Photo by J.J. Kindred
Byington-Solway Technology Center students Chris Horton, left, and Michael Loudermilk, right, assemble hard hats for the forthcoming ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ project in Knoxville, as their instructor, Jackie Reed, center, looks on. The students were assembling the hats for the workers and volunteers to wear during their work.
By J.J. KINDRED
J.Kindred@theknoxvillejournal.com
Students at the Byington-Solway Technology Center in Karns are making sure all the workers and volunteers with the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” building project in Knoxville will be going into it in style.
On Jan. 9, approximately 45 to 50 students helped assemble hard hats for the workers to wear during the project, which begins this week.
Producers with the popular ABC show, which will be in its final season, announced its crew would be building a home for a needy family in Knoxville. The family’s name was not revealed as of press time.
“This is part of a much bigger project for ‘Extreme Makeover,’” said David Bell, principal of the Byington-Solway Center. “We like to have opportunities like this because it helps us teach the value of community service, volunteerism and benevolence and really helps us teach students that community service doesn’t have to mean money out of your pocket. It’s always a good opportunity for students to understand that even if they’re doing a small task, it gives bigger rewards.”
Bell added that assembling the hard hats will be the extent of the school’s involvement with the project. They were chosen by the Knox County school system at random when asked if they were interested in helping.
“Again, to me this a pretty big thing for us to do, even though in the grand scheme of things it’s a small task,” Bell said.
The hats were assembled in several different colors, including mostly white, but also red, blue, yellow and black.
Workers on “Extreme Makeover” normally work in blue hats, which symbolize a laborer, but there are different levels based on experience, according to Jackie Reed, an instructor at the center.
“My understanding is that the colored hard hats go to higher-ups and the white ones go to regular workers,” Reed said. “I worked as a project manager and the administration wore white helmets, the superintendent was in a red helmet, laborers in blue helmets, and they help distinguish who’s who. It makes it easier, and that’s the reason they do that.
“A lot of companies use their own color codes,” Reed added.
Michael Loudermilk, a senior at Byington-Solway, said he was honored to help assemble the hard hats for such a worthy cause.
“I like to give back to people every chance I get,” he said.
So will he be one of the dozens of volunteers who will help build the house for the lucky family?
“Maybe,” Loudermilk said, smiling. “It just depends on the circumstances.”
