🌟 Thriving Thursday Spotlight 🌟
Did you know that our UT Extension Van Buren County Office is filled with Eagle Pride? 💛🦅 Every member of the team is a proud graduate of Van Buren County Schools! 🙌
✨ Chris Binkley- Agriculture Extension Agent & County Director – Class of 1993
✨ Kayla (Bouldin) Hitchcock- Administrative Support- Class of 2005
✨ Paula (Boyd) May- Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent– Class of 1996
✨ Shelby (Christian Boyer) -4-H Youth Development Extension Agent– Class of 2014
From agriculture to family & consumer sciences to 4-H youth development through, they continue to give back to our community and invest in the next generation right here at home. 💪🌱📚
We are so thankful for their hard work, dedication, and hometown heart! 💛🦅 #ThrivingThursday #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
🌟 Wayback Wednesday 🌟
✨📚 Flashing back to SES 1993 — where the memories are timeless and the smiles never fade!" 💛🦅
From pictures of young staff members (and even a school board member) to faculty just starting out their careers, these moments remind us once an eagle, always an eagle.
These young smiles might look familiar… do you recognize them?
#WaybackWednesday #VBCSchools #OnceAnEagleAlwaysAnEagle #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Every day in school makes a difference — even missing 1 or 2 days a week can add up to weeks, months, and even years of lost learning by the time a child graduates.
At Van Buren County Schools, we believe Every Day Counts because consistent attendance builds strong learning habits, brighter futures, and lasting opportunities. 💛🦅
Let’s work together to ensure our students are present, prepared, and ready to succeed.
#AttendanceMatters #EveryDayCounts #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Check out what’s cooking this month in our cafeterias — tasty meals to keep our students fueled for learning. 💛🦅
#VBCSchools #HealthyEagles #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
🤝 Together Tuesday: Helping Charlee Knock Out Cancer 🤝
🎗️💛 September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 💛🎗️
Van Buren County Schools is proud to support Charlee’s Fight Box project! 💪✨ SES 4th Grader Charlee Sue Everett, a brave cancer warrior in our community, is collecting items to create care packages for children and adults battling cancer.
🧸 Items can be turned in at the front office of any school or given to your child’s teacher (Spencer Elementary).
📦 Suggested donations include (Full List on Flier):
Stuffed Animals 🧸
Water Bottles 💧
Hydration Packets 🥤
Snacks 🍪
Sleeping Masks 😴
Chapstick 💄
Hand Sanitizer 🧴
Books 📚
Puzzles & Games 🧩
Fuzzy Socks 🧦
Blankets 🛏️
Slippers 👟
Gas Gift Cards 🎁
Let’s join together as a community to spread kindness, comfort, and encouragement to those in the fight. 💛
#CharleesFightBox #ChildhoodCancerAwareness #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
#VBCSchools #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
📚✨ The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Spencer Elementary! ✨📚
👉 SAVE THE DATE: September 12–19, 2025
Get your reader excited to pick out their own books and discover new favorites! From fun adventures to inspiring stories, there’s something for everyone. ❤️
💳 Don’t forget — the Book Fair eWallet makes shopping easy and cash-free. Start exploring and set up your child’s eWallet here: 👉 https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/spencerelementaryschool
Let’s make this the BEST. WEEK. EVER! 🎉
#SpencerElementary #BookFair #ReadersAreLeaders #ScholasticBookFairs
🌟 Staff Spotlight Sunday: Van Buren Voyagers on the Move! 🌟
This summer, Coordinated School Health sponsored the Hike and Hype 2025 Challenge 🥾⛰️, encouraging our school staff to get outdoors 🌞, stay active 💪, and enjoy the beauty around us 🌿🌸.
🏆 A huge shoutout to Kanden McDonald, Renee Guy, Charlotte Hart, Denise Whittenberg, Kelly Lewis, and Christy Troglen—our top hikers who each completed 8+ hikes and earned a Van Buren Voyager t-shirt 👕🎉!
✨ An extra round of applause to Renee Guy, who went above and beyond with 19 hikes—earning the title of Ultimate Van Buren Voyager! 🌟🥇
🥜 Other participants who completed at least two hikes received trail mix 🥾🥜, while those with five hikes received mini first aid kits 🚑🩹 to keep the adventure going!
👏 Thank you to everyone who joined the challenge—we hope it brought health ❤️, happiness 😊, and adventure 🌍 to your summer!
