Oak Ridge Today

Driver taken to hospital after van crashes into house

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Providence Road Van Crash

The driver of this GMC van was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the vehicle crashed into a home on Providence Road early Sunday. At left is Oak Ridge Department Officer John Thomas. At right is an unidentified person who helped report the crash to the home owners. 

 

The driver of a van that crashed into a house on Providence Road early Sunday was taken by ambulance to a hospital, authorities said.

The name and condition of the driver weren’t immediately available.

It also wasn’t clear what caused the crash, which was reported at about 1:07 a.m. Sunday. Providence Road, a short road on the north side of Oak Ridge High School, is a relatively straight road with a few curves. The Oak Ridge Police Department is investigating the crash. [Read more…]

Photos: Oak Ridge High School graduation—Class of 2015

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Oak Ridge High School Graduation Class of 2015

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. Here are pictures by Julio Culiat, a contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Oak Ridge High School Graduation Class of 2015

The Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 had its commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 28, on Blankenship Field. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

[Read more…]

Scott resigns as Lady Wildcats basketball coach

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David Scott

David Scott

Note: This story was last updated at 11:42 a.m.

Citing family reasons, David Scott has resigned as the Lady Wildcats basketball coach, according to Oak Ridge High School Athletic Director Mike Mullins.

Scott announced the decision to the team on Thursday morning, Mullins said. Scott also resigned once before for family reasons.

Scott’s son Daniel was diagnosed with autism at an early age, and Mullins said the parents of special needs children have a lot of needs that “other parents can’t imagine.” Scott and his wife Michelle also have a daughter, Elizabeth Grace.

Recognizing that the cause hit home with Scott, the ORHS basketball teams and their supporters worked to raise awareness of autism this past season, including when the Wildcat Pride Club promoted “Hoops for Autism.”

Scott is also a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Robertsville Middle School, where he teaches geography. He has taught there since 1989. Michelle Scott also teaches at RMS. [Read more…]

Photos, remarks: Memorial Day in Anderson County

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Anderson County Memorial Day at Courthouse

Pictured from left near the Veterans Memorial are Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet, Tennessee Representative John Ragan, Clinton American Legion Post 172 Vice Commander Zach Farrar, and Pastor Tim Shelton, who is also Anderson County register of deeds. (Photo by John Huotari)

 

CLINTON—Anderson County honored the men and women “who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms so many take for granted” on Memorial Day on Monday.

It was the seventh annual Memorial Day Ceremony. They are held at the Veterans Memorial next to the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton. They include a wreath-laying ceremony.

The ceremony this year also included the presentation of the colors by the Navy JROTC Maverick Unit from Anderson County High School and a few songs, including the national anthem by the Oak Ridge High School Choir.

Here a few pictures and remarks by the guest speakers on Monday:

Anderson County Veteran Services Director Leon Jaquet [Read more…]

ORHS graduation is Thursday

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Commencement for the Oak Ridge High School Class of 2015 will be held at Blankenship Field on Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m.

In the event of rain, the graduation ceremony will be moved to Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m.

If it is raining on Friday evening, the ceremony will be moved into the Wildcat Arena.

Hardy finishes second, fourth in boys state track meet

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ORHS Wildcats Malik Hardy at State Track Meet 2015

Oak Ridge High School senior Malik Hardy finished second in the boys 200-meter dash, fourth in the long jump, and ninth in the 100-meter dash during the Class AAA state track meet, the Spring Fling, at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 22, 2015. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Note: This story was updated at 9:39 a.m.

MURFREESBORO—Senior Malik Hardy finished second in the 200-meter dash and fourth in the long jump during the Class AAA state track meet in Murfreesboro on Friday, May 22. And the Oak Ridge Wildcat finished ninth in the field of 16 competitors in the 100-meter dash.

Also during the meet, the boys 4×800-meter relay team finished fifth, and senior Wesley Robinson finished seventh in the 1,600-meter run. Junior Tyler Boullie finished 13th in the 800-meter run.

Hardy (2nd) had a time of 22.12 in the 200-meter dash. The top runner was Jordan Thomas, a senior at Centennial, with a time of 22.11. The third-place finish went to Martarious Brooks, a junior at Antioch (22.16).

Hardy (4th) had a jump of 22-05.75 in the long jump. The top three jumpers were Weldon Wright, a senior at Hardin Valley (23-07.00); Rashad Haynes, a junior at Memphis Central (22-10.00); and Bailey Overbay, a senior at Morristown-East (22-06.00). [Read more…]

Greenhalgh, girls relay team finish 11th at state track meet

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ORHS Wildcats Abbey Greenhalgh at State Track Meet 2015

Oak Ridge High School sophomore Abbey Greenhalgh, left, finished 11th in the girls 800-meter run during the Class AAA state track meet, the Spring Fling, at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro on Thursday, May 21, 2015. (Photo by Kindell Moore)

 

Note: This story was updated with a correction at 7:06 p.m.

MURFREESBORO—Sophomore Abbey Greenhalgh finished 11th in the 800-meter run, and the Oak Ridge High School girls relay team finished 11th in the 4×100-meter relay and 4×200-meter relay during the Class AAA state track meet in Murfreesboro on Thursday, May 21.

