Two new middle schools in Knox County are gearing up to open this fall.
They are Hardin Valley Middle School in west Knox County and Gibbs Middle School in east Knox County.
The two schools are getting their finishing touches before they open to teachers this month.
Ribbon cuttings for both schools will be on July 10, with Gibbs Middle's ceremony taking place at 10 a.m. and Hardin Valley Middle's at 2 p.m.
They're now the most state-of-the-art campuses in the county, costing a combined $58 million to build.
"I think they're just going to be so excited," said Matthew Myers, procurement director for Knox County, "Everybody wants something brand new, so they're going to be excited about that. They're going to be so excited for the technology that's been put in place."
Each campus is equipped with all LED light bulbs, motion activated lights in each classroom, acoustically designed choral and band rooms, art classes with kilns for pottery work, fully modern science labs and spacious media centers.
"Every kid's going to have a Chromebook laptop that they can take home with them," said Gibbs Middle School Principal Cindy White.
Gibbs Middle also has an auditorium and an art gallery.
"Every classroom will have an interactive touch screen, which is awesome," said White.
She said it's unlike any school she's ever seen.
"The kids are excited, the parents, the community, and the teachers are very excited," said White. "I mean they're already working right now, we can't hold them off."
Hardin Valley Middle can hold up to 1,200 students, but Myers thinks around 700-800 students will start this fall.
Gibbs Middle can hold around 800 students, and Myers expects about 550 to enroll this year.
Myers expects enrollment to increase as those communities continue to grow.
Before school starts, both schools will host open houses for each grade level.
Hardin Valley Middle School open houses:
- 6th grade - Aug. 2, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- 7th grade - Aug. 6, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- 8th grade - Aug. 7, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Gibbs Middle School open houses:
- Eagle Fest community open house - August 3, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- 6th grade - Aug. 14, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
- 7th and 8th grades - Aug. 16, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.