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Pioneerettes dance their way to Disney
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The Warren County High School Pioneerettes dance team has returned from competing in the Universal Dance Association National Dance Competition held at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The team is the reigning TSSAA small varsity pom state champions. The Pioneerettes placed 15th in the nation in Small Varsity Hip Hop last year in national competition.
Unfortunately, this year was not the year for the team to bring home a trophy from Orlando. Less than 22 hours before the team departed for competition, they found out one of the juniors could not compete due to a leg injury.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, she tore a hamstring during a performance the team puts on for friends and family prior to competition. She went to the doctor and had tests run and found out Tuesday she could not compete in Florida.
“We performed at the ballgame Tuesday night and we also found our for sure that one of our juniors would not be on the floor at nationals,” said coach Penny Shockley. “We stayed after the ballgame until 10 p.m. or later changing two complete routines that we had practiced since November. Mr. Cassel also allowed us to practice Wednesday afternoon. We are very thankful for that. We changed shapes and changed technical skills.”
The team has two freshmen alternates. One was added to the pom routine and the other was added to the hip hop routine that would be performed in Orlando.
“I am very proud of how the team did considering what they went through less than 22 hours before we left for competition,” said Shockley. “We missed pom semifinals by .4 points which is less than one-half of a point. We went to semifinals in hip hop but we missed hip hop finals by 3 points. It was very close. We also had a freshman and a sophomore competing in knee braces due to injuries and others who were fighting through back and leg injuries.”
The Pioneerettes competed against over 70 hip hop teams and over 80 pom teams in the small varsity category.
“I am very proud. The girls represented Warren County well and generously. They were very supportive of the other teams and their teammates and they did what they had to do. I am a very proud coach,” Shockley said.
Kim McCarter, owner of Studio 413 in Collierville, choreographs the dance routines the Pioneerettes take to nationals. She flew to Orlando for the competition and was able the cheer the girls on. McCarter herself is a former Pioneerette who danced on the University of Memphis dance team, worked for UDA as a head instructor and choreographer, danced at various NBA games and coached a high school team to national championships. McCarter’s niece is now a freshman Pioneerette.
The team is composed of senior Leala Marlin, juniors Rachel Mathis, Leslie Moulton and Sierra Pedigo, sophomores Jarah Anderson, Sabrina Caldwell, Taylor Elgouhary, Catherine Haley, Katie Tubb and Lydia Wilson, and freshmen  Eden Fryar, Abby Hutchins, Ally Locke, Shelbie McCormack, Raylee Pack and Courtlyn Sauer.

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