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School calendar set for next year
WCMS lockers WEB
What's their favorite school vacation? WCMS seventh-graders Ginger Majors, left, and Choana Flores both say it's Christmas break. Said Majors, "It's the best because it's the longest."
Lacy Garrison
Updated: Mar 1, 2017, 1:00 AM
Published: Mar 1, 2017, 1:03 AM

If this year’s school calendar fit your needs then you will like next year’s schedule which, with the exception of some minor tweaks, is almost the same.
“The calendar for 2017-18 pretty well mirrors this year’s,” said Director of Schools Bobby Cox in presenting the calendar to the Board of Education for consideration. The calendar was unanimously approved.
Cox said he opened the door for changes in the coming year and used feedback to slightly modify the calendar.
One area of change is students will return one day later from Christmas break, with classes starting Jan. 4 instead of Jan. 3. The issue, Cox said, was teachers were required to return for in-service work the day after New Year’s Day. By making Dec. 19 the abbreviated day that kicks off Christmas break, teachers will not have to return for their in-service until Jan. 3 meaning the holiday vacation technically runs from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2 for everyone.
The other slight change has a teacher professional development day set for Friday, March 16 which will lead into spring break. The timing of the day will, in essence, make spring break longer for students who will enjoy a break from March 19 to March 23.
As for starting and ending dates, schools will open around the county on Thursday, Aug. 10 following registration Aug. 8. High school graduation will mark the end to the school year on May 25, 2018.
Local farm partnership brings fresh beef to Warren County Schools
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Published: Apr 2, 2025, 11:31 PM

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