Construction Updates

With over 50 years of rich history, Harding Academy has built a strong school culture of community and family.  Traditions that have been passed down through the years help create memories, provide a sense of identity, and foster a feeling of belonging, all while serving as a bridge to our past and giving us a glimpse into our future.


Buddies

Across grade levels, students are assigned buddies with whom they participate in organized activities.  This buddy system of older and younger students paired together for both fun and academic activities creates role models and life-long friends. Every kindergarten student is paired with a fourth and eighth grade buddy who have themselves been buddies since they were in kindergarten and fourth grade.


Kindergarten Birthday Bell

The bell tower atop Harding’s kindergarten building is host to one of the most memorable traditions for children. On their birthday (or half birthday for children who do not have their special day fall during the school year) every kindergarten child rings the bell the number of times as their age. Parents and siblings are invited to join the celebration which is concluded by classmates cheering. As the bell rings throughout campus and the neighborhood, everyone knows that someone is turning 6 or 7!

Graduation Bricks

Harding Academy's outdoor classroom contains rows of bricks inscribed with the name and class year of each individual graduate.  Every spring, the bricks of that year's graduating class are installed, enabling eighth graders to enjoy their brick every day until graduation.  The graduation bricks remain an important campus destination for alumni upon return visits to campus and are the core of the middle school's outdoor classroom.

Rose Ceremony

The day before Harding’s graduation each year is perhaps the most touching ceremony to conclude a student’s time at Harding. In the rose ceremony, each eighth grader and his or her buddy meet each other in the middle of the graduation stage. Eighth graders are presented with a rose from their buddy as a symbolic gesture of the kindergartner carrying on the Harding traditions and community code after their buddy has graduated.

List of 4 frequently asked questions.

  • Construction Update as of March 21, 2025

    The Parent Company has control of the construction area with fencing around the impacted area. This area is a controlled access area requiring a hard hat for entrance.

    On the 1st and 2nd floors, the lobby is now accessible again with the scaffold removed. Crews are actively framing soffits and installing drywall, with acoustical ceiling tile (ACT) work ongoing. MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) fixture installation is following ACT progress. The elevator installation is complete and will be ready for startup once surrounding wall finishes are done. Hard tile installation in the restrooms continues, as does MEP overhead button-up work and final soffit framing.
    For the exterior, the north elevation has partial storefront installation completed, with metal panel supports and insulation ongoing—panel setting is scheduled for next week. On the east elevation, storefront installation continues, and coordination with Safe Haven has been completed for the installation of ballistic film at the stairwell. The south elevation also sees continued storefront work. At the tower, stucco application is in progress.
    Site work continues with the rock boulder bench now installed—final joint work will follow the completion of storm line work, which is also ongoing. Underground water lines are complete, and the west stair landing, treads, and backflow pad have been placed.
  • Timeline for Construction

    The project is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2025, so the changes to traffic, parking, and construction logistics outlined below will be in place from Spring Break 2024 throughout the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Contact for Questions/Concerns About Construction

    The Parent Company
    Blake Stewart
    615.981.3058
    BStewart@theparentco.com
     
    Phil Huffman
    615.477.5786 
    phuffman@theparentco.com
  • Visitor Parking

    Effective March 8, 2023, the front parking lot facing Harding Place will be allocated for construction. All guests to campus will be asked to park in the lot adjacent to the library, where we have previously parked the buses. Overflow parking will be in the lower parking lot on Harding Place to the west of campus
Inspiring The Mind  •  Nurturing The Spirit