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School honor local veterans
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Natalie Hobbs gets in the spirit as her class sings and dances to Yankee Doodle. She is the daughter of Derek and Ashley Hobbs and is a kindergarten student.

Students across the county paid homage to veterans Friday as they presented Veterans Day programs. Irving College School’s new gymnasium was almost full with veterans and their families as all students pre-K through eighth grade presented songs and tributes to them.
School resource officer and U.S. Air Force veteran Mike Vann spoke to the crowd and showed his appreciation to veterans.
“Many veterans don’t feel like they are appreciated, even though they are protecting us,” said Vann. “There are so few of them serving the multitude of us, so it’s nice to have these days to show appreciation.”
Also speaking with students was former Irving College student and Air Force veteran Angie Higgins. She was assisted by U.S. Army veteran Sandy Hayes. They conveyed military rules to the students, taught them the signs which go with the rules, and included them in their presentation.
Higgins said, “There are more than 23 million veterans, all brave men and women who protect our freedom. Four words they live by are brave, honor, protector and courage.”
The program featured pre-K students presenting the “Pledge of Allegiance” in sign language, while others sang “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “God Bless the USA.”
World War II veteran and Irving College community resident Brown Woodlee proudly attended the event and appreciated the school’s intent to honor veterans.
“I served from 1942-45 in the U.S. Army, and it was tough,” said Woodlee. “You can’t understand what it was like unless you went through it.”
School guidance counselor Heath Roberts planned the event, saying it is important to recognize and show veterans respect for their time served.
“Children need to know why we celebrate this day and to always appreciate the freedom we enjoy in the United States,” said Roberts.

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