It’s been brought to our attention here at the Observer, that Kimball’s Andy McEntee has some news to share with us. Andy was contacted via e-mail to tell us more about what has him so excited. Andy would love Kimball’s support for the new show School Pride which premiers Friday, Oct. 15 on NBC.

Observer - How did you decide on your career path?

McEntee - I was always interested in television and movies when I was in Jr. High and High School, but thought, coming from Nebraska, nothing much would ever come of it. After a few years in college, I started to get interested in it again. One Christmas break I was home, and my parents made me watch a show called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I wasn’t into reality television, and didn’t really care to watch it but we did. When it ended I decided I wanted to work on that show. I thought it did such a nice thing for such deserving people, and I wanted to be a part of it. I continued to think this for the next year or so, when lo and behold, EMHE came to Lincoln, NE to film an episode. I knew this was my chance, so I signed up to volunteer for the show, they ended up hiring me on as a Local Production Assistant for the week, I worked really hard and made it known that this is what I wanted to do. Two months later I graduated college from UNL, and three weeks after that I was traveling the country with the show.

O - Were any teachers in Kimball extremely supportive or pivotal in your choice?

AM - A lot of people in Kimball were always so supportive of me and this included my teachers. Because I never thought this was an actual career path, I didn’t get a lot of specific support for this job in general, but there is no doubt that I would not be where I am today, or the person that I am today because of the people of Kimball and especially my teachers. O - Tell me about your experiences coming from a small mid-western town to the coast, and specifically California. M - The move from Nebraska to Los Angeles wasn’t as big of a transition as I thought it was going to be, but I also took it in steps. I left Kimball in 2002 when I graduated high school and moved to Lincoln. My junior year in college I moved to New York City for a semester to do an internship for a PR agency. I then went back to Lincoln, graduated and then moved to L.A. The transition was made even easier because not only did I already have a job, but I had friends from the show, and my very good friend Misty Madden was already living there as an actress. Misty and I went to school together since Kindergarten, so it’s always easier when you have a familiar face. O - Describe the challenges and successes you have had since graduation, in regards to your show. M - The biggest challenge in this industry, that many people don’t know about, is that these shows are only in production for a couple months at a time. So every couple of months you are looking for your next show. It’s like starting a new job with new people and new ways of doing things every 2 to 4 months. I’ve been very lucky, and have went from show to show to show, but I know a lot of people in this industry that have not been as lucky, and will have months down between shows. With the recent economy, there were even some that hadn’t worked for over a year. As for successes in regards to my career... I have worked on some very big shows that have been seen by millions and millions of people. I have had one show that has won multiple Emmys and other awards, and was nominated for an Emmy for a season that I worked on the show. But, my biggest success is getting to be a part of shows like School Pride and getting to truly help deserving people and children. O - Tell me as much as you can about your show! M - This new show is really exciting and great! Growing up in Kimball, and having the schools that we have there, I had no idea how bad some schools are in the rest of the country. “School Pride” is a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restores its sense of value and school pride. Some of the conditions we experienced in these schools was so sad. Peeling paint, not enough supplies, not enough desks, rats!!! So we come in and help facilitate the community coming together to fix these problems. I’m the first to admit that it is sad that it takes a television show to come in to fix these kind of problems, but hopefully it won’t be like that forever. I really hope that this show inspires people in communities across the nation to stand up and help their ailing schools. They don’t need a television show to come in. If your cafeteria needs a fresh coat of paint, if the school needs more pencils, or if the landscaping needs some work, instead of complaining about the board, or the district, or governor, just do something about it. Get a group of parents that are willing to give up a weekend or two. Call the local hardware store or nursery and see what they can donate or deal they can give you. Get donations from other concerned parents. Just do something. This is everyone’s problem. I don’t care if you have children in school or not, this is an American issue, that must be fixed. There is a lot of proof out there that better learning environments result in increased test scores and better students. It has also been proven that, education levels are great indicators of a person’s overall health and success. Those with higher levels of education are more likely to vote, are more likely to volunteer and be engaged in their community, are more likely to exercise, and are less likely to smoke or commit crimes. To say it’s not your problem is just not true. As an American, it’s a problem that affects us all. It’s a strange thing to say, but the greatest success this show could ever have, would be for it to be canceled, because we reached so many people and so many communities, that this was no longer an issue in the US and there were no more schools for us to fix. O - It is apparent you are so energized by the thought of helping others. Did you always have the desire to make a big, positive impact on others? For instance, were you a volunteer for anything in your childhood, teen years, or before EMHE? M - I do really enjoy helping others. While living in Kimball I did volunteer at the elementary school both in the Resource Room and with the fifth graders doing a Mary Lynch news