Oak Ridge Today

Teachers: What would you do with $25,000 in new technology?

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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)

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…]

Serving students is rewarding for Roane State success coach

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Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Wendy Floyd is a success coach for new students at Roane State Community College. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s the satisfaction of helping a student find their path forward that makes her day, Roane State Community College’s Wendy Floyd says of her innovative job as a “success coach” for new students.

Case in point: A new student last year was “a little lost and unsure,” Floyd said, except for one thing: He didn’t want to be in the classroom anymore. “He was totally undecided about what he wanted to do.”

Floyd said she suggested “a certificate program that was a little more ‘hands on’ than a traditional associate’s degree.”

The student is now in the mechatronics certificate program at Roane State’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton “and is doing well,” Floyd said. That program teaches students how to program and maintain complex machines used in manufacturing. [Read more…]

Roane State to host ACT workshop Oct. 21 at main campus in Harriman

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

 

For college-bound high school students, it’s the biggest test to date of their academic careers—the ACT exam.

The test evaluates students’ readiness for college, and scores can determine whether they are admitted to the college of their choice.

Roane State and the private education institution, SailAway Learning, are offering a workshop on preparing for the ACT on Saturday, October 21.

The workshop, titled “Hidden Rules of the ACT Prep,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School holds annual September 11 memorial

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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)

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…]

Roane State Tennessee Promise students lead state in persistence

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Data recently presented to the Tennessee Board of Regents indicated Tennessee Promise students are outperforming their peers in various success measures, and Roane State’s students are leading the way, a press release said.

The first class of Tennessee Promise students entered college in the fall of 2015. Through the spring semester of 2017, 56.2 percent were still enrolled, have earned a college credential, or transferred to a four-year university, the press release said.

At Roane State, the persistence rate was 65 percent, the best among Tennessee’s 13 community colleges, the release said.

“We are proud that Roane State’s Tennessee Promise students have shown the grit and determination to stay in school and complete,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said. “I also greatly appreciate the efforts of our faculty and staff to make sure students have the support they need to be successful.” [Read more…]

ORAU sponsors leading students, researchers at Heidelberg Laureate Forum

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

ORAU and the National Science Foundation sponsored 21 top U.S. students and postdoctoral researchers in the fields of mathematics and computer science at the 2017 Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Heidelberg, Germany.

Similar to the Lindau Laureate Meetings for Physics, Chemistry, and Life Sciences, students and postdoctoral researchers attended the week-long Heidelberg Forum to network with Laureates in their STEM fields, as well as with international colleagues. (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.)

Laureates who are invited to attend the meeting are recipients of the Abel Prize, the Fields Medal (including the Nevanlinna Prize for contributions in “Mathematical Aspects of Information Science”), the ACM A.M. Turing Award, and the ACM Prize in Computing. [Read more…]

Roane State Internship Fair connects students to valuable opportunities

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Representatives of 15 area employers participated in Roane State Community College’s first Internship Fair, held Sept. 27, 2017, in the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Representatives of 15 area employers participated in Roane State Community College’s first Internship Fair, held Sept. 27, 2017, in the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

There are numerous job internship opportunities available in the area, Roane State students learned during the college’s first Internship Fair.

Representatives of 15 employers answered students’ questions, took down contact information, and even conducted some interviews during the event, held last month in the atrium of the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge campus.

“We want to match students with part-time, skill-building opportunities,” said Kim Harris, Roane State’s workforce training and placement director.

Too many graduates in the college’s non-healthcare fields come out of Roane State with a degree but no job experience, she said. Internships offer employers a chance to “test drive them (potential employees) before you hire them.” [Read more…]

Tennessee Higher Education Commission awards Roane State a Tennessee Promise Forward Grant

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Tennessee Promise Logo

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission has awarded a $91,940 Tennessee Promise Forward grant to Roane State Community College to develop and expand innovative student success and retention programs.

Through the grant, Roane State will work to enable more Tennessee Promise students to earn a post-secondary credential, a press release said.

“Across our state’s community colleges, great work is being done to ensure that the students who begin college with the Tennessee Promise go on to earn a credential,” said Mike Krause, executive director of Tennessee Higher Education Commission, or THEC. “Tennessee Promise Forward grants provide community colleges with the opportunity to expand successful programs and develop innovative student supports. From parent engagement pilots to service learning, THEC is excited to see the impact that this year’s Tennessee Promise Forward grants have on student success.” [Read more…]

Be ready for Reconnect: Get help filing your FAFSA at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus Oct. 16

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Thanks to the Tennessee Reconnect Act, eligible adults can complete two years at Roane State Community College tuition-free beginning in fall 2018.

The first step, though, is to file a 2018-19 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Roane State’s financial aid staff will host special events to help you complete your 2018-19 FAFSA.

The FAFSA event at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus, which is at 701 Briarcliff Avenue, will be held on Monday, October 16, from 5-7 p.m. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools ACT scores exceed state goals

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Oak Ridge Schools have announced that students are again performing well above the state average on the ACT in all areas.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the overall average composite was a 22.8. Oak Ridge students particularly excel in English on the ACT exam, at which Oak Ridge students score about 20 percent higher than the state average, a press release said.

In addition, more than 65 percent of Oak Ridge students score at or above a 21 on their average composite, as compared to the state average of 42 percent. [Read more…]

Dodson receives service, achievement award from Tennessee Arts Academy

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Jim Dodson, a 31-year art teacher at Jefferson Middle School, received a service and achievement award, the TAA Outstanding Service and Achievement award, from the Tennessee Arts Academy this summer. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

Jim Dodson, a 31-year art teacher at Jefferson Middle School, received a service and achievement award, the TAA Outstanding Service and Achievement award, from the Tennessee Arts Academy in the summer of 2017. (Submitted photo)

 

Jim Dodson, a 31-year art teacher at Jefferson Middle School, received a service and achievement award from the Tennessee Arts Academy this summer.

Dodson received the TAA Outstanding Service and Achievement award. He was presented the award for his service and achievement during his seven-year tenure as the Tennessee Arts Academy visual art director, a press release said. In this role, he initiated several new programs and exhibits to the Academy. He started the “Best of the Best” Student Art Show that brought together the 30 winners in each of the 10 art categories from the three statewide student shows held earlier in the year. He also added a statewide-juried show for art teachers to display their own creations. The title of the show is “Connections” because Dodson wanted to highlight the relationship between teacher creativity and student creativity, the press release said. Artists from both shows receive recognition at the annual opening reception held during the TAA each year. [Read more…]

Street Painting Festival is Saturday at Roane State

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Photo courtesy Roane State Community College

Photo by Roane State Community College

 

The Street Painting Festival is Saturday at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

Here is an event notice posted by Roane State.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge

When: [Read more…]