MHMS Claims Soccer District Title

 The Merrol Hyde Magnet High School Girls Soccer Team claimed the District 8A Championship this season.

Here's the winning team:

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Merrol Hyde Magnet High School to Go ALL VIRTUAL Due to COVID-19

 Per an email from MHMS Principal Darren Frank:

Dear MHMS High School Families,

Our students have done an exemplary job of following health and safety precautions on campus and at school events.  We have had 100% of teachers and students in face coverings and continued to work on creative ways to keep physical distance while in classrooms and common spaces.

Even with these precautions, we have had some positive cases in the last week or so that have initiated calls to parents of close contacts.  With such a small student body and our family atmosphere, MHMS students spend a lot of time together on campus as well as during their free time.  This could be a reason why many of the students identified as close contacts were considered close to multiple positive cases.

Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and with consultation with the district health officials, we are immediately moving all high school students to 100% online/remote/virtual learning until after fall break.  

The teachers have been informed of this and will immediately transition to virtual learning via Google classroom and the platforms established while in the hybrid model earlier this year.  If your student needs a chrome book for the next 2 weeks, please let me know and we are happy to provide that access.

Unfortunately, this closure includes clubs and athletics.  Our high school students will not be practicing or competing until Oct 3 at the earliest and only after being cleared by the district staff.  We are already working on rescheduling contests so that our student-athletes can have a full and successful season.

I know this is a major disruption and inconvenience to students and families.  I believe it is the right thing to do, and should be viewed as temporary with the ultimate goal of safely returning students to in person learning as soon as possible.  

At this point, middle and elementary school students will continue to attend school and follow their normal schedule.  

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MHMS Named #3 High School in America

U.S. News is out with the latest rankings of the top high schools in America. This year, the publication named Sumner County's Merrol Hyde Magnet School as number 3 in the nation. For the first time, MHMS also claimed the top spot in the State of Tennessee, beating out Central Magnet in Murfreeboro and Hume Fogg and MLK in Nashville.

Here's MORE from U.S. News

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Explosive

Two families have filed complaints in the aftermath of an "explosion" in a science lab at Merrol Hyde Magnet School in May of 2018, the Tennessean reports:

The school, at 128 Township Dr. in Hendersonville, was evacuated on May 9, 2018 when a science experiment caused a hazmat issue. Seventeen students and a teacher were injured. The teacher and eight students were taken to nearby hospitals.

The Hendersonville Fire Department’s investigation found that the incident was caused by mixing boric acid — a white, odorless substance — and ethyl alcohol. Investigators deemed the incident “unintentional,” according to a previous report.

The complains were filed by the families of two students who suffered injuries as a result of the accident. The claim is that the supervising teacher was negligent. In response, the Board of Education has suggested that:

In its separate answers to the complaints filed May 6 and May 13, respectively, the Sumner County Board of Education “is without sufficient knowledge to admit or deny” many of the allegations but denies any negligence.

“The minor may have been sitting too close to the experiment,” the Board of Education suggested in the filing.

The Board of Education aims for both complaints to be dismissed and reimbursement for attorney fees, according to the May 6 and May 13 answers, signed by Sumner County Law Director Leah May Dennen.

“It is possible the Daughter Doe was sitting on top of a table, instead of in her chair, when the event occurred," the Board of Education's amended answer filed June 19 states. "Had she been sitting in her chair, as she should have been, the accident could have been avoided."

As teachers and first responders were working to secure the building and ensure student safety, County Commissioner Paul Goode -- neither a trained first responder nor a school system employee -- rushed to the scene for a moment of self-aggrandizement. Never missing an opportunity to get in front of a camera to boost his image, Goode posed for pictures with emergency personnel on the scene. He then posted his antics on Facebook:

County Commission Meets Tonight

The Sumner County Commission will meet tonight at 7:00 PM at the County Commission Chambers in Gallatin. The Commission's agenda includes recognition of Grace Oliver on her retirement from Sumner County Schools, Scott Wietecha on his Country Music Marathon win, and the Merrol Hyde Magnet School History Bowl team.


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Athletic Facilities Receive Funding

Athletic facilities at Station Camp, Westmoreland, and Merrol Hyde Magnet Schools will proceed with funding from a $32 million County Bond Issue.

In August, the School Board will be presented with a proposal for expansion of Hendersonville and Gallatin High Schools -- adding 20 new classrooms at HHS and 18 at Gallatin.

No word yet on a proposal to eliminate or significantly reduce the number of students attending class in portables.  Nor any discussion of rezoning to ease over-crowding of schools. 

In other Board news, the School Resource Officer program is set to expand -- with 13 new officers trained and ready by the time school starts in August and a proposal to add officers at all schools starting in the 2014-15 Fiscal Year. 

"Outsiders" Comes to MHMS

The Merrol Hyde Magnet School Theatre Department will present S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders next week. The public performance is Thursday, March 21st and tickets are $5 at the door.

Top Teachers Honored at Banquet

Sumner County's elementary, middle, and high school teachers of the year were honored at a banquet recently.  The winners were Derri Cash of Lakeside Park Elementary, Darrell Duncan of Merrol Hyde Magnet, and Kim Harkreader of J.W. Wiseman. 

Sumner School Board Meets Tuesday

The Sumner County School Board will meet on Tuesday, February 19th at 6:00 PM at the Board offices in Gallatin.  The complete agenda is here.

Among the items for consideration are bidding for completion of Phase I of a soccer field at Merrol Hyde Magnet School.  The project is expected to cost $87,000 to complete and the school has secured funding from parents for the full amount.  MHMS athletic boosters pledge to only use private money for the complete field project and indicate they are raising the money in phases.  The Board of Education must authorize the project bidding in order for the process to begin.

Another item up for discussion and possible vote is a proposal by Board Member Vanessa Silkwood that would place school safety signs at the entrances to school buildings in Sumner County.  It is not clear what the signs would say as the County Commission has yet to approve funding for additional School Resource Officers (SROs) or any needed physical improvements to make buildings safer. 

School Board Study Session

Tonight.  Here's the agenda.  Note that it includes a discussion of employee insurance benefits and also a discussion of the soccer field at Merrol Hyde Magnet -- a topic that has been controversial in recent years.