No one was injured when a car crashed into an Oak Ridge school bus on Thursday, police said.
The two-vehicle crash was reported at about 6:55 a.m. Thursday in the eastbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike at Salem Road.
School bus #64 was struck on the driver’s side near the rear axle by a car pulling out onto the Turnpike from Salem Road, the Oak Ridge Police Department said. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
Monday night, the Roane County Commission overwhelmingly voted against the long-discussed school consolidation project. Commissioners voted 11-2 with two abstentions to reject the approximately $63 million plan that would have consolidated Harriman, Kingston, and Rockwood high schools into one large central facility that would be built near Roane State Community College’s campus in Harriman.
Since discussions began on the possibility of consolidating the three high schools and making renovations to Midway and Oliver Springs high schools, which would remain open under the proposal, school officials have been fighting an uphill battle. [Read more…]
Melanie Bloomer
Oak Ridge Schools on Wednesday announced its district teacher of the year: Melanie Bloomer of Willow Brook Elementary School.
The nine school-level teachers of the year were announced previously.
Teachers of the year are selected competitively through five cycles: school, district, region, grand division, and state, a press release said. Teachers selected at each cycle receive local recognition and awards underwritten by local sources. State recognition/awards include a banquet honoring the nine region-level teachers of the year.
“The Tennessee Department of Education has encouraged us to recognize teachers who care about children, who devote their professional lives to enriching the lives of Tennessee students, and who demonstrate exceptional gains in student achievement,” the press release said. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge High School freshman Henri Scott is one of three state championship qualifiers from the high school for the state chess championship at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 16, 2019. (Submitted photo)
Note: This story was updated at 6:05 p.m.
Three Oak Ridge High School students have qualified for the state chess championship on February 16 at Tennessee Tech University.
The three ORHS students took home trophies and qualified for the state championship during the Region 1 scholastic at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday, January 26, a press release said. More than 109 students from across East Tennessee attended that event.
ORHS juniors Justin Blanchard and Bear Moran took third and seventh, respectively, in the high school division, the press release said. Freshman Henri Scott also qualified for the K-9 championship by taking sixth in that division. [Read more…]
Teachers of the Year in 2019 at Oak Ridge Schools are pictured above. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)
Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year at its nine schools.
The teachers of the year are:
The school winners were nominated by their principals and peers for this 2018-2019 application.
The district winner will be announced today (Wednesday, February 6). [Read more…]
Oak Ridge and Anderson County schools will be closed Tuesday due to weather.
Snow is possible, and temperatures are expected to plunge in the Oak Ridge area on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the seven-day forecast by the National Weather Service in Morristown.
The snow is expected starting overnight Monday and continuing into Tuesday morning. The low on Wednesday night is forecast at 9 degrees Fahrenheit. [Read more…]
The City of Oak Ridge held ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool, pictured above, with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both sites, and the buildings are slated for completion later this year. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
The City of Oak Ridge held ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, January 14, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both sites, and the buildings are slated for completion later this year.
“These projects have been in the planning stages for decades and we are making good on promises to deliver them,” Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch said in a press release. “The Preschool and the Senior Center will have a positive impact on our citizens and their families for generations to come. We are excited to see construction begin.”
Studio Four Design Inc. was chosen to design the Preschool and the Senior Center. At a special meeting in October 2018, Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved resolutions awarding construction contracts to Jenkins and Stiles LLC totaling just more than $11 million ($8.4 million for the new Preschool and Scarboro Park improvements and $2.68 million for the new Senior Center). General obligation bonds were sold in late November to completely fund the projects.
“After years of discussion, plans for these important facilities are coming to fruition,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson said in the press release. “The Preschool and Senior Center are welcome additions to our community. We are appreciative of all the hard work that has gone into making these amenities a reality for Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]
An image showing what the new Oak Ridge Preschool at Scarboro Park could look like. (Image courtesy City of Oak Ridge/Studio Four Design)
The City of Oak Ridge will hold ceremonial groundbreakings on Monday, January 14, to celebrate the start of two major projects: the new Oak Ridge Preschool with Scarboro Park improvements and the new Oak Ridge Senior Center. Construction activity is already under way at both locations.
Studio Four Design Inc. of Knoxville was chosen to design the both the Preschool and the Senior Center. At a special meeting on October 11, Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved resolutions awarding construction contracts to Jenkins and Stiles LLC.
The new preschool will be a single-story facility of about 33,000 square feet located on Carver Avenue. The build site is inside Scarboro Park, a roughly 10-acre parcel. The project includes improvements to the adjacent park area such as lighted basketball/tennis courts, a baseball field, a public pavilion, green space, and a walking trail. [Read more…]
Pictured above at the Alexander Guest House are, from left, LuAnn Hanchett, community relations and activity director; MCLinc President Barry Stephenson; resident Muriel Bogardus; and Executive Director Amy Duncan. (Submitted photo)
This holiday season, Oak Ridge’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes received a special gift to help residents remember the history of Oak Ridge schools, a press release said. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc) provided the facilities with collector’s edition copies of the book “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in the Oak Ridge Schools 1944-2018,” which includes the history of the Oak Ridge school system, photographs, and memories from 1944 through the present.
The book was developed by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, and it includes anchor authors from each of the 75 classes who shared their memories and helped collect those of their classmates.
MCLinc donated more than 20 books to six facilities in Oak Ridge, including Brookdale, Canterfield, Alexander Guest House, Greenfield, The Courtyards, and NHC, the press release said.
“Each year MCLinc looks for ways that we can give back to the community where we live and work, and what better way to support our schools and provide cherished memories to residents than to make these books available,” said Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc. [Read more…]
On Thursday Dec. 20, 2018, the Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert. (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge High School Choral Department will present its Holiday Concert on Thursday.
“Please come and celebrate the season with these very talented students,” a press release said. [Read more…]
The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)
A limited amount of sod from Blankenship Field will be available to football fans during a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday afternoon.
Renovations have started at the field, which will be converted from grass to synthetic turf, possibly by the end of April.
The ceremonial groundbreaking will be hosted by the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools, and it is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Friday, December 7.
“Football fans will be given the opportunity to take home a piece of sod from the field beginning at 3:30 p.m. Friday,” a press release said. A limited amount of sod will be available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis. [Read more…]
The high school football season is over, and renovation work started at Blankenship Field in November 2018. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)
The high school football season is over, and renovation work has started at Blankenship Field.
The City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools have both posted photos of the start of the work.
On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge said maintenance crews from Oak Ridge Schools were doing preliminary work, including removing irrigation, fencing, and sod.
“Heavy machinery will arrive with the contractors soon,” the city said in a post published on Twitter. “We can’t wait to see the finished product next year!” [Read more…]
