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Seniors set for super night
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James Clark photo, Seth Wright photo illustration Pictured from left: Caden Brownyard, Shawn Woodlee, Maddie Merriman, Allison Cripps

WCHS seniors will be armed with the superpower of a high school diploma after Friday night’s graduation ceremony at Nunley Stadium.
Seating is expected to be at full capacity as 405 seniors walk the stage to receive their degrees.

The class of 2018 won’t have a mission as weighty as saving the world, but graduates are sure to encounter the forces of good and evil as a hulking journey awaits. There will be kryptonite along the way and villains lurking, but these challenges will help graduates learn their true identity.

For WCHS student body president Allison Cripps, it will be up, up and away. Her immediate plans after high school are to attend Air Force basic training with the goal of becoming a pilot.

“My dad always enjoyed it so I figured I would too,” said Allison of her father, Jason Cripps, who has served as a military and commercial pilot.

Shawn Woodlee and Maddie Merriman say they plan to attend Chattanooga State in the fall. In college, there will be one significant change for Shawn, who has played football his entire life.

“I’ll be hanging up my cleats,” he said.

Caden Brownyard said Popsicle Fridays were one of his favorite parts of high school. He says he will miss his friends and is glad for the memories they share.

“I’d do it all over again if I could,” said Caden.

Cripps will deliver a speech during the graduation ceremony. Asked if she knows of any surprises that will take place during graduation, Allison said, “I think Shawn is going to crowd surf.”

Shawn replied, “Don’t say that or I’ll have to do it.”

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