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Choice Transportation chooses teacher to help
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Photo provided Sean Graham of Choice Transportation presents a check for $500 to local teacher Debra Wilson. From left, are Sarah Ford, Sean Graham, Debra Wilson and Warren Academy Principal Bryan Matheny.

A local business stepped up to assist local school students last week, making a donation to Warren Academy after seeking nominations on social media.

Choice Transportation presented a  check for $500 to Warren Academy teacher Debra Wilson Monday, selecting her from a large group of nominees submitted on Facebook. The local company announced its decision to sponsor a teacher, and encouraged community members to nominate teachers who provide supplies for their students out of their own pockets. 

According to a post made to Choice Transportation’s Facebook page, after reviewing numerous nominations from the people of Warren County, Warren Academy was selected due to its contribution to the futures of troubled youth. 

“We believe that early intervention is crucial in redirecting the path of troubled youth, giving them a better chance of becoming productive and successful adults,” the company posted. “Therefore we will be donating $500 to the Warren Academy.”

Wilson was selected as Warren Academy has expanded its reach and has begun classes for grades 3-5, which she will be teaching. Choice Transportation expressed its appreciation to Warren Academy for expanding its reach, believing that receiving help at a younger age will help the youth of Warren County have a more successful future.

Wilson stated she is very pleased to receive the donation and the funds will be used to provide school supplies for her students. 

“I feel very honored to be chosen from the list.” Wilson said. “The funds will go a long way in helping our students. We will be able to help them with school supplies or even snacks during the day.”


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