And ORHS senior Lauren Smallwood finished 13th in the 200-meter dash.

There were 16 competitors in each race.

Greenhalgh (11th) had a time of 2:26.13 in the 800-meter run. The top three runners were Celine Rone, a senior at Arlington (2:16.35); Hailey Hendry, a junior at Brentwood (2:17.85), and Shian Mallory, a junior at Houston (2:18.33). [Read more…]

ORHS AP Chemistry students place third in nation in science competition

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Eddie Anderson

Eddie Anderson

Advanced Placement Chemistry students at Oak Ridge High School placed third in the nation in chemistry in the National Science League competition, the school’s Science Department said.

The students are in the AP Chemistry class taught by Eddie Anderson at ORHS.

The test was given to all AP Chemistry students, the Science Department said. [Read more…]

Roane State-ORHS dual credit ceramics class gives students new perspectives

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Bryan Wilkerson and Katie Stewart in Ceramics Class

Roane State art professor Bryan Wilkerson works with student Katie Stewart during the college’s dual credit ceramics class at Oak Ridge High School. (Submitted photo)

 

For now, Oak Ridge High School ceramics students create sculptures, bowls, and figures.

Maybe later, they’ll create new businesses, innovative products, and groundbreaking technology.

Either way, the process is the same. Start with mush—clay for the moment. Use creativity, problem-solving, and analysis to turn the mush into something special. That’s the lesson Roane State Community College art professor Bryan Wilkerson wants the Oak Ridge students to learn in his dual credit ceramics classes.

“I treat this no differently than all of my classes,” Wilkerson said. “I want them to come away with an understanding of techniques. I’m also trying to help them develop their own artistic direction, creative problem-solving, how to start with an idea and see it through to a finished piece.” [Read more…]

Education Foundation to award $93,894 in grants at Wednesday ceremony

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation

As part of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $93,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony this Wednesday, May 20.

Oak Ridge alumni and WBIR Anchor Moira Kaye will be the featured speaker at the event for what she has described as her career’s “last personal appearance.” The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4:30 p.m.

Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony.

The 2015 grant recipients are as follows: [Read more…]

See Oak Ridge qualifiers, schedule for state track meet

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Track Class AAA Sectional 2015

Ten Oak Ridge High School students will compete in 10 track and field events at the state meet in Murfreesboro this month after finishing in the top four in a sectional meet at Hardin Valley on Saturday, May 9. (Photos by Luther Simmons)

 

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has published the list of qualifiers, their performances in sectionals, and the schedule for the state track meet in Murfreesboro this week.

Here are the top qualifiers for Oak Ridge, starting with the boys, from the four sectionals, or sub-state competitions. Oak Ridge competed at a sectional at Hardin Valley Academy on Saturday, May 9. The top four competitors at sectionals moved on to the state meet.

The state track meet events have fields of 16 competitors from across Tennessee.

Boys long jump—3rd, Malik Hardy, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, with a jamp of 22-01.25. The top two seeds are Weldon Wright, a senior at Hardin Valley (22-08.25), and Bailey Overbay, a senior at Morristown-East (22-04.50).

Boys 4×800-meter relay—4th, Oak Ridge High School, with a time of 8:02.79. The top three seeds are Daniel Boone (8:00.08), Hardin Valley Academy (8:00.47), and Science Hill (8:01.71).

Boys 100-meter dash—12th, Malik Hardy, with a time of 10.99. The top three seeds are Johnathon Johnson, a senior at Melrose (10.57); Zeandre Floyd, a senior at West Creek (10.69); and Terry Wright, a senior at White Station (10.84). [Read more…]

Parents, teachers, students show support for ‘venerated’ teacher under investigation

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Eddie Anderson

Eddie Anderson

Note: This story was last updated at 12:05 p.m.

About 200 people turned out at a school board meeting on Wednesday to show support for longtime teacher and track coach Eddie Anderson, who has been suspended without pay pending a police investigation, and to challenge some of the accusations made against him. Some objected to the process used by the school system, saying the reputation of a fantastic teacher has been sullied.

Anderson, an Oak Ridge High School chemistry teacher hired in 1979, was suspended without pay on April 30 while the Oak Ridge Police Department investigates an allegation of inappropriate contact with a former student. In the letter announcing the suspension, Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak said the allegation was being turned over to the ORPD as a criminal investigation.

No additional details about that allegation have been released. Anderson’s attorney, Dennis Francis, declined to comment last week, and the Oak Ridge Board of Education and Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent’s Office have been advised to not comment until the investigation is complete. City officials have also not commented on the ongoing investigation by the Police Department.

In the meantime, most of the public discussion has focused on an April 11 track meet, the Taco Bell Invitational in South Carolina. School administrators said, among other things, that Anderson knew ahead of time that a hotel the team was going to stay in was “unacceptable and dangerous,” that he did not inform parents of the specifics of the trip and did not answer the phone when they called, and did not double-check student room assignments, which led to a girl entering a boys’ room through an adjoining door and engaging in “inappropriate contact.” [Read more…]