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American Legion State delegates chosen for 2016
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American Legion Girls State has announced its delegates for 2016. The girls are sponsored by American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 173, Lisa Zavogiannis, Noon Rotary Club, Caney Fork Electric, First National Bank and Netherton Dentistry. Pictured, from left, are Zavogiannis, Caney Fork representative Tina Smartt, alternate Emma Mullican and delegates Brooke Murphy, Chelsea Stewart, Hannah Wright, Macy Dishman, Erin Cantrell, Lauren Hennessee, Rotary member Megan Taylor, and Ladies Auxiliary member Pat Bryan. Not pictured is delegate Caitlin Able.

American Legion Boys and Girls State delegates have been selected for 2016.
Boys and Girls State are premier programs for teaching how government works, while developing leadership skills and an appreciation of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
From May 29 through June 4, delegates from across the state will be involved in this summer program that allows them to run for office, learn public speaking, draft and debate legislation, and actively participate in all phases of creating and running a working government.
Boys State delegates are: Logan Dyer, Rylan Lorance, Logan Wilson, Blaine Wilson, Isaac Golden, Brendan Breedlove, Trey Crothers and Hayden Everett. Alternates, or substitutes for any boy who cannot go, are Sawyer Hall, John Keele and Paxton Smith.
Girls State delegates are: Chelsea Stewart, Hannah Wright, Macy Dishman, Erin Cantrell, Lauren Hennessee, and Caitlin Able. The alternate is Emma Mullican.
While the boys trip is paid entirely from American Legion Post 173 at a cost of $250 per delegate, funding for only one girl comes from American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 173. At $300 per delegate, the remaining girls must be sponsored by a local business or individual. Stepping up to sponsor are Lisa Zavogiannis, Noon Rotary Club, Caney Fork Electric, First National Bank and Netherton Dentistry.
“We are always looking for businesses, organizations or individuals to sponsor one of the girls,” said LTC (R) Bruce Gipson, Boys and Girls State coordinator at Warren County High School. “We appreciate this year’s sponsors. This program is a very prestigious and respected educational program of government instruction in our nation. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the girls, as well as the boys.”
If anyone would like to sponsor one of the girls for next year’s program, contact Gipson at 668-5858. He is also the senior Army instructor for the school’s JROTC program.
All delegates must have completed their junior year of high school and have at least one semester of high school remaining to be eligible. To be chosen, students must exhibit the following characteristics: high moral character, outstanding leadership qualities, academic excellence, interest in government, community participation, and willingness to participate in program activities.
The 2016 girls program is offered on the campus of Lipscomb University in Nashville, while the boys program is offered on the campus of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville.

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