#StaffSpotlightSunday #HikeAndHype2025 #VanBurenVoyagers #HealthyAdventures #SmallSchoolBig Opportunities
This week’s spotlight shines on Bryson Locke, a proud VBHS Senior 🎓. After being in a wreck back in July, his recovery is going well, and we were so thankful to see him on campus for Senior Photos this week! 📸✨
With smiles shared alongside family and friends, it was a reminder of strength, resilience, and the support of our school community. 💛💙
Keep shining, Bryson—your senior year is going to be amazing! 🌟
#SaturdayStudentSpotlight #VBHSPride #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
LEAPs After School is back! Starting Monday, September 2, 2025, students can join us Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM for fun, learning, and enrichment activities.
For more information please contact Denise Whittenberg at 931-946-2242🌟📚✨
#LEAPsAfterSchool #LearningAndFun #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
We’re excited to spotlight Dr. Courtney (Dishman) Bennett, VBHS Class of 1992! 💙💛 Daughter of former Van Buren County Road Superintendent Willis E. Dishman and Bettye Cummings Shockley, Courtney proudly shares how the small class sizes and personal attention at Van Buren County High School laid the foundation for her future success.
That foundation led her to earn her doctorate from Carson Newman University and build an incredible 27-year career in education—from public schools to higher education.
In 2015, she launched one of the first accredited public virtual schools in Tennessee, years before online learning became mainstream. Today, she serves as Director of Virtual Learning for Warren County Schools, helping high school students graduate with opportunities to work, attend TCAT, or study at Motlow while finishing their diplomas online.
Her outstanding leadership was recognized in 2024 when she was awarded Tech & Learning Magazine’s Best Implementation of Technology in a Rural School District for the Southeast Region. She also serves on the Tennessee Educational Technology Association VLN Board and as an advisory board member for Tech & Learning Magazine. 📚💻
Outside of her career, Courtney has been married for 17 years to her husband, James Bennett (longtime Warren County High School principal and former Pioneer football coach). Together, they love traveling, golfing, and cheering on the UT Vols 🧡🏈—GBO!
Dr. Bennett’s journey is a shining example of how a strong foundation at Van Buren County Schools can lead to lifelong success. 🌟
#ThrivingThursday #VBHSAlumni #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Throwing it back to the Spencer Elementary Marching Melodica Band from 1989–90! 🥁🎶 This group was made up of talented 5th and 6th graders who proudly represented our school.
Did you know? The 1986–87 band even had the honor of marching in the Inaugural Parade in Nashville for Governor Ned McWherter! 🎺🎉
If you look closely in this photo, you might spot a couple of familiar faces—current Van Buren High School staff members and even a 4-H leader. 👀💛💙
#WaybackWednesday #VBCSPride #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Do you have a little one turned 4 years old before August 15th, 2025? 🐣 Our Early Bird Preschool is still enrolling!
✅ Income Eligible (see chart)
✅ Small School, Big Opportunities ❤️
✅ A strong foundation for your child’s future!
📍 Stop by the Board of Education to pick up an enrollment packet, or call Ms. Denise Whittenberg at (931) 946-2242 for more details.
