Information from WYSH Radio
Anderson County Schools were closed today (Thursday, January 4) and will remain closed on Friday, January 5, due to what school leaders called “extreme temperatures and wind chill factors.”
Classes in Anderson County had been set to resume today after the holiday break, but with wind chills in the low to mid teens this afternoon and likely wind chills near zero on Friday morning, students will return to class in Anderson County on Monday, January 8. [Read more…]
The renovation work at Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium could start in January and be complete by June, officials said Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. (Photo by City of Oak Ridge)
The renovation work at Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium could start in January and be complete by June, officials said Thursday.
The work will be done with help from a $496,000 state grant and an equal match from the Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.
“The funds, totaling roughly $1 million, will be used to make a number of upgrades to the facility, including, but not limited to: installation of synthetic turf, concrete walkways, synthetic track, new fencing, signage for the Cedar Hill Greenway trail head, and additional restrooms,” the press release said.
The state grant for the Blankenship Field renovations is from the Local Parks and Recreation Fund, and it has been approved by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
On December 11, Oak Ridge City Council voted to amend an earlier resolution to include all the enhancements specifically outlined within the grant contract. The expected date for project completion is June 1, 2018, the press release said. [Read more…]
Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in Tennessee—and only the second entire district in the world—to earn district-wide STEM certification from AdvancED, officials said Friday. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The picture above includes administrators from Oak Ridge Schools and Oak Ridge High School. (Photo by Oak Ridge Schools)
Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in Tennessee—and only the second entire district in the world—to earn district-wide STEM certification from AdvancED, officials said Friday. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Oak Ridge High School received STEM certification from AdvancED on Friday, making the Oak Ridge school district the first entire district in the state to be STEM-certified by AdvancED, a press release said.
“Oak Ridge High School is also the first comprehensive high school in the state to earn this distinction as an entire school, as opposed (to) certifying a single STEM program area,” the press release said.
The release said that AdvancED implements a research-based framework and criteria for the awareness, continuous improvement, and assessment of the quality, rigor, and substance of STEM educational programs. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, which has purchased new items at a local retailer with funds raised at board events, made a special delivery at the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, dropping off an estimated $1,200 worth of toys just in time for Christmas. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board made a special delivery at the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County, dropping off an estimated $1,200 worth of toys just in time for Christmas.
The YAB, made up of 16 Oak Ridge High School students, purchased new items at a local retailer with funds raised at other board events, a press release said. Items purchased include toys for all ages, as well as bicycles, clothing, and sports equipment. The items will soon be distributed to low-income families in Oak Ridge and Anderson County for the holidays, the press release said.
“This generation of young people want to make a real difference in the world and I’m proud to be able to work with them,” YAB City Staff Liaison Matt Reedy said. “YAB members voted unanimously to give back to kids who are less fortunate. Most of the money supporting this project was raised by students at the Children’s Halloween Party, a city event at which they also volunteer.”
After delivering and helping sort through the donated items at the Holiday Bureau’s warehouse on Emory Valley Road, the students took a tour of the facility to learn more about the nonprofit’s mission and other ways they can help. [Read more…]
Static Engine Team: Jack Borchers, Brian Dittner, Matthew Thompson, Matthew Powers, and Brooke Bigi (Submitted photo)
On Friday, October 27, the Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair classes from Oak Ridge High School competed for the second time in the Top Wrench competition at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. The students had their first experience in this competition in April 2017.
Now in its 27th year, Top Wrench Competition hosts 17 area schools, including more than 600 instructors, students, and other attendees.
Oak Ridge students entered the following competitive events: Static Engine Challenge, Pit Crew Challenge, and Computer Control Car Challenge. ORHS teams placed as follows:
Besting 17 schools to take first place in the Static Engine Challenge (repairing an ailing 427 Chevrolet engine to running status), the team completed the task in two minutes even. (The next closest time was 2:45.) [Read more…]
There will be a presentation on the opioid drug epidemic this evening at Robertsville Middle School.
The presentation is hosted by the offices of Safe Schools and Coordinated School Health. They are inviting the Oak Ridge community and friends of Oak Ridge Schools to the presentation, which is this evening (Wednesday, November 29) in the Robertsville Middle School Auditorium.
The evening will include a screening of the film “Chasing the Dragon,” a press release said. Following the film, the group will engage in a panel discussion with former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Neil Morgenstern as well as representatives from Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Ridgeview Behavioral Health, and ASAP of Anderson County.
The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday to provide those who attend an opportunity to visit with area mental health, drug prevention, treatment, and recovery agencies. The program will start promptly at 6 p.m. [Read more…]
Garfield Adams
Garfield Adams, Robertsville Middle School principal, has accepted a position with the Hamilton County Department of Education as the exceptional education director.
Adams will continue in his role as RMS principal until December 31, a press release said.
