Oak Ridge Today

Council to consider applying for state grant for synthetic turf at Blankenship

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Wildcats Tee Higgins Catch against Campbell County Oct. 30, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider applying for a state grant worth up to $500,000 to install synthetic turf at Blankenship Field. Pictured above, Oak Ridge junior wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) hauls in a catch near the left sideline during a 45-6 win over Campbell County on Blankenship Field on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (File photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider applying for a state grant worth up to $500,000 to install synthetic turf at Blankenship Field. It’s the first phase of a multi-million-dollar proposal to renovate Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium.

The application that City Council will consider is a Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The grant requires a 50 percent match, which would be provided by the nonprofit Blankenship Field Revitalization Foundation. The requested grant funding could range between $250,000 and $500,000.

The Local Parks and Recreation Fund, or LPRF, grant provides state funding for parks and recreation development and capital projects, said Jon Hetrick, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks director. It requires the facility to be maintained as a public recreational facility and open to the public. Grant reports must be filed with the state every five years to document ongoing use as a public recreational facility. [Read more…]

Volunteers raising money for Howe H. Irwin Memorial Playground at Glenwood

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Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Volunteers are raising money for the Howe H. Irwin Memorial Playground at Glenwood Elementary School in Oak Ridge, and they are asking for your help.

“A safe playground for all Glenwood Elementary students has been the primary focus of the Glenwood PTO’s Playground Committee, staff, and students for more than seven years,” a press release said. “Currently, the playground has a wooden fort structure that was installed approximately 25 years ago. At the time of installation, it was a wonderful fit for the playground. However, it has weathered significantly over the years, causing the wood to splinter and break, resulting in multiple safety concerns for the children.”

Once it is built, the new playground will be named The Howe H. Irwin Memorial Playground in honor of a beloved former principal of Glenwood Elementary School, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photo: ORHS places third in DOE’s 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl

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Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above. From left to right they are Albert Xue, Ting Wang, Joseph Andress, Adithyan Sujithkumar, and Melissa Yuan. (Photo courtesy DOE)

 

Oak Ridge High School placed third at the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend. The ORHS team is pictured above.

The 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl included 60 teams from across the state on Saturday, February 27, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus. As the third-place team, the ORHS team received a $500 prize.

Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville finished first, received a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy, and will advance in an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 28-May 2. Lausanne Collegiate School finished second, and won a $750 cash prize and trophy, and Brentwood High School finished fourth for a $250 cash prize and trophy. [Read more…]

Cedar Springs Homeschool wins DOE Tennessee Science Bowl

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Winning first place in the 2016 Tennessee Science Bowl is Cedar Springs Homeschool of Knoxville. Pictured left to right with their trophy are Lily Turaski, Josiah Boyle, Tara Conway, Tyler Fulghum, Wesleigh Wright, and Coach Dee Dee Turaski. (DOE photo courtesy Lynn Freeny)

 

Cedar Springs Homeschool advances to National Science Bowl 

Countless hours studying math and science paid off for some exceptionally bright students from Cedar Springs Homeschool. They were first-place winners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s annual Tennessee Science Bowl this past weekend.

Cedar Springs Homeschool competed against 58 other high school teams on Saturday, February 27, to place first in the annual competition. The schools edged out its competition by successfully answering challenging questions in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, earth and space science, and energy.

Held at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, the Tennessee Science Bowl is the nation’s third largest regional competition. The regional bowl prepares students to compete nationally with other exceptional students from schools across the country. As the first-place team, Cedar Springs Homeschool receives an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 28-May 2, as well as a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools has community tour March 9

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Oak Ridge Schools has a community tour on March 9. It will include visits to elementary, middle school, or high school classrooms.

The tour is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 9.

“See how Oak Ridge teachers and students are teaching and learning while school is in session,” a press release said. “The day will begin at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, then will proceed through an elementary and middle or middle and high school classroom visits.” [Read more…]

Photos: Secret City Wildbots at FIRST Robotics Competition in Myrtle Beach

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The Secret City Wildbots are competing in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this weekend, Feb 26-28, 2016. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots are competing in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this weekend. Here are pictures by Angi Agle.

