Oak Ridge Today

League of Women Voters having three candidate forums

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge is having three candidate forums in October.

The first will be on Tuesday, October 4, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater. This will include the candidates for the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the Oak Ridge City Council. It will be from 7 to 9 p.m. October 4 with candidates being briefed at 6:45 p.m.

The second forum will be on Thursday, October 6, at Roane State Community College City Room on the Oak Ridge campus. This will include the Oak Ridge candidates for the Anderson County Charter Commission. To begin the forum, there will be a short presentation from a subject matter expert on the process of reviewing and changing a county charter. This forum will be from 7 to 9 p.m., with candidates being briefed at 6:45 p.m. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has Fall Plant Sale on Saturday, Oct. 8

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society’s Fall Plant Sale will be Saturday, October 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Fall is the ideal time to add plants to the landscape, a press release said. To help satisfy that need, Beaver Creek Nursery, East Fork Nursery, Riverdale Nursery, Sunlight Gardens, as well as the UT Arboretum Society’s members and friends, will offer a variety of high quality plants at this sale.

Cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted for payment.

Retired UT horticulture professor Will Witte, the “Answer Man,” will be on hand to answer your plant questions, the press release said. [Read more…]

Two Anderson County students charged with social media threats

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Two Anderson County High School students, a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl, are being charged in Anderson County Juvenile Court with making threats on social media after an investigation by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, authorities said.

Sheriff’s Department investigators and school resource officers began to follow up on reports of threats posted on a social media site that ultimately led to the identification of these students as those responsible, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said. Both girls have been expelled from school pending a hearing by school administrators.

These threats were similar to those being made across the country, including yesterday in Claiborne County, concerning “clowns” coming to do harm in schools. [Read more…]

UT-Battelle provides scholarships for Roane State Middle College students from Roane County high schools

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Roane State President Chris Whaley is joined by Middle College students and Roane State faculty to accept a scholarship check from Leigha Humphries, protocol and community relations manager with UT-Battelle. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Ten Roane County students participating in Roane State Community College’s Middle College have received $3,400 annual scholarships thanks to UT-Battelle.

Roane State’s Middle College program allows high school students to take college classes in their junior and senior years and then graduate with their associate degrees and their diplomas. Middle College graduates are then able to complete their bachelor’s degrees just two years after finishing high school.

Middle College students pay for tuition through a combination of out-of-pocket funds, use of the Tennessee dual enrollment grant (funded by the state lottery), and private scholarships. The UT-Battelle Scholarship was established in fall 2015 and is awarded to one Middle College student from each high school in Roane County. [Read more…]

Former Roane State dual enrollment student now an expert in his field

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Kyley Dickson tests the field at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Battle at Bristol, the record-setting football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Kyley Dickson tests the field at Bristol Motor Speedway before the Battle at Bristol, the record-setting football game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

This Fentress County farm boy will likely soon have a new title: professor.

Kyley H. Dickson, who grew up on a farm in the rural middle Tennessee county, will be receiving a doctorate in plant and soil science this December from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

And his expertise in his doctorate—the safety of athletic fields—was put to use recently when he and a professor went to Bristol, Tennessee, for an inspection.

They were checking on the safeness of the Astroturf installed for the football game between UT and Virginia Tech, held September 10 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Now, Dickson is setting his sights on a teaching job at UT-Martin, where’s he’s applied for a professorship. [Read more…]

High school seniors invited to Roane State’s Scholarship Saturday on Oct. 1

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High school seniors can sign up for the Tennessee Promise, complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and fill out their college application as part of Scholarship Saturday on October 1 at Roane State Community College’s Roane County campus in Harriman.

The event will last from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern, and refreshments will be served. Visitors are welcome to drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Check-in will be in the lobby of the Dunbar Building.

Roane State financial aid and admissions staff will be available to help students and their families complete their forms.

