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…]
The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo by RSCC)
The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host its annual “Love Your Library” book sale on Monday, February 25, and Tuesday, February 26, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
The sale will include fiction, non-fiction, hardback books, paperbacks, textbooks, cookbooks, foreign language, children’s books, craft books, and much more, a press release said. Only cash and checks will be accepted. Checks need to be payable to the Roane State Foundation. Prices range from $1-3. [Read more…]
Doug Edlund (Submitted photo)
Did you know that one of the best cameras you can own is in your smartphone? A program in Oak Ridge on Thursday titled “The Best Camera May Be the One in Your Pocket” is designed for people who have iPhones, Androids, and other smartphones, a press release said.
The class was rescheduled from January 29 to Thursday, February 7, because of weather. The class will be at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Campus in the City Room from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday.
Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, Doug Edlund, assistant director with UT Institute of Agriculture Marketing and Communications, will share his tips and tricks to get the most out of your smartphone photography, the press release said.
“From lighting to composition, Edlund shares his experiences to help you get the best results to make your digital photos stand out,” the release said. [Read more…]
Ray Pierce, owner and clinic director of Pierce Physical Therapy of Oak Ridge, will be teaching a class at ORICL (Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning) starting Thursday.
Pierce will be teaching Anatomy and Health of the Musculoskeletal System, a press release said.
“We will review the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system with recommendations for health maintenance,” the press release said. “As a added bonus in one designated class session, we will review the recommendations for maintaining a healthy gut and digestive tract.” [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…]
ORICL board president Priscilla McKenney, right, congratulates scholarship recipients Sara Nesbitt, left, and Jessica Osborn. Not pictured are additional ORICL scholarship recipients Candice Day, Gage Dotson, and Ivorie Hicks. (Photo courtesy Roane State)
Five Roane State Community College students received scholarships through the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL.
Roane State and ORICL have a partnership that spans two decades. Established in 1997, ORICL offers dozens of enrichment courses for its members in classrooms provided at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.
In addition, ORICL has established multiple scholarships supported by its members.
Martin McKellar will discuss dry landscape gardens at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. (Submitted photo)
Artistic designs raked in fine gravel around carefully placed boulders offer peaceful settings for contemplation gardens. Known as karesansui (pronounced car-uh-san-swee), the dry landscape gardens are a centuries-old tradition in Japan but rare in the United States.
Soon, however, Oak Ridge will have its own karesansui garden. As landscaping begins around the International Friendship Bell Peace Pavilion in Oak Ridge, the Japanese karesansui gardens will lend a distinctive and contemplative element to the Oak Ridge landmark.
Introducing the gardens to Oak Ridge will be Martin McKellar, retired from the University of Florida International Center and now a volunteer as the Asian garden specialist at the university’s Harn art museum. He will present a public talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, January 24, on “Dry Landscape Gardens around the World and in Oak Ridge” at the University of Tennessee Arboretum auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.
The karesansui gardens at the Friendship Bell site will be maintained by volunteers who learn the skills to create the designs and maintain the gardens for the city. McKellar will hold four-hour training sessions for volunteers interested in designing, raking, and taking care of the Oak Ridge karesansui gardens on at 1 p.m. Friday, January 25, and at 8:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, January 26. [Read more…]
