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Scouts honored for service to community
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Lisa Hobbs
Updated: Dec 7, 2011, 1:07 AM
Published: Dec 7, 2011, 2:07 AM

Three local scouts have ascended to the rank of Eagle Scout. A recent ceremony honored Bryce Caten, Harrison Hale and Hayden Pennington.
Caten is the son of Brian and Rosanne Caten. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout on Aug. 17, 2010 with a project to build a pavilion at the practice field at Warren County Middle School.
“The pavilion was built at the football and soccer field for waiting parents and overheated players to get out of the sun and weather,” said Adrian Hale.
Harrison Hale is the son of Adrian and Cynthia Hale. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout on Aug. 23, 2011 with a project to construct a handicapped-accessible deck and install vinyl siding on the range office and classroom at the shooting range located near Viola Valley Dogs.
“The shooting range earns funds to offset the dog food necessary for the dog operation,” said Hale. “Last year, the range brought in $17,000, but the dog food cost $19,000.”
Handgun carry classes are taught in the classroom, as well as some others. The facility was not handicap accessible.
Hayden Pennington is the son of Phillip and Karen Pennington. He earned rank of Eagle Scout on Oct. 16, 2011. His project was to build several dog houses for Viola Valley Dogs.
“Hayden became aware of Viola Valley Dogs when he was helping with Harrison’s project at the shooting range,” said Hale. “After talking to Ralph Coursey, he decided there was a need he could help fill.”
All the projects involved the boys picking, planning, organizing, finding funding, gathering materials and equipment, and organizing the labor. Each project took over 150 combined man hours from between 15-30 volunteers.
Eagle Scout projects culminate the scouting experience. The project showcases a scout’s ability as a leader to take a meaningful concept, from beginning to completion, in a way that benefits the community.
“These boys have spent significant time in the outdoors, camping in all types of weather and temperatures,” said Hale. “They have organized and donated hundreds of service hours to the community and their church in a variety of capacities.”
The newly named Eagle Scouts are members of Troop 313 from McMinnville and sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
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