Oak Ridge Today

ORHS students to rally against gun violence on April 20

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Oak Ridge High School students will rally against gun violence on Friday, April 20. That’s the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

The student-led rally in Oak Ridge this month will be held in solidarity with schools around the country that are also holding events on that day, a press release said.

“Inspired by the strong young people that have been victimized by acts of gun violence in their own schools and now fight against it, ORHS students are organizing a rally against gun violence,” the press release said. “This rally will include students discussing how gun violence has affected their lives: original student poetry readings, student art exhibits, student-led songs, and student speeches. Furthermore, there will be stations set up where students can register to vote and write letters to their elected officials.” [Read more…]

Twenty-nine qualify to run for 16 seats on Anderson County Commission

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Twenty-nine candidates have qualified to run for 16 seats on the Anderson County Commission in the county general election in August.

There are also three people running for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33, a new appointed Oak Ridge school board member running in a special election in August, and a Democratic challenger to Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge resident who is also lieutenant governor.

The deadline to qualify to run in the August 2 election, which will also feature contested elections for Anderson County sheriff and trustee, was noon Thursday.

Anderson County has eight County Commission districts, and there are two commissioners per district. The offices are non-partisan, meaning that, unlike some other county offices, they are not part of the Democratic and Republican primary elections on May 1. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge teams excel at state chess team championships

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Oak Ridge High School Freshmen Chess Team in March 2018: Levi Parish, Adam Herron, Kenny Adams, and Dan Joy (Photo courtesy Esther Parish)

Oak Ridge High School Freshmen Chess Team: Levi Parish, Adam Herron, Kenny Adams, and Dan Joy (Photo courtesy Esther Parish)

 

Every year, the top four scholastic chess teams in each of the four grade divisions qualify to join teams from the other three regions to compete for the Tennessee Chess Association scholastic team championships, which were held March 24 at Tennessee Tech University.

Four Oak Ridge schools—Linden Elementary School, Robertsville Middle School, Jefferson Middle School, and Oak Ridge High School—qualified a total of six teams for this year’s event. That meant that about 1/10th of the players were Oak Ridge students (Oak Ridge has about 0.4 percent of the state’s population).

In the Primary (K-3) section, the Linden team of Ricardo Smith, William Hetrick, Quinn Richardson, and Kaylee Tress finished 11th overall.

In the Elementary (K-6) section, Jefferson (Brian Qu, Isaak Nussbaum, Gavin Koentop, and Toby Croft) finished fifth, while Robertsville (Leo Ehlers, Patrick Wurm, Daisy Kercher, Brandon Bonamarte, and Zachary Williamson) took 10th. [Read more…]

Robotics: After regional alliance win, Secret City Wildbots will compete in World Finals in Houston

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After a regional alliance win at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, March 24, 2018, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge, Team 4265, is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April. (Photo by Angi Agle)

After a regional alliance win at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, March 24, 2018, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge (Team 4265) is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

Information and photos submitted by Angi Agle

KNOXVILLE—After a regional alliance win in Knoxville on Saturday, the Secret City Wildbots robotics team of Oak Ridge is headed to the World Finals in Houston in April.

The Wildbots finished the qualification rounds ranked number eight at Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee. That made the Wildbots a team captain, eligible to select two more teams for their alliance.

However, captains select their alliance partners in the first round, with the highest-ranked team picking first. Team 2614, MARS (Mountain Area Robotics) of Morgantown, West Virginia, was the number one seed and selected Team 4265 (the Secret City Wildbots) as their first alliance pick.

The two then agreed upon Team 4306, the Robo Komodos of Franklin, Tennessee, as their third alliance partner. [Read more…]

Education Foundation to award over $100K in grants in April ceremony

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The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $104,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $104,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $104,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, a press release said.

Chuck Carringer, who has previously worked for Oak Ridge Schools and is now president of Chuck Carringer Executive Coaching, which provides leadership and management development services, will be the featured speaker at the April ceremony, the press release said. His talk will be titled “Teachers Making a Difference.”

The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4 p.m. April 25. Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony, the press release said. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District.

Here are the 2018 grant recipients: [Read more…]

Ben Stephens appointed to Oak Ridge school board

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Ben Stephens

Ben Stephens

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday appointed Benjamin Stephens to fill the seat being vacated by Vice Chair Robert S. Eby, who is resigning at the end of March in order to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education.

Stephens will serve through the county election in August. The winning candidate in that election will then serve through the November election, which will have candidates for municipal, state, and federal offices.

