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WEBVTT ♪ PATTY: THIS DANCING MOORE HIGH SCHOOL DUO-IS DOING SOMETHING NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE. >> I DECIDED TO ASK AARON TO BE MY LION KING BECAUSE HE HADN'T BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS HE'S WANTED TO DO IT AND NO ONE HAS ASKED HIM. PATTY: SENIOR MADILYNN CHEERLEADER-PICKED HER NEW GRIMES, CHEERLEADER, MCCADDEN TO FRIEND, AARON BE HER PARTNER IN A BIG SCHOOL PAGEANT. >> I WAS SHOCKED AT FIRST, BUT NOW I'M STARTING TO GET USED TO IT. PATTY: THE PAGEANT IS ABOUT SPIRIT AND TALENT, IT USUALLY INVOLVES THE POPULAR ATHLETES. >> I'M HOPING TO DO GOOD TONIGHT. PATTY: MCCADDEN IS AUTISTIC AND HAS CEREBRAL PALSY-BUT TONIGHT, HE IS LEAVING IT ALL ON THE DANCE FLOOR. >> I'VE BEEN PRACTICING REALLY HARD FOR THE PAST WEEK OR SO. PATTY: IS CHEERLEADER WILL NOT LET HIS GIVE UP. ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC YOU WILL WIN PRIZES TONIGHT? >> I'M NOT VERY OPTIMISTIC, NO. [LAUGHTER] >> I AM. I'M OPTIMISTIC. I THINK HE'S GOING TO DO GREAT. [LAUGHTER] PATTY: THEIR PARENTS ARE PUMPED TO SEE KINDNESS TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT. >> NOT MANY CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS GET THOSE EXTRA OPPORTUNITIES TO STEP OUT AND SHINE. PATTY: AND JUST MAYBE THEIR MOVE WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO STEP OUT.

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A Moore High School dancing duo is stepping up to do something that hasn’t been done in nearly 20 years. Senior Madilynn Grimes asked junior Aaron McCadden to be her Lion King in the upcoming school pageant. The pageant is an annual fundraiser for the cheer-pom team. “A Lion King. I think they embody how Moore High School is as a whole,” she said. “They’re the one person that shows how much spirit we have, and how fun we can be.” The pageant usually involves the popular or athletic male students doing a dance and showing off their talents by teaming up with a cheerleader. McCadden is a manager for the football and basketball team. He’s autistic and has cerebral palsy. He’s excited about being asked. “I was shocked at first, but now I’m starting to get used to it,” he said. “I decided to ask Aaron to be my Lion King because he hadn’t been given the opportunity,” said Grimes, a member of the pom squad. "For the last two years, he’s wanted to do it, and no one has asked him.” Grimes says in the 17 years of the pageant, no other special-needs student has been invited to be part of it. They’ve been practicing for weeks, and Grimes is cheering on her partner who’s just happy to be part of the pageant and doesn’t think he’ll win. “I’m optimistic. I think he’s going to do great,” she said. His mother, Cheryl McCadden, was in tears explaining how this opportunity is helping her son become more independent and not let his disability stop him from having a normal high school experience. “Not many kids with special needs get the opportunity to step out and shine,” she said. On Thursday night, the dancing duo will show off their moves and hopes others take a cue from their steps. “We both know Moore is an awesome school in the US, and I hope other schools in the country will learn from it,” Aaron McCadden said as he high-fived Grimes. Aaron McCadden and Grimes were crowned the winners of the Lion King Pageant.