The new Murray Innovation Center — a 23,000+ square foot expansion of the Mount Paran Christian School high school building — will offer innovative instructional spaces for enhanced programming and instruction for an enriched high school educational experience. The expansion will almost double the physical size of the high school originally built for 250 students and which now houses close to 450.
Construction is well underway for the building expansion, with a huge milestone reached this past week. On Friday, May 7, the school hosted a “Topping Out Ceremony,” a traditional construction celebration whereby crews place the uppermost steel beam during the final phase of framing the interior skeleton of a building. Head of School Dr. Tim Wiens offered a warm welcome to those in attendance and thanked the crews from Hodges & Hicks General Contractors. George Ethridge, MPCS Board Chair, offered a blessing for safety over the remainder of the project. A large crane placed the final steel beam atop the building, accompanied by an American flag and a wooden cross, in lieu of the customary evergreen tree. Lunch was served to the building and construction team in appreciation for the milestones reached thus far.
Before the final steel beam was placed atop the new Murray Innovation Center, the entire MPCS family was invited to a “Beam Signing Day” on Friday, April 30. The 24-foot steel beam was painted white, and graduating seniors, faculty and staff, current students and families, alumni, and donors to the project were invited to sign their names and leave their favorite verse of scripture on the beam.
Following the topping out of the building, crews will begin to construct the exterior skin and roof systems of the Murray Innovation Center to help protect the building from the elements and allow for work on the interior. The project is slated for completion at the start of the spring 2022 semester. For more information about the new Murray Innovation Center high school expansion at Mount Paran Christian School, visit mtparanschool.com/construction-corner.
About Mount Paran Christian School
Mount Paran Christian School, the largest private Christian school in Cobb County, is a nondenominational, college-preparatory school for students in preschool age three through grade 12. MPCS is committed to excellence in academics, award-winning arts, and championship athletics, all within a Christian environment with small class sizes. Founded in 1976, MPCS is fully accredited (SAIS/AdvancED) and located near Kennesaw Mountain on a 68-acre collegiate-like campus. Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, MPCS unites with home and church to prepare servantleaders to honor God, love others, and walk in truth
