Casting Call: MTV Series MADE! To Visit CCHS



Casting Call: MTV Series MADE! To Visit CCHS

A national TV series wants use of Cannon County High School as a place to hold a casting call for potential participants.

The Cannon County Board of Education Thursday night approved allowing MTV to come to CCHS for a casting call for its TV show "MADE!"

The producers assured the school system that they would not put Cannon County in any kind of negative spotlight.

The age range for the casting call would be for current Cannon County High School Students.

It was pointed out that there was a possibility that MTV would not be conducting the casting call, but approval was given in a 3-1 vote. Voting against allowing MTV to visit CCHS was board member Mike Mayfield.

Following is information about the program from MTV’s website:

“Why stand on the sidelines watching others live your dream? Are you too shy or think you're not "cool" enough to get in on the action? Or do you simply lack the self-confidence and motivation? Well, maybe it's time to stand up and get MADE!

“An ugly duckling transforms into a beautiful prom queen. An overweight couch potato becomes a model. A sci-fi nerd morphs into a hardcore rapper. See, dreams really do come true -- on MADE!

“That's right, MADE! is about making dreams come true. We're here to prove that with dedication, hard work and a little help from MTV, kids just like you can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”

In other business Thursday:

• McMinnville Sherill Pest Control will no longer be taking care of the Cannon County School's pest control needs. The Board unanimously selected Kirkland's Pest Control of Murfreesboro’s lowest bid of $310. McMinnville Sherrill Pest Control, which had the account for several years, was the highest of five bids received by the Central Office.

• After the board approved moving an item off the agenda then moving an item from the consent agenda to the regular agenda, the board approved the current agenda and consent agenda. One of the items on the consent agenda was to approve Chelsey Payne as an assistant non-faculty coach at Woodland School.

• The Board approved McMinnville Fire Extinguisher Company to provide and service fire extinguishers for the schools. They were one of two companies that submitted bids. The schools had previously used the company and will continue to do so without any increase in cost. 

• The Board approved permission for teachers to apply for grants totaling less than $2500 on the basis that the money received would run through school books, unless it's a stipend which must have approval of the Director of Schools and then run through payroll.

Items purchased through grant money must be cataloged by the school in which the teacher is teaching during the time the grant is awarded. Items are school owned and not teacher owned. In the past schools may have missed out on various grants because of deadline issues and trying to get the approval of the school board before proceeding to apply for the grants.

• The Board upheld Director of Schools Barbara Parker's decision denying a request to release a student from East Side School which would in effect transfer the student to a virtual classroom through Union County Schools.

In denying the request, Parker pointed out that Cannon County has great schools, and excellent teachers. If the child transfers to the virtual classroom situation, the Cannon County School System would end up paying the bill. It would be deducted from their BEP starting in February.

The School System would also have to keep paying for that student to go through the virtual classroom until the student graduates which in this case would be roughly $48,000.

• Parker announced that the Woodbury Grammar School received the Thinkfinity Grant from Verizon Wireless. The Grant will be officially awarded to the school in January.

• Parker also updated the board about the heating and cooling situation at Woodbury Grammar School. So far there are five rooms that have heating issues. In three of the rooms, neither unit is working, in two of the rooms only one of the units is working.

Parker stated that she emailed an attorney to see what can be done about getting out of their contract with Trane who has been providing inadequate service.

The next Board Meeting Workshop will be at the Central Office on Tuesday, December 6th with the next regular board meeting on Thursday, December 8th.