Stephens is manager of academic partnerships at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has been involved in community activities, and he serves on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

At Monday’s meeting, BOE member Angi Agle said she and Laura McLean, another board member, served on a 2020 Committee with Stephens and were impressed with his service there.

Stephens said he has worked with the board on several strategic plans, and he is honored to serve on the Oak Ridge Board of Education. [Read more…]

Monday night: Oak Ridge school board to consider appointing new member

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education will consider appointing a new school board member tonight (Monday, March 26).

The new member will replace Bob Eby. Eby, who has been vice chair of the school board, announced in February that he was resigning at the end of March because Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam is appointing him to serve on the Tennessee State Board of Education effective April 1.

Eby will represent Tennessee’s Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge, on the state school board, according to his resignation letter. [Read more…]

Council to review Preschool, Senior Center, Water Plant projects Tuesday

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The Oak Ridge City Council will review the Oak Ridge Preschool and Senior Center projects, and receive a briefing on the Water Plant project, during a work session on Tuesday.

The work session is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Central Services Complex on Woodbury Lane, behind the Hobby Lobby shopping center.

The reviews of the Preschool and Senior Center projects are scheduled to be presented by Jacene Phillips of Studio Four Design. [Read more…]

New sports complex opens at Clinton High School

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Photo courtesy Johanna Whitley/Anderson County Schools

Photo courtesy Johanna Whitley/Anderson County Schools

 

Clinton High School officially opened its new sports complex on March 1.

“The complex was a dream of so many in the community,” Anderson County Schools said on its website. “ACS would like to thank everyone who had a part in making this dream a reality.

“A special thanks goes to Mr. Joe Hollingsworth…his dedication to our community will be a gift to the students and families of Clinton for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Hollingsworth.” [Read more…]

Clinton Middle School introduces College & Career Academy

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Clinton Middle College and Career Academy 2018-2019 Registration Guide Cover

By Clinton Middle School

With the current push in our school district, Anderson County Schools, and in the State of Tennessee to promote success for every student, every day, Clinton Middle School has drawn up plans to transition from a traditional middle school to a “College and Career Academy.”

On Monday night, March 5, 2018, the Anderson County Board of Education unanimously approved the CMS administration’s plans for huge changes coming next school year. To start the 2018-19 school year, the hometown middle school will be Clinton Middle School: College and Career Academy.

This will serve first to create an environment of goal-attaining, resilient young people working with educators to close achievement gaps and to gain awareness of the world beyond secondary education. Plans have been set in motion to create the following: advisory programs, grade level college and career focuses, diverse related arts programs, financial literacy programs, and community service projects.

Each grade level will focus throughout the year on a different aspect of college and career readiness. [Read more…]

Roger Ward named Principal of the Year

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Roger Ward

Roger Ward

Roger Ward has been named Principal of the Year by Oak Ridge Schools.

Ward has been principal of Linden Elementary School since July 2005.

He began his career in 1990 and has served in many roles as an elementary educator during the past 28 years, a press release said.

“Mr. Ward emphasizes that students need not only to learn academic skills but also to be responsible, respectful, ready, and safe,” the press release said. “Thank you for your continued dedication to the students and staff at Linden and throughout the Oak Ridge Schools family.”

Ward’s nomination will be sent to the state level for consideration, Oak Ridge Schools said in the press release. The state winner will be honored during the annual LEAD Conference in Nashville.

Each year, an outstanding public school principal earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Principal of the Year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge offers Spring Break camps

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Campers will make slime, paint rocks, and have leprechaun fun at the Children’s Museum Spring Break Camp in March 2018. (Submitted photo)

Campers will make slime, paint rocks, and have leprechaun fun at the Children’s Museum Spring Break Camp in March 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

Flower art, slime and chemistry, science and art, and St. Patrick’s Day activities will be among spring break camps offered for children in kindergarten through 5th grades at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge Monday through Friday, March 12-16.

The museum will offer morning camps from 9 a.m.-noon and afternoon sessions from 1-4 p.m. Children may register for individual sessions, a day, all mornings, all afternoons, or the entire week.

Meanwhile, the Children’s Museum will be open for visits Tuesday through Sunday during spring break. Children may imagine they are astronauts in the Mars Rocket Room, play in a farmer’s market in the Healthy Living exhibit, explore how children lived in historic Appalachia, wander through a rain forest, play in a tugboat in TVA Waterworks, and much more.

Here’s the schedule of activities for March 12-16: [Read more…]