Paducah Middle School, Paducah, KY

As powerful as a tornado, a good education has the ability to cause remarkable change. Once absorbed, knowledge is carried to places much further than where it began, elevating students to new heights. Paducah Middle School embraces its mascot and provides a wealth of inspiration right as you enter the school.

Greeting you on the floor of the main entrance spins a 24-foot Fighting Tornado, the school mascot, armed with a book and pencil, full of school spirit and ready to learn.

The Fighting Tornado logo in the terrazzo lobby floor is made complete by a surrounding compass with an arrow pointed to the high school, the students’ next stop in their education. Motivational and inspiring words framed by yellow stars put the finishing touches on the centerpiece of the school’s terrazzo flooring.

“That’s to remind the students to reach for the stars in their academic and personal lives,” said Kevin Rickman, Missouri Terrazzo.

Chosen for its longevity and durability, 3/8-inch epoxy terrazzo is featured in 20,000 square feet of the brand new, 92,000-square-foot building.

Terrazzo continues in the hallways on both the first and second floors. White epoxy and an accenting radius blue epoxy border run along the lockers. Lining the hallways are 120 1-foot blue epoxy Fighting Tornadoes, continuing the display of Paducah school spirit.

The cafeteria features a staggering brick pattern of yellow and white epoxy terrazzo in a 3-foot-by-6-foot herringbone design.

Rickman said terrazzo is especially beneficial in the cafeterias, hallways, and lobbies of middle schools due to its ease to maintain and clean.

“Whether it’s spills or foot-traffic, the wear on terrazzo is excellent,” he said. “It’s the only floor to put in.”

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