Karns Middle big winner at national TSA

Members of the Karns Middle Technology Students Association enjoyed a successful trip to the national conference in Baltimore on June 28 to July 2. They returned with several awards that included some first place finishes.

Overall, students entered 24 different competitions and placed in 13 of them. The KMS students competed against 300 other middle schools from 38 states and three foreign countries. The club placed fourth overall in the competition. During the conference, more than 3,000 students were in attendance.

Co-sponsors Leigh Davis and Wanda Walker and one other chaperone accompanied the students on the trip. They were proud of the behavior and performance of the club members. Davis said the best part of the conference and competition is watching students continue to succeed and doing their best in every area. Walker said the hard part of the trip is organizing so that each student gets where he or she is supposed to be for each session.

The two sponsors are dedicated to TSA. They stay after school until 5 p.m. three days a week to work with the students. They invite interested students to drop by their classrooms during the school year to learn more about TSA. More information is available at www.kmstsa.org.

Freshville Event draws shoppers

The Hardin Valley Food City held another installment of the second annual Freshville Tour on July 17. Store manager Joe Fahy said it was one of eight events the company holds throughout the year. The Saturday event ran from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Produce manager Tommy Russell was busy setting up the shopping area. A large tent covered several displays of produce. He commented that the program is a way to offer items that are grown by local farmers in Tennessee and Virginia, states that the chain serves.

Fahy said that the Food City tries to help out communities that its stores serve.

“Already, our shoppers look forward each year to the Freshville Tour because the produce is of the highest quality,” he said.

In addition to the produce sales, customers were entertained by WIVK and its music. The Hardin Valley Back Porch Pickers played several bluegrass numbers during their event. Fahy also rolled gas prices back a dime for a period of time during the event on Saturday.

Fahy indicated that Food City plans to continue offering programs that will serve the community and help shoppers to get the best values for their money.

Ball Camp Elementary and Karns High updates

Work is proceeding on the renovations and construction at Ball Camp Elementary School, which began soon after the 2009-2010 school year ended.

Knox County Schools Supervisor of Facilities Doug Dillingham said the project was running pretty much on schedule. He acknowledged that rain has on some days halted construction, and he said that a ground water problem appeared but had been solved.

The Ball Camp Elementary School project is scheduled for completion at the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year. Traffic flow changes will be in effect during the construction, and those changes will be announced closer to the beginning of the coming school year.

Karns High School and the Byington-Solway Career and Technical Education Center have been closed to all people during the summer. The building’s HVAC system is being replaced with one that is more energy efficient. Zane Foraker, energy manager for Knox County Schools, says the new system will improve the air quality of the entire facility. In addition, new lights are being installed in the buildings. The goal is to conserve energy in the schools.

Foraker says the project is under a Trane Energy Saving Performance contract. The program guarantees money savings by installing the products. If those savings are not realized, Trane will write a check to cover the projected amounts. Foraker believes that the school system wins either way.

Although the construction has caused the Karns Fair to find a new site for this year, the work at Karns High will be completed by opening day. Students and staff will return to a building that is much more comfortable and energy efficient.