The deadline to apply for the Tennessee Promise is November 1. [Read more…]

ORHS WildBand wins High Music Award at Maryville Marching Invitational

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The Oak Ridge High School WildBand won the High Music Award at the 2016 Maryville Marching Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. (Photo courtesy Merny Hughey/ORHS WildBand)

 

The Oak Ridge High School WildBand won the High Music Award at the 2016 Maryville Marching Invitational on Saturday, September 17.

This is the third year in a row that Oak Ridge has earned the award, said Merny Hughey, music and teacher assistant.

The band’s next competition will be at the Karns High School Marching Festival on Saturday, September 24.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

UT Arboretum Society to hold Fall Wildflower Walk, Meet and Greet on Saturday

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will host a fall Meet and Greet followed by a fall wildflower walk on the UT Arboretum grounds on Saturday, September 17, from 9-11 a.m.

The public is invited for a Meet and Greet at the UT Arboretum Visitor’s Center at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. Coffee and donuts will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Kris Light, an expert naturalist, educator, and photographer will lead this fun, educational, and easy walk, a press release said. Participants may want to bring a camera to take pictures of the many wildflowers on the Arboretum grounds. [Read more…]

Roane State receives $2 million federal grant

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Roane State Community College has received a $2 million federal grant to support student success initiatives.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions grant will fund various projects to help students plan their academic goals and achieve them. The $2,013,554 grant will be distributed over five years, with the first installment of $446,493 this fall.

“My role on the House Appropriations Committee allows me to take an active role in securing funding for vital grants such as this,” said Congressman Chuck Fleischmann. “I’m proud to help support Roane State Community College in their work to prepare students for successful careers.”

Grant-funded initiatives will include the purchase of class scheduling software and the addition of more Success Coaches to work one-on-one with students. [Read more…]

Mansfield focuses on reading, math, support for all students in school board race

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Myra Mansfield is pictured above with her granddaughters Kyrstin and Kennedy. (Submitted photo)

Myra Mansfield has focused on reading and math proficiency and support for all students in her campaign for Oak Ridge Board of Education.

“Every child in our schools should achieve proficiency in reading and math,” Mansfield said in a press release announcing her campaign.

Mansfield is one of three candidates to qualify to run for one of two school board seats in the November 8 election. The other two candidates are the two incumbents, Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer.

In the press release, Mansfield said she is running because she believes that all children, regardless of their background, are capable of achieving greatness.

“I was compelled by what I read in the local newspapers,” Mansfield said. “Students are underachieving from all backgrounds across the city and that demands our attention.”

Mansfield said she is the daughter of K-25 retiree Stanley Finch and Oak Ridge National Laboratory retiree Shirley Garrison (Finch) Frykman. She said she is a lifelong Oak Ridger and proud product of Woodland Elementary, Jefferson Middle, and Oak Ridge High schools. She has degrees in accounting, business management, and a master’s degree focused in counseling, the press release said. Her daughters Esther and Elizabeth are graduates of MTSU and son Jonathan is a student at Roane State Community College. [Read more…]

See student art at Oak Ridge library this month

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The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September 2016 is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School. (Submitted photo)

 

The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School.

These 19 tempera paintings were inspired by Ed Westcott’s photographs of early Oak Ridge. Some of the paintings were submitted as entries for the 2015 Congressional Medal of Honor Student Art Exhibit held at the Tennessee Valley Fair.

Painted in black, white, and gray tones, the images reflect the black and white photographs of Westcott, the famed Manhattan Engineer District’s photographer. Although the pictures depict the somber time period of World War II, youthful energy and movement can be seen in the artwork. [Read more…]

Roane State to host events to help displaced ITT Tech students

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Roane State Community College is reaching out to students affected by the recent closure of ITT Technical Institute.

Roane State will host an information session for former ITT students from 3:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 20, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, which is at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. The meeting will be in the advising area inside the Coffey-McNally Building.

Former ITT Tech students are also invited to an Open House on Monday, September 26, at the college’s Clinton Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility, which is at 214 Nave Street in Clinton. The event will last from 5-8 p.m. and include demonstrations of equipment used to train students in mechatronics.

Roane State admissions and financial aid staff will be available at the events to answer questions. [Read more…]