The competition is an intense three-day event showcasing robots developed and operated by dozens of high school teams from all over the world. (See the Palmetto Regional website here for more information.)

You can watch the competition online here: http://www.htcinc.net/portal/streams/robotics/.

The Wildbots competed Friday. They will also compete at 9:31 a.m. and 11:19 a.m. Saturday to qualify for the elimination rounds Saturday afternoon. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots competing in FIRST Robotics Competition, watch online

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The Secret City Wildbots are competing in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this weekend, and you can watch the competition online.

The competition is an intense three-day event showcasing robots developed and operated by dozens of high school teams from all over the world. (See the Palmetto Regional website here for more information.)

You can watch the competition online here: http://www.htcinc.net/portal/streams/robotics/.

The Wildbots’ first match was at 9:35 a.m. Friday. They will compete again at 10:20 a.m., 1:08 p.m., 2:38 p.m., 3:27 p.m., and 5:11 p.m. Friday. Then, they will compete at 9:31 a.m. and 11:19 a.m. Saturday to qualify for the elimination rounds Saturday afternoon. [Read more…]

Roane Co. school board to discuss director search on Thursday

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Gary-Aytes

The Roane County School Board will have a community meeting Thursday to discuss finding a successor to Gary Aytes, pictured above.

The Roane County School Board will have a community meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 25, in the O’Brien Theatre at Roane State Community College in Harriman for anyone that would like to address the board about the search for the next director of schools.

The Board is working on choosing someone to be the next director of schools, and applications will be taken beginning next week.

School Board members hope to hire Gary Aytes’ successor by the end of April.

ORHS Masquers present ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ in March

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Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the delightful musical, for four performances in March. Joseph is played by freshman Tre Jackson, left, and Father Jacob is played by Joseph Self. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” the delightful musical, for four performances in March.

The performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, March 4; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center. The Performing Arts Center is at Oak Ridge High School at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Advanced tickets are $7 and are available at the ORHS office and The Ferrell Shop. At the door, tickets will be $10.

Under the direction of Dana Wham, who has directed, choreographed, or acted in numerous adult and children productions throughout the region, this year’s “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” is a complete operetta, with nearly every line sung, a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State to celebrate its LEAP grant on Leap Day

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The mechatronics program at Roane State Community College prepares students for technology-driven manufacturing careers. (Photo by RSCC)

 

Roane State Community College received a workforce development grant last year, and the school will celebrate the LEAP grant on February 29, Leap Day, with mechatronics demonstrations, robotics teams from area high schools, and refreshments.

“Because Monday, February 29, is Leap Day, it’s the perfect time for Roane State Community College to celebrate its LEAP grant,” a press release said.

The $970,000 Labor Education Alignment Program, or LEAP, grant helped Roane State expand its one-year mechatronics program into a two-year degree and to offer dual credit mechatronics course for students at area high schools.

The Leap Day celebration is scheduled from 9-11 a.m. on Monday, February 29, at the college’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton at 214 Nave Street. The public is invited. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge school board has March 3 retreat

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education will discuss a range of issues including legal matters, the budget, and facilities during a March 3 retreat.

The retreat is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in the Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building conference room.

Here is the agenda: [Read more…]

AC school board to interview Parrott for schools director

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Information from WYSH Radio

Anderson County Schools will have a special-called meeting on Monday, February 29, to interview Tim Parrott, a current employees, for the director of schools position.

If hired, Parrott would replace Larry Foster, who is retiring. Parrott currently works in the Anderson County Schools Central Office as director of career and special education, and he has spent decades in the county school system.

The February 29 meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Anderson County Schools board room.

The Anderson County Board of Education recently voted to suspend the interview process in its search for the next schools director and to begin working with Parrott on a new contract to succeed Foster.

Only one other applicant applied for the post, and members of a special search committee indicated that Parrott’s resume clearly stood out in comparison.