Don’t miss this chance to give your child the BEST start in learning! 🎒📚✏️
#EarlyBirdPreschool #EnrollmentOpportunity #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Together Tuesday: “Classroom Collaboration: Mrs. Shawna’s 1st Graders Become Authors!” ✨📝
📚🍕 Mrs. Shawna Delon's First Graders from last year had a Pizza Reunion Party 🎉🍕 to celebrate becoming published authors! ✍️📖 Publishing a book in her class is an annual event that takes place after an entire school year of starting the journey of becoming excellent writers ✨ by beginning with phrases, then sentences, and finally entire stories and narratives. Her students were so excited 🤩 about writing in class every day, and the fact that they knew their narratives would become a professionally bound book 📘 really inspired them to put forth their very best effort. 💪🌟
This past school year, her class decided to create Habitat Dioramas 🐾🌍 after learning all about each habitat on Earth. Then, each child wrote about that habitat during every free moment of their school days. 🖊️⏰
They even took a trip 🚌🐠 to the Tennessee Aquarium 🐟🐢 to see two different habitats: the Saltwater Habitat 🌊 and the Freshwater Habitat 💧. They had the best time 😃, and decided to include an opinion writing piece ✍️💭 about their experiences during their field trip. The book 📖 will be a keepsake for a very long time, and some students can compare their books with their older brothers’ and sisters’ published books! 👩👧👦📚
#TogetherTuesday #StudentAuthors #YoungWriters #PublishingDreams #SES #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
📢 Reminder, Van Buren County Schools Families! 📢
In observance of Labor Day, schools will be closed Friday, August 29th through Monday, September 1st. 🍂✏️
We hope everyone enjoys the extended weekend with family and friends—rest, recharge, and we’ll see you back on Tuesday, September 2nd ready to learn! 💙💛
#LaborDayWeekend #VBCSFamily #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
This week we are proud to honor our incredible School Nutrition Staff who work hard every day to ensure our students are fed with care and love. 💙💛
At the August Board of Education Meeting, these dedicated team members were recognized for their service:
👩🍳 School Nutrition Supervisor
🍕Christy Troglen
👩🍳 SES Cafeteria
🍟Carrie Thompson (Manager)
🍔Melinda Madewell
🥪Polly Fults
🌮Tara Argo
🍕Carolyn Kelly-Yates (not pictured)
👩🍳 VBHS Cafeteria
🍟Amanda Songer
🍔Robin Green
🥪Fatma Tweedell
🌮Darlene Brown
Thank you for all you do to keep our students healthy, happy, and ready to learn! 🥗💪
#SpotlightSunday #VBCSFamily #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
Van Buren County FFA Members are shining bright at the Tennessee State Fair in Wilson County! 💙💛 Under the guidance of advisors Lance Smith and Kurt Maynard, several of our teams competed in various contests—and their hard work paid off:
🏆 Livestock Team – 5th place out of 92 teams
🏆 Forestry Team – 5th place out of 44 teams
🏆 Environmental & Natural Resources (ENR) – 19th place out of 49 teams
🏆 FFA Dairy Judging CDE– 13th place
These accomplishments are no accident—our students put in the work with early morning practices and extra time throughout the school day to be their very best. 👏💪
We are so proud of their dedication, teamwork, and success at the state level! 🌟
#SaturdayStudentSpotlight #VBCFFA #VBCSFamily #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
📚✨ Every Day Counts at VBCS! ✨📚
At Van Buren County Schools, we know that students who attend school regularly are more likely to succeed in academics, graduate on time, and build the future they deserve. 💛
To support our families, we’ve provided this 2025-26 Planning for Families Calendar 🗓️—making it easier to schedule family trips and appointments around breaks and extended weekends. By planning ahead, we can work together to decrease student chronic absenteeism and give our students the best chance to thrive! 🌟
Thank you for partnering with us to make sure our students are in school, on time, every day. Together, we can help them reach their fullest potential! 🚀
#EveryDayCounts #AttendanceMatters #VBCSFamily #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
✨ Thriving Thursday: Constructing a Legacy ✨
This week we are proud to highlight Jr. and Kathy (Hodges) Johnson, Class of 1974 💙💛
Jr. and Kathy married in February of 1974, and just a year later in 1975, Jr. began building houses under the company name Johnson's Home Builders. A short time later the name was changed to Johnson's Builders. In 1992, he obtained his Tennessee State Contractors License, which opened many doors for their family and business. From carrying a crew of local workers to Nashville to frame apartments, to stepping into commercial construction, their journey has been nothing short of inspiring.
Over the years, they’ve had the opportunity to work with well-known businesses such as Western Sizzlin’, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, O’Charley’s, Map-Co, Logan’s, and most notably a 30-year adventure with Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, which required contractor licenses in nine states.
Closer to home, Jr. and Kathy have proudly worked with the State of Tennessee on fire halls (including Spencer’s), public libraries, senior centers, health departments, and TDOT maintenance buildings. They’ve also partnered with ministries in constructing churches and multi-purpose facilities. Today, they are living out a lifelong dream of Kathy's—building custom and resale homes. 🏠
But through all the successes, they believe their greatest achievement has been intertwining their work with family, friends, and community. They openly share that their journey of 50 years has not always been uphill—but every valley strengthened their faith and commitment to the Lord. 🙏
Their advice to Van Buren students: “You may not know your path right now, but listen to that small voice inside you. It will guide you where you’re meant to be.” 💙💛
#ThrivingThursday #VBHSAlumni #SmallSchoolBigOpportunities
