crowd it is easy to conform, to follow, to be what is expected. Make sure your personality shines. And SMILE. A smile can change your day and the day of those around you.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “I want to hang glide. It can be off of Yonah Mountain or the Swiss Alps — just put some wings on me and let me fly. It seems so free and fun.”
Q: What is your favorite music/ three bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “ELTON JOHN — STOP IT! Please! I have tried to see him so many times and there is always something that stops me! I LOVE HIM! Old — new — UGH! Florida Georgia Line, I love their music and they seem so fun to see in concert. And, Randy Travis — the Randy Travis now. This seems so odd, but I just think he has a really inspirational story. I heard him sing this morning on the radio and he has been nonverbal since his stroke three years ago, and he has a difficult time speaking — he sang ‘Amazing Grace,’ and it brought me to tears.”
Q: What local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?
A: “Sauls. Holy cow — it still has the exact same smell. I used to go there to buy my ballet shoes (during those three years of misery). Now, I take my daughter there to buy hers. The floor still clicks like it used to.”
Q: Choosing anyone alive: with whom would you love to have lunch?
A: “My daddy. He and I never get time just us. He works hard and a lot — and so do I. When I see him it is with a ton of other family members, and sometimes it is good to have some daddy-daughter time. We would go to Scott’s on the square and have a drink, an appetizer (he loves the candied bacon) and dinner. It would be nice to have time with just him! He’s an amazing man.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “Duh — the lake! I love the lake. I love that I grew up on the lake — skiing, swimming and spending every weekend on the boat. I feel like the lake makes where we live extremely unique. I would live on the lake in a heartbeat. My parents still do, and I spend a lot of weekends out there.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “Hmmm — in five more years, I plan to still be at GHS — I love it here. I cannot wait to see my kids at that age — 11 and 9. I am excited to watch them grow.”
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I have a flattened thumb on my right hand! Ha — gross I know. I was a freshman at GHS and in the weight training room. The leg extension machine was broken and my thumb got caught in the gear and seriously mutilated it! It was terrible. Now I have no feeling in it and it is flat and big.”
Interview by: Meredith Pannek
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
PROJECT PATRONS:
