Oak Ridge Today

Thompson named vice principal at ORHS after Scott becomes administrator at Secret City Academy

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Stephanie Thompson

Stephanie Thompson

A new administrator, Stephanie Thompson, has been announced at Oak Ridge High School. Thompson will be an assistant principal, filling the position previously held by Christopher Scott, who is the new administrator at Secret City Academy (the alternative school).

In other recent changes, Lisa Downard is now principal of Oak Ridge Schools Preschool. The position she vacated at Linden Elementary School (assistant principal) is being filled by Heather Jenkins.

Thompson began her career as a substitute teacher in Marion County, Florida, at Lake Weir High School. She served in that position for 18 months until she was hired as a College and Career Lab coach in 1998.

In 2000, Thompson moved to Ocala Christian Academy with her children to serve as a full-time business teacher. There, she was charged with rebuilding the program, aligning the curriculum to the current Sunshine Standards of the public schools, and implementing and supervising a work-based learning program, a press release said. [Read more…]

School board has special meeting Monday to consider one-time spending approved by city

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Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will have a special meeting on Monday to consider approving $538,048 worth of one-time spending that was approved by the Oak Ridge City Council this past Monday (May 6).

If the Tennessee Department of Education agrees, the extra money, which had been requested by Oak Ridge Schools and the BOE, would not be part of the city’s annual “maintenance of effort” for the schools, a level of funding that can’t be reduced.

Most of the $538,048, or $425,000, would be used in the next fiscal year for principal and interest payments for a four-year technology lease that began in fiscal year 2016, the current fiscal year. That lease funded the purchase of convertible laptops for grade levels 5-8, supporting what is known as a 1:1 initiative and part of Access Oak Ridge.

The other $113,048 would be used for building improvements: [Read more…]

ORHS Class of 1986 has 30th Reunion on July 22, 23

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The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1986 will have its 30th Reunion this summer. It’s scheduled for Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23.

“Please come join us!” a press release said.

On Friday, the class will have hors d’oeuvres and music and plenty of time to chat at the Old Towne Inn in Oak Ridge. On Saturday, they will have dinner and dancing at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Oak Ridge. All graduates of 1986 and spouses/dates are invited and encouraged to attend, the press release said.

“We would love to see you and have a chance to visit,” the release said. [Read more…]

ORHS classes of 1974-1978 reunion in September

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The Oak Ridge High School Class of 1976 is holding their 40th reunion during the weekend of September 23-25, 2016.

The class is inviting the classes of 1974 through 1978, those who attended school with class members but may have graduated elsewhere, and our teachers and staff to join the festivities which are scheduled as follows:

  • Friday, September 23, will be an informal gathering at Blankenship Field as the Oak Ridge Wildcats host Sevier County in the Homecoming game. The tailgate party will begin at 5 p.m. near the upper gate, and then they will follow the team onto the field for recognition prior to the game, which starts at 7 p.m. Admission to the game is $7 per person.
  • The dressy casual main event on Saturday, September 24, will be held at the new Calhoun’s (formerly Riverside Grille) at 100 Melton Lake Drive. A cash bar starts at 5 p.m. and hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m. Come enjoy music, dancing, and reminiscing along the waterway in this beautiful venue until 11:30 p.m., a press release said. Admission for the main event is $43.86 through August 14 and obtained by registration at orhs76reunion.com.
  • A lunch picnic gathering takes place on Sunday, September 25, at Clark Center Park (known as Carbide Park in our day) at 12:30 p.m. Bring your own lunch and family for a final informal get-together of the weekend, the press release said.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts Tuesday

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Oak Ridge Basketball Camp Logo

The Oak Ridge Wildcats Basketball Camp starts with a Shooting Camp on Tuesday. Basketball Camp also features a Skills Camp in July.

The Shooting Camp is June 7-8. The Skills Camp is July 11-13.

All camps are scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Learn more about the camps and registration here: Oak Ridge Basketball Camp 2016. [Read more…]

Photos by Culiat: Oak Ridge High School graduation, II

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The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, on Blankenship Field. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]

Photos by Culiat: Oak Ridge High School graduation, I

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The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, on Blankenship Field. Here are photos by Julio Culiat.

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

The Oak Ridge High School commencement ceremony was Thursday evening, June 2, 2016, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]

After ‘stellar spring,’ Wildcat tennis team honored at banquet

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2016-ORHS-Boys-Tennis-Team

2016 ORHS Boys Tennis Team (From left: Eric Thorton, Jeremy Simmons, Wilder Dodson, Peter Magill, Joshua Bridges, Viet Quach, Christian Thompson, Trystan Bordeau, Jaipal Narula, Archer Marlow, Stuart Dorman, Ethan Brady, and Arthur Nelson. Not pictured: Oumar Diallo and Curtis Rookard)

 

Oak Ridge High School’s 2015-2016 tennis team was honored at its post-season banquet for players and their families on Wednesday, May 18, at the Comfort Inn in Oak Ridge.

“Both of Oak Ridge High School’s tennis teams had a stellar spring,” said ORHS tennis coach David Bowman.

The Wildcats finished second in District 3 with a regular-season record of 7-1. The Lady Wildcats finished third in the district with a 6-2 record for the regular season.

The doubles team of senior Jaipal Narula and junior Viet Quach led the way for the Wildcats in the post-season, capping off 2016 with a TSSAA berth in the Region 2 semifinals, where they played the eventual 2016 state champion doubles team. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge High School Convocation

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Oak Ridge High School Convocation June 1 2016 Panorama 800x319

Oak Ridge High School seniors are pictured at Convocation in the ORHS Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, June 1, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Convocation for Oak Ridge High School seniors was Wednesday. Graduation is today (Thursday, June 2).

Here are two pictures from the Wednesday night Convocation by Julio Culiat.

The Commencement ceremony starts at 7 p.m. today on Blankenship Field.

Graduation Celebration, a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, starts at 10 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center. [Read more…]

ORHS junior running for City Council, wants to represent youth

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Mark Lenoir

Mark LeNoir, right, a junior at Oak Ridge High School, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in November. (Submitted photo)

 

A 17-year-old junior at Oak Ridge High School is running for Oak Ridge City Council, and he said he wants to represent the city’s youth on the seven-member body.

Mark LeNoir, the first candidate to publicly announce a City Council campaign this year, at least to Oak Ridge Today, will turn 18 on October 5, about one month before the November 8 election.

On Wednesday, LeNoir said he kicked off his campaign a few weeks ago at a banquet for Youth Leadership of Oak Ridge at the DoubleTree Hotel.

“My biggest thing is that there is a lot of unrepresented youth in this town,” LeNoir said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “It’s kind of stayed on the same path for the last 20 years. I want to get change happening.”

LeNoir said he wants more cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, including possibly having the city take over the American Museum of Science and Energy, or AMSE, and Clark Center Park. [Read more…]

Graduation Celebration, an all-night party for high school graduates, is June 2

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Graduation Celebration 2015

Three graduates from 2015 celebrate at Graduation Celebration. This year’s event is June 2. (File photo courtesy Matt Reedy/City of Oak Ridge)

 

Graduation Celebration, a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, will host its 19th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. June 2 until 5 a.m. June 3. It is seeking volunteers and donations to help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night, a press release said.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.”

All of the city’s high school graduates‚ whether from Oak Ridge High School, local home schools, or private schools—are invited to the free event. The party features activities such as inflatables, bingo, Sumo wrestling, SCUBA in the Civic Center pool, face painting, board games, and the annual “balloon drop.” More than $13,000 in prizes and scholarships are given every year in what has become an annual favorite event among the city’s youth. [Read more…]

Fifteen students, including one from ORHS, named as Haslam Scholars at UT

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Oumar Souleymane Diallo

Oumar Souleymane Diallo

Fifteen students, including one from Oak Ridge High School, have been named to the 2016 cohort of Haslam Scholars at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. There are 14 students from Tennessee and one from North Carolina.

The ORHS student is Oumar Souleymane Diallo.

A student from Hardin Valley Academy, Sophia Cui, is also among the incoming students.

The Haslam Scholars Program is UT’s premier four-year scholarship program. Each year, the program admits 15 first-year students from the university’s Chancellor’s Honors Program and supports them with the university’s most prestigious and generous named scholarships. [Read more…]