Oak Ridge Today

Agle, Fillauer re-elected to Oak Ridge Board of Education

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Oak-Ridge-Schools-Angi-Agle-March-28-2016

Angi Agle

 

Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, the two incumbents on the Oak Ridge Board of Education, have been re-elected to four year-terms, according to unofficial election results in Anderson and Roane counties.

Agle received the most votes, a total of 7,830 in the two counties. She earned 6,643 in Anderson County and 1,187 in Roane County.

Fillauer, the current school board chair, collected 7,196 between the two counties. He had 6,049 votes in Anderson County and 1,147 in Roane County.

A third candidate, Myra Mansfield, finished with about 1,800 votes fewer than Fillauer, or 5,686. She received 4,657 in Anderson County and 729 in Roane County. [Read more…]

Agle, Fillauer lead in early voting for school board

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak-Ridge-Schools-Angi-Agle-March-28-2016

Angi Agle

 

Note: This story was updated at 11 p.m.

Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, the two incumbents for Oak Ridge Board of Education, lead in early voting in Anderson County, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website on Tuesday evening.

Agle had 4,591 early votes, and Fillauer, the current board chair, had 4,195.

A third candidate, challenger Myra Mansfield, had 2,992.

Agle and Fillauer also have leads in early voting in Roane County, according to unofficial results posted at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday. Agle leads with 973 early votes, and Fillauer had 960.

[Read more…]

ORHS Masquers present a comedy, ‘Dearly Beloved,’ this week

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Dearly Beloved

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Jones, Hope, and Wooten’s Texas-sized comedy “Dearly Beloved” for three performances in November. Pictured above are the Futrelle Sisters, from left to right, Twink (Sarah Hepler), Frankie (Mary Kemp), and Honey Raye (Arianna Walker). (Submitted photo)

 

By Ben Fowler

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present Jones, Hope, and Wooten’s Texas-sized comedy “Dearly Beloved” for three performances in November.

The performances are scheduled for Thursday, November 10, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, November 12 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, November 13, at 2 p.m., at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center, or ORPAC, at Oak Ridge High School.

“Dearly Beloved” is the story of the Frankie, Honey Rae, and Twink as they prepare to throw a wedding for Frankie’s daughter. The Futrelle Sisters try to stay ahead of the Fayro, Texas, rumor mill, but with Frankie’s repeated conversations with her dead mother, Honey Rae’s many trips to the marriage chapel, and Twink’s desperate attempts to get her long-time boyfriend down the aisle for the first time, the odds are against them. Add in their personal tensions of who broke up the Futrelle Sisters’ gospel group, The Sermonettes, and laughter ensues. This southern comedy, filled with crazy family, odd ball love interests, and a nosy neighbor or two, is sure to delight. [Read more…]

Roane State course will teach emergency responders how to fly drones

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State has partnered with and Avion Unmanned Solutions Inc. to offer a course for emergency responders on how to fly drones. Sign up by visiting www.roanestate.edu/che or call (865) 539-6904. (Submitted photo)

Roane State has partnered with Avion Unmanned Solutions Inc. to offer a course for emergency responders on how to fly drones. Sign up by visiting www.roanestate.edu/che or calling (865) 539-6904. (Submitted photo)

 

Drones will be buzzing the skies near Roane State Community College’s Roane County campus in early December as students learn how to safely use remotely piloted aircraft, formally called Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The five-day class, intended for emergency responders—from law enforcement to fire departments and rescue squads—is a partnership between the college and Avion Unmanned Solutions Inc., which is based in Huntsville, Alabama.

Drones have shown their worth in search and rescue operations, storm damage assessment, wildfire support, hostage situations, aerial reconnaissance, and natural disaster support, officials said.

Certified instructors will teach the class, which will be eight hours a day from December 5-9. About $250,000 worth of several different types of drones and the technology to use with them will be deployed, an Avion representative said. There’s a $2,245 tuition fee. [Read more…]

Tree workshop dedicated to Pat Imperato to be held at UT Arboretum

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Pat Imperato

Pat Imperato

A tree workshop at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Saturday, November 12, will be dedicated to Pat Imperato, a tireless champion of environmental issues, a press release said. Her advocacy was evident in her long history of contributions to the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board and Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the release said.

The workshop will be presented by the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board in partnership with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 12, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Imperato, 69, died in October, but she spent the last several years spearheading work on a “Tree Plan” for Oak Ridge. Imperato was also an outspoken proponent for proper stewardship of city and private lands, and she was interested in community education and outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

Photos: National Merit Semi-finalists, Commended Scholars at ORHS

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Sitting: Abigail Greenhalgh, daughter of Dyrk and Heidi Greenhalgh; Lara Blokland, daughter of Willem and Suzanne Blokland. Standing: Logan Rumbaugh, son of David and Rebecca Bowman (Submitted photo)

National Merit Semi-finalists—Sitting: Abigail Greenhalgh, daughter of Dyrk and Heidi Greenhalgh; Lara Blokland, daughter of Willem and Suzanne Blokland. Standing: Logan Rumbaugh, son of David and Rebecca Bowman (Submitted photo)

 

Here are photos of National Merit Semi-finalists and Commended Scholars at Oak Ridge High School.

Semi-finalists scored in the top 1 percent in the state, while the Commended Scholars scored in the top 2-3 percent in their state on the PSAT test in their junior year. The PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. [Read more…]

Centrus donates precision surface plate to Roane State

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

surface_plate_donation

A precision surface plate donated by Centrus Energy will be used in Roane State’s planned welding program. From left are Keith Barding and Ben Jordan with Centrus Energy and Roane State dean Markus Pomper. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Centrus Energy of Oak Ridge has donated a precision surface plate for use in Roane State Community College’s planned welding certificate program.

