September 29, 2022
Construction management and real estate development firm The Christman Company held a “Hands on Education” event that provided children from three local schools the chance to form an early connection to the soon-to-be constructed new elementary school in Hardin Valley.
The Christman Company, which is building the new Northwest Sector Elementary School on Coward Mill Road, transported two steel beams on Sept. 29 to the three existing schools in the area: Ball Camp, Hardin Valley and Karns elementary schools. The students placed 150 handprints on the beams using different colors of paint.
“We wanted to create a way for the students from all three schools to feel like they had a hand in the construction of the new school,” said Andy Westbrook, project manager for The Christman Company’s operations in Knoxville. “We wanted to find a creative way to get them excited about it.”
For the handprint project, the three principals chose one student from each homeroom with 64 from Hardin Valley, 58 from Karns and 28 from Ball Camp. The three principals also placed their handprints on the beams.
The beams will be part of the structure of the new school’s entrance. Although the beams and handprints will not be visible, framed photos of the “Hands on Education” event will be placed at the entrance as a permanent reminder.
The school is being built in the rapidly growing Hardin Valley and Karns area, and the new 123,000-square-foot school will accommodate 1,200 students and help ease capacity issues at Ball Camp, Hardin Valley and Karns. The $26 million facility is anticipated to be completed in summer 2023.
For the handprint project, the three principals chose one student from each homeroom with 64 from Hardin Valley, 58 from Karns and 28 from Ball Camp. The three principals also placed their handprints on the beams.
The project is a part of The Christman Company’s “Be Constructive” program, a company-wide initiative to be an active and significant contributor to the local communities it serves. The program supports a variety of missions through volunteerism, individual and corporate giving, sponsorships, and partnerships.
About The Christman Company
The Christman Company, founded in 1894, is one of the country’s leading professional construction services firms. The company’s award-winning services include construction management, general contracting, design/build, program management, real estate development, self-perform and millwork services. Christman specializes in a variety of construction markets, including government, higher and K12 education, industrial and power, healthcare, and corporate office. Ranked at No. 87 in the Engineering News-Record ENR 400 top contractors nationally and No. 51 in the ENR 100 Construction Management-at-Risk firms, Christman has more than $4 billion in construction underway managed by 500 professional employees across five states throughout the Southeast U.S., the Midwest, the Southwest U.S., and the Mid-Atlantic. In 2021 Christman formalized its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program by forming a dedicated DEI Council representing diverse members from across the regions we serve. Click this link to read more about our activities and focus on DEI. For more information, visit christmanco.com and connect on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
