John Coffelt, Editor

Coffee County Central High School Red Raider Band won first place in the small band division and division grand champions during the Stones River Classic held Sept. 21 in Murfreesboro.

“This program has done a lot of work in the last few years, so it’s nice to see the community recognizes that,” Band director Gavyn Lee Frankenfield said while being recognized during the Nov. 12 meeting of the Coffee County Commission.

“The students were able to overcome the challenges and get their heads on straight,” he said “They had a great performance leading to this award. The students have worked extremely hard over the last two years since I have taken over (the program), and it’s their hard work and dedication that makes a success like this possible.”

Frankenfield said he is excited to see what comes next for the band and shared that the band’s winter concert will be at 6:30 p.m., Dec. 10 at the CCCHS auditorium.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.