Effective January 1, 2018, Tonya Childress will serve as the interim principal of Robertsville Middle School, and David Scott will serve as interim administrative assistant, the press release said.
Childress has both doctor of education and educational specialist degrees from Lincoln Memorial University. She received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in technology education, the press release said. Childress has served as the vice principal of Robertsville since July 2017. [Read more…]
The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is urging members interested in school choice to attend a documentary at Pellissippi State Community College in Hardin Valley on Thursday.
The documentary is titled “Backpack Full of Cash.” It’s narrated by Matt Damon, and it’s described in an event flyer as a film “exploring the real cost of privatizing America’s public schools.”
In the United States, $600 billion per year is spent to educate children, a fact “near and dear” to proponents of privatizing, according to information provided by Kay Moss.
Filmed during the 2013-2014 school year in Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and other cities, the feature-length documentary narrated by Damon concentrates on how privatization is devastating public school funding, the information said. [Read more…]
Students from Knox County Schools, Oak Ridge City Schools, and area private schools will try to break the world record for the number of students learning how to code at the same time.
The students will make the attempt at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, November 8. In Oak Ridge, the attempt will occur throughout the district in the classrooms of teachers who choose to participate.
The idea to attempt a Guinness World Record came from Brandon Bruce, co-founder and chief operating officer of Cirrus Insight, and Caleb Fristoe, project manager of CodeTN—a Great Schools Partnership initiative that organizes coding clubs, camps, and competitions at area schools, a press release said. The effort is heavily supported by Knox County Schools and its Educational Technology and Information Technology departments, the release said.
“Amazing things are happening in Knoxville and Oak Ridge in technology and education,” Bruce said. “Attempting the Guinness World Record for the number of students learning how to code at the same time will help shine a light on the everyday great work of our students, parents, teachers, and principals. Keep an eye on East Tennessee for big successes in education and technology.” [Read more…]
Glenwood Elementary School students worked with Obed park rangers and practiced safe use of a telescope for viewing during the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)
Submitted by Oak Ridge Schools
The Great American Eclipse was unique in Oak Ridge, as we were on the coveted path of totality. Some solar eclipse fanatics will travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars just to get themselves into The Path. We took advantage of this rare opportunity that came to our back yard for the breathtaking experience of totality with our students and staff.
We had an interesting challenge, though. The edge of the path of totality cut through town in such a way that four of our schools would only experience a partial eclipse if students and staff stayed on campus. The total solar eclipse has several attributes that are not visible outside the path of totality, such as the sudden appearance of stars and planets, the solar corona becoming visible, and a temperature drop. To ensure all of our students had the opportunity for this rich total eclipse experience, we provided transportation to move everyone who wanted to participate into The Path. [Read more…]
A photo of last year’s winner in the ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover contest, Kyle Roach, a seventh-grade teacher at Rutledge Middle School, with some of the school’s students. (Photo by ORAU)
ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover celebrates 10 years of changing classrooms, lives
For nine years, ORAU’s Extreme Classroom Makeover has provided winning teachers throughout East Tennessee the opportunity to outfit their classrooms with $25,000 in new technology. From smart boards to laptops and just about everything in between, Extreme Classroom Makeover not only changes classrooms, it has changed the lives of students and teachers alike.
Kyle Roach, seventh-grade math teacher at Rutledge Middle School and winner of the 2017 Extreme Classroom Makeover, purchased Chromebooks, smart whiteboards, video editing software, and more for his classroom. He believes winning Extreme Classroom Makeover will not only impact his students but how he teaches as well, a press release said.
“The technology we purchased has allowed me to increase student interactivity,” Roach said. “Math is a visual subject. The students have taken abstract ideas like fractions and created visual representations. They are excited to share their creations and they are able to go back to what they have created, which has helped with retention of crucial skills. There have been many ‘aha’ moments—some from the kids and most from me, as I have learned new ways to introduce skills.” [Read more…]
Oak Ridge firefighters are pictured above at the 9/11 memorial at Oak Ridge High School on Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)
Submitted
As is emblazoned in many of our memories, September 11, 2001, was the day that 19 militants associated with al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against several targets in the United States. Beginning at 9:03 a.m., two planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third airplane flew into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people died in these attacks.
To ensure Oak Ridge residents remember the impact of this day in history, Ken Senter, Advanced Placement US History teacher, arranged for remnants of the Twin Towers and a block of granite from Ground Zero to serve as a memorial at Oak Ridge High School. The display resides at the north entrance to the school on Providence Road. Each September 11, beginning exactly at 9:03 a.m., students at Oak Ridge High School gather at this site for a tribute to the lives of victims and first responders, both living and lost. For the past decade-and-a-half, our students have shared their own memories of the day’s events. [Read more…]
