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Allens discuss military sacrifices
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With his wife, Jessica, standing behind him, Army veteran Chaz Allen tells students gathered for a Veterans Day ceremony at Centertown School he hopes many of them are willing to serve their country.

Jessica Allen still has to fight back tears when talking about the explosion in Afghanistan that left her husband without both his legs.
“For my girls, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like to have your dad 6 feet tall and dressed in camouflage and going out to protect our country and then two months later I have to tell them daddy stepped on a bomb,” said Jessica. “They were in kindergarten and third grade at the time. And the worst part was when they asked me questions about it, mommy didn’t have the answers.”
Allen told those memories Wednesday morning during a Veterans Day program at Centertown Elementary where both her girls now attend. She spoke alongside her husband, Chaz Allen, a 16-year Army veteran who served in Kosovo, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan.
It was in Afghanistan where Chaz’s life was forever changed. He stepped on a 40-pound improvised explosive device on Jan. 22, 2011, his injuries resulting in the loss of both legs above the knee. He also suffered significant damage to one arm, his back, and has hearing loss.
“I was willing to sacrifice my life to protect others and I hope there are people, maybe some in these stands right now, who are willing to do the same,” said Chaz.
He noted military service is not easy, nor is it attractive to the vast majority of people.
“Less than 1 percent have the fortitude to sign a blank check and hand their life over to the military,” said Chaz.
Jessica admits she doesn’t have the courage required for military service. But since Chaz’s injuries, she has worked tirelessly to improve the care network for families like hers who are experiencing an array of challenges due to a military injury.
She is an Elizabeth Dole fellow who has worked with the White House and spoken nationally about such issues.
“I’m not brave enough to join the military,” said Jessica. “But what I can do is come to groups like you and talk about these children because we ask them to give up everything so their fathers can serve.”
The Veterans Day program included students in grades 6-8 singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and kindergarten students singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” Every veteran in attendance was announced to the crowd and received applause.

Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Warren County Schools has beefed up lunch menus this school year through a new community partnership. Thanks to a collaboration between the district’s School Nutrition Department and Barton Creek Farms, students at Warren County High School, Warren County Middle School, West Elementary, Eastside Elementary, and Dibrell Elementary are enjoying locally sourced, farm-fresh beef in their lunches as part of a pilot program.

The initiative, spearheaded by Terri Mullican, Director of School Nutrition, has already shown great promise in its first few months. The partnership with Barton Creek Farms, located in Rock Island, Tennessee, ensures that the beef served is not only local to Warren County but of the highest quality. Barton Creek Farms specializes in farm-to-fork beef, with grass-fed and grain-finished cattle. Each calf is born and raised in Rock Island and goes through USDA-inspected processing, ensuring it meets the strictest safety and quality standards.

“When the opportunity arose to provide fresh, local beef, we knew it was a no-brainer,” Mullican said. “The fact that it’s a product from right here in our community makes it even more special. We can’t wait to implement it district-wide.”

Barton Creek Farms delivers fresh ground beef to the district monthly, and the nutrition

department incorporates it into homemade recipes such as lasagna, meatloaf, chili, and tacos.

As of now, the beef is being served at five schools, but the ultimate goal is to expand the program to all ten lunch-serving schools in the district.

The pilot program originated from a conversation between Mary Roller of Barton Creek Farms and Mullican. Roller, recognizing the farm’s potential to support local schools, reached out to gauge the district’s interest in serving local beef to students. Around the same time, a Warren County school board member contacted Mullican to share information about a similar partnership in neighboring Dekalb County, which helped push the initiative forward.

The timing worked in the district’s favor, as the nutrition department was able to fund the purchase of the beef using existing resources, eliminating the need for additional funding. Now that the pilot program is enjoying a successful run, the department has budgeted to extend the partnership district-wide for the 2025-26 school year.

Dr. Grant Swallows, Director of Schools, praised the program’s economic approach to student nutrition.

“This pilot is a perfect example of how we can use local resources to continue providing nutritious, healthy meals for our students,” he said. “We are grateful for partnerships like this one that benefit both our students and our local community. We always strive to support our local businesses when we can because our community is so good to us.”

In addition to working with Warren County Schools, Barton Creek Farms also partners with local restaurants to offer farm-fresh beef on their menus. The farm’s offerings include ground beef, steaks, roasts, and custom cuts by the quarter, half, or whole cow, meeting diverse consumer needs.

As the program continues to grow, the district hopes to expand its focus on farm-to-school meals, benefiting students’ health and connecting them to the agricultural roots of the community