The granite surface plate is needed for taking precise measurements. The surface plate, which is kept in a classroom at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, is valued at approximately $10,000 and weighs about 3,000 pounds.

“Centrus has assisted us in many ways as we planned our welding certificate program,” said Markus Pomper, dean of Roane State’s Mathematics and Sciences Division. “They have helped us design the curriculum and provided us with resources such as the surface plate. We are incredibly appreciative of their efforts to help us create a high-quality welding certificate program.”

Pomper said Roane State’s planned welding certificate program, pending approval, will be a one-semester program. The training is needed in Oak Ridge, Pomper said, where work on projects such as the Uranium Processing Facility requires welders with advanced skills. [Read more…]

Roane State, ORHS dual enrollment art program gives students unique experiences, opportunities

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State associate professor of art and design Bryan Wilkerson teaches dual enrollment ceramics at Oak Ridge High School, partnering with ORHS teacher Gisela Schrock. Front from left are student Katie Stewart, Wilkerson, and students Olivia Hoyt and Brennan Whitson. Back, from left, are students Waverly Mullins, Josh Stanfill, Chloe Southmayd, Stevie Logan, Kaitlan Paine, Melena Haynes, Katie Roach and Mary Klages. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State associate professor of art and design Bryan Wilkerson teaches dual enrollment ceramics at Oak Ridge High School, partnering with ORHS teacher Gisela Schrock. Front from left are student Katie Stewart, Wilkerson, and students Olivia Hoyt and Brennan Whitson. Back, from left, are students Waverly Mullins, Josh Stanfill, Chloe Southmayd, Stevie Logan, Kaitlan Paine, Melena Haynes, Katie Roach, and Mary Klages. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Artists working in ceramics must also be part scientist and part engineer, says Roane State’s Bryan Wilkerson, an associate professor of art and design on the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

Oak Ridge High School students involved in the college’s dual enrollment program in ceramics are mastering those challenges as they mold their artistic skills. They are being supervised and taught by Wilkerson and high school art teacher Gisela Schrock.

Wilkerson and Schrock launched the dual enrollment program after meeting at the Knoxville Museum of Art and becoming friends.

“Gisela and I are very different in how we approach teaching art,” Wilkerson said. “I think it’s good for students to get multiple feedback and instruction, but we also communicate so we’re on the same page.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School receives funding from labor education grant

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

tennessee-college-of-applied-technology-knoxville

Oak Ridge High School will receive $46,000 from a labor education grant, a press release said.

Oak Ridge Schools is one of six regional school districts that have partnered with the East Tennessee Development District, or ETDD; Tennessee College of Applied Technology, Knoxville, or TCAT-K; and eleven employer partners to be included in the most recent Tennessee Labor Education Alignment Program grant, or LEAP 2.0.

Besides Oak Ridge, the school districts include Knox, Alcoa, Blount, Anderson County, and Maryville. The 11 employers include ALCOA, Cherokee Millwright, DENSO Manufacturing, BHS Corrugated, Gerdau Steel, Interstate Mechanical, Shoffner Kalthoff, SL Tennessee, Aisin, Eagle Bend/Magna, and 3M, a press release.

The $46,000 that ORHS will receive will be used to purchase Amatrol tabletop trainers for electronic, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems. Successful students will demonstrate mastery of skills with these system components through Certified Production Technician certification. Dual enrollment courses with TCAT Knoxville will begin in the fall of 2017, the press release said. [Read more…]

U.S. Homeland Security seeks faculty, students for summer 2017 research

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students interested in participating in one of its 10-week programs in summer 2017, including its Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, and its Homeland Security—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (HS-STEM) Summer Internship Program.

The deadlines for applying for both programs occur in December 2016.

Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions [Read more…]

True grit: Roane State softball player Briar Mays refuses to let cancer stand in her way

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Roane State softball player Briar Mays, left, is undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer but intends to return to the squad in the spring. She is pictured with teammate Kacee Hedrick. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State softball player Briar Mays, left, is undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer but intends to return to the squad in the spring. She is pictured with teammate Kacee Hedrick. (Photo by Roane State)

 

Briar Mays said she started noticing it last September—her right leg and hip were hurting.

During warm-ups and workouts as a freshman member of the Roane State Community College women’s softball team, Briar said she had to use her arms to pull her legs up for some exercises.

Physical therapy was recommended and undertaken, but that didn’t help ease the pain.

Still, the 18-year-old former standout for Forrest High School’s softball team in tiny Chapel Hill, Tennessee, finished out last fall’s season for the Roane State squad, playing left field.

It was only after an MRI in January that Briar received the devastating news: she had cancer. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School students named Siemens Semi-Finalists

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Wilson Huang and Logan Rumbaugh were recognized on Tuesday, October 18, as semi-finalists for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, the nation's premier research competition for high school students. (Submitted photo)

Wilson Huang and Logan Rumbaugh were recognized on Tuesday, October 18, as semi-finalists for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. (Submitted photo)

 

Wilson Huang and Logan Rumbaugh were recognized on Tuesday, October 18, as semi-finalists for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology, the nation’s premier research competition for high school students. The Siemens Competition selected only 300 projects from more than 1,600 submissions this year.

As part of the Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Thesis course at Oak Ridge High School, students spend the summer developing and conducting their research that continues throughout the school year, a press release said. The final product by the end of the year is a professional quality research paper.

Huang and Rumbaugh developed a project titled “Modeling Microscale Collective Motion.” The goal of their project was to model “flocking motion with obstacles,” the press release said.

The team was also able to 3D print a complex microscale model that would exhibit flocking behaviors. [Read more…]