program that would be shown throughout the school once a month. In college, I volunteered with a couple different groups, one of which is called Camp Kindle. This is a summer camp and support group for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. O - School Pride seems like a chance to impact not just one family, but entire communities. What are the differences between EMHE and School Pride? The time limit for EMHE is one week. Is there a similar deadline or time limit for the School Pride? M - While there is a week (10 days in the pilot) time limit for School Pride that is where the similarities between it and EMHE end. EMHE is a design show. You see the families at the beginning of the show and you are invested in them, however, the main focus is the house and what the rooms are going to look like and have in them. On School Pride, the makeover takes a back seat to the people. Our main focus on SP is the students, teachers, and the community. Every week, you will follow the story of these people that make up these schools, and what is affecting their lives and their thoughts on school. Whereas EMHE sends the family away for the week, you see the people on School Pride back working at the school everyday. This show also has a investigative component. One of the hosts of the show, every week tries to get a sense and understanding of how and why this is happening in American schools. As a matter of fact, during our first episode in Compton California, our host has a sit down, one-on-one interview with Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar about the California school system and asks how this is being allowed to happen. O - How large is the main crew that comes in to each school? Have you, or do you anticipate, a shortage of volunteers? M - Our crew that travels from location to location is probably about 50 people. I don’t think that there will ever be a shortage of volunteers. Everyone has a kid in school, had a kid in school, or was a kid in school at one time. The support we have seen so far is overwhelming. We’ve even had alumni travel back to their home towns just so they could help. As I mentioned before, the American school system is EVERYONES problem, and I think people are starting to realize that. This show helps restore a communities pride and I think that is something that everyone will support. O - Is there any point of the rebuilding process when the school administration is guided on future upkeep, maintenance, and ideas about how they will continue growing and being able to offer the necessary supplies to students? M - The schools are instructed about future upkeep and how to use the new technology. And since the students and the community are the ones who do the work, they seem to take more pride in the school and it’s upkeep. We got an update from one of the schools, that a student caught another student getting ready to write on one of the walls. He told the student, “You better not right on that wall. My mom painted that wall!!” It’s like the broken window theory (monitoring and maintaining urban environments in a well-ordered condition may prevent further vandalism as well as an escalation into more serious crime). O - Is there a follow up of any kind planned for the schools? Something like a review to see how the improvements have helped, what changes the community has undergone since the crews and volunteers left, etc. M - We will have a short follow up for each school at the end of each episode. Not only will we learn about the specific students and teachers that we met during the show, but we will learn about overall improvements, such as test scores, football teams, etc... O - What is your position, and what are your duties on the show? M - I am one of the producers on the show. This means that I deal directly with the schools, students, teachers, and hosts. I’m in the office before we start filming doing prep work and getting to know everything I can about the people and the communities we are going to be working with. I then travel with the show to the locations, and am right there along with the community and cameras, trying to make sure we get what we need for the best show. O - Do you prefer to work behind the scenes, or right up front? M - I stay behind the scenes, but occasionally you’ll see me on the show. Keep your eyes peeled though, because it happens pretty fast. There are times that the camera will catch me and I won’t even notice. My mom will call me the next day and told me she saw me on the show (she called me once to tell me she saw my hands on an episode of EMHE). I guess that’s what moms do. Even though my name has been in the credits for 80 or so different episodes of television, both my parents still get so excited every time they see it (even taking pictures sometimes). O - How has this project shaped your view of: Community (the sense of, not the physical) M - When I was speaking with the communities and teachers and students about the condition of their schools before we started work on them, I heard so many reasons for why the schools were in the shape that they were. It was because of the unions, or the government, or lack of money, etc (except for the school in Nashville that was washed out by a flood). People seem to feel somewhat hopeless about the situation (and many others). However, once we got there and inspired the community to work together it was amazing what they could accomplish. I am as bad as everyone else, with the blame game, but this show has really taught me that there is no one to blame but ourselves, and if communities just stand together and support each other, they can accomplish anything. Give a community a little hope, and they can go a long way. O - Education? M - Everyone I spoke to while working on this show, agreed that education was so important. However, not many people are doing much to help it. While a lot of the inequities in the American education system fall on the schools, parents and community members need to be doing their part as well. Everyone needs to get involved in their local schools. The education system is a mess right now, but it can be fixed. It’s going to take time and money, but if parents, and the whole community get involved, it is something that can be fixed. The premier of School Pride airs Oct. 15 on NBC, check listings for times.