There will be a drive-by celebration to honor graduates at Oak Ridge High School this afternoon (Tuesday, May 26).
The drive-by celebration is scheduled from 3 to 3:30 p.m. on Providence Road. It’s a student-led event, not an official school event.
There are some rules for the celebration:
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Audra Jean “AJ” Jones
ORAU has awarded five William G. Pollard Scholarships of $2,500 each toward undergraduate studies for the 2020-2021 academic year. The recipients of this year’s scholarships are Jamie Batson, Cody Blankenship, Olivia Hudson, Audra Jean “AJ” Jones, and Savannah Jones.
Each year, ORAU awards these scholarships to employees’ children or stepchildren who display exceptional achievements in their high school or undergraduate studies. Applicants must submit official transcripts from all high schools and colleges attended, three references (at least two of which must be from teachers), and a 500-word essay describing professional and personal interests.
Here are more details about this year’s winners: [Read more…]
The winner of ORAU’s 2020 Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, Amy Buchanan from Union Grove Elementary School, was surprised at her house with the Extreme Classroom Makeover winner reveal. Her principal, Kristy Brewer, and fellow staff from Union Grove Elementary School joined in the celebration. (Photo courtesy ORAU)
Amy Buchanan encourages students at Union Grove Elementary School to imagine a world of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) beyond the limitations of the classroom.
ORAU (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) wanted to help Buchanan and her students do more than imagine.
ORAU recently surprised Buchanan at her house with $25,000 for new classroom technology. This award will allow students to explore, touch, and see the STEM classroom they’ve only imagined.
ORAU chose Buchanan, who serves as the STEM teacher for all of Union Grove Elementary in Blount County, to be the recipient of this year’s Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. She was selected after a review of her submitted video, which demonstrated the rural school’s need for STEM resources. [Read more…]
Dan Robbins leads an ORICL class on observing birds and butterflies at the Oak Ridge Greenway. (Submitted photo by Don Miller)
Because of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on use of Roane State Community College buildings on the Oak Ridge campus, the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL) is offering 25 online and off-site classes for its summer term.
Online registration is now open for the term, which runs from June 1 through July 31 for most classes. The summer 2020 catalog is available on the RSCC website at www.roanestate.edu/oricl. Click on the “Complete list of cancellations/Zoom list” link to see which classes are available and then, if you wish, read about the classes in the online catalog.
Please register by Friday, May 22, by emailing a list of the numbers and names of classes you wish to take to the ORICL office at oricl@roanestate.edu. If you are not an ORICL member, the fee for the summer term membership is $45. [Read more…]
There will be free drive-through COVID-19 testing in Oak Ridge on Sunday.
The testing is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College. Participants can remain in their vehicles throughout the process.
The Anderson County Health Department and the Tennessee Department of Health are organizing the testing event, a press release said. Nurses and/or National Guard medics will collect nasal swabs from those who want to be tested. Test results may be available within 72 hours after the samples arrive at the lab, depending on lab volume.
[Read more…]
Charlie the Curious Bear, the Children’s Museum mascot, clowns around with a helper at a past Children’s Museum Gala. (Submitted photo)
The Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge is inviting children to participate in its first coloring contest featuring the Museum’s mascot, Charlie the Curious Bear. Children from one-year-old toddlers through fourth graders are invited to submit entries by April 30.
Families may print the official coloring page from the Children’s Museum’s home page at https://www.childrensmuseumofoakridge.org. Once the page has been colored and the form at the bottom of the page is completed, the original artwork may be mailed to the Children’s Museum at 461 W. Outer Dr., Oak Ridge, TN, 37830. Original artwork is preferred, but entries may also be scanned and emailed to newsy@childrensmuseumofoakridge.org.
A staff member who has been volunteering at the Oak Ridge Schools’ food distribution sites has tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said Monday.
As a result, the Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge Schools Preschool buildings will be closed for the remainder of this week, Borchers said in a message to staff members on Monday afternoon.
If you have been receiving meals at Oak Ridge High School, the school system recommends going to Robertsville Middle School to pick up meals. If you have been receiving meals at Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, the school system recommends going to Glenwood Elementary School to pick up meals.
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A researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory helped discover a small cave snail.
The new snail species has been named the Tennessee cavesnail, or Antrorbis tennesseensis. Its name honors the state where it was found and the fact that several researchers involved in its discovery are affiliated with the University of Tennessee. A paper describing and naming the species was published in December.
The snail, which is less than two millimeters long, was found in two caves in Roane County a few miles south of the Oak Ridge Reservation. The reservation includes ORNL and parts of the city of Oak Ridge.
The snail is found on or under rocks far inside the caves, usually in streams that aren’t too muddy or silty, ORNL said. Researchers recommended that the species be listed as endangered.
The ORNL researcher is Evin Carter. He is a research associate and wildlife ecologist at ORNL, which is a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory. With only a handful of surveys completed so far, Carter has plans to survey the 40 or so other caves on the Oak Ridge Reservation, ORNL said.
[Read more…]
Free drive-through testing for COVID-19 will be available at Roane State Community College’s main campus in Roane County on Sunday, April 19.
The testing is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Patients can remain in their vehicles throughout the process, a press release said.
The Roane County Health Department and the Tennessee Department of Health are organizing the testing event. Nurses and/or National Guard medics will collect nasal swabs from those who want to be tested, the press release said. Test results may be available within 72 hours after the samples arrive at the lab, depending on lab volume, the release said.
Anyone with health concerns, or who has concerns about the health of a family member, is invited to receive testing for COVID-19 at the event on April 19, the press release said. Participants do not need to provide a doctor’s note or prescription to access testing.
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Board of Education has a special called board meeting today (Thursday, April 16).
The special meeting will start at 2 p.m.
Agenda items include emergency closings, telework during emergencies, and a proposed draft resolution to suspend policies (this is related to COVID-19).
[Read more…]
Note: This story was last updated at 6:40 p.m.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has recommended that schools in the state remain closed through the end of the school year.
Lee announced the recommendation during a Wednesday afternoon press conference about the COVID-19 pandemic.
School districts will have the flexibility to carry out critical year-end activities and to start preparing for next year, the governor said.
Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn said she appreciated the governor’s recommendation to keep schools closed through the end of the school year in order to protect the health and safety of all Tennesseans.
Schwinn said schools will open next year, and students will enter new grades.
[Read more…]
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved a five-year extension of UT-Battelle’s contract to manage and operate Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The five-year extension took effect Wednesday, April 1, ORNL said in a response to questions.
The value of the extension wasn’t immediately available.
[Read more…]