Oak Ridge Today

Wildcats need to play tougher, more aggressively, Gaddis says

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Oak Ridge and South-Doyle Scrimmage

Sophomore Damarea Whitt of the Oak Ridge Wildcats, right, breaks up a pass intended for senior Chad Barksdale of the South-Doyle Cherokees during a pre-season scrimmage at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

The regular season starts in two weeks, and the Oak Ridge Wildcats need to play tougher and more aggressively, Coach Joe Gaddis said after the team’s second pre-season scrimmage on Thursday.

The Wildcats played the South-Doyle Cherokees at Ben Martin Track at Oak Ridge High School. It was also the second scrimmage for the Cherokees.

The South-Doyle varsity team scored three times to Oak Ridge’s two. The Wildcats played better as the scrimmage progressed and the team made adjustments, but the Cherokees “drove down the throat” on their first two possessions, Gaddis said.

“That’s not good,” he said. “We’ve got to play tougher, more aggressively, more physical.” [Read more…]

ORHS first high school in nation to test STEM Scouts

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Great Smoky Mountain Council of BSA launches STEM program

KNOXVILLE—The Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America has been granted permission by the National Executive Board to test a proof of concept called STEM Scouts (science, technology, engineering, and math), which for now, is only open to East Tennessee youth.

The program shows youth from elementary through high school how to apply STEM in their everyday lives and encourages them to develop those experiences into a future career. The program uses the Scout Oath and Scout Law as its cornerstone.

The STEM Scouts are split into three divisions: elementary school (third through fifth grade), middle school (sixth through eighth grade), and high school (ninth through 12th grade). A successful proof of concept could have nationwide implications as the BSA gets boys and girls excited about STEM.

“Specialized programs are not new to the Boy Scouts,” said Michael Ramsey, BSA marketing director. “In fact, the concept dates back as early as 1913 with the creation of Sea Scouting. We’re optimistic this will take off and have positive outcomes for youth everywhere.” [Read more…]

Council considers Clark Center Park, ORHS stoplight, Woodland development

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Clark Center Park Water View

A view of Melton Hill Lake near a boat ramp and between two picnic areas at Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday night will consider the start of negotiations over the future of Clark Center Park, a new stoplight on Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of the high school, and changes, including rezonings, that could allow a small commercial development near Aldi grocery on South Illinois Avenue.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday, August 11, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. See the agenda here.

A resolution to be considered tonight would allow Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to discuss the future of Clark Center Park with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Office. DOE-ORO  has said it wants to transfer the park to the city at no cost as long as it remains a recreational park asset for the public.

The Oak Ridge Office now spends about $300,000 per year to maintain the park. One of the questions for city officials is whether Oak Ridge can afford to take over the 80-acre park, which is in south Oak Ridge on Melton Hill Lake. Also known as Carbide Park, it includes two ball fields, two large picnic areas, a small playground, a boat ramp, restrooms, fishing trails, and a beach. It also includes access to the Gallaher Bend Greenway. [Read more…]

Fired football coach files $1.1 million lawsuit

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Don Colquitt

Don Colquitt

A former football coach and teaching assistant has filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against Oak Ridge school officials alleging that his firing in February was based upon a single “false complaint” from a student who alleged inappropriate contact—and he never had a chance to respond to the charges.

Coach Donald Colquitt suggested his reputation has been sullied by the unspecified complaint of “inappropriate contact with an Oak Ridge High School student,” and his local football career has been ruined. He filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in Anderson County Circuit Court on August 4.

“The ‘unanswered’ cloud of secrecy over the vague complaint allegedly filed against the plaintiff by an Oak Ridge High School student has caused him to effectively lose his career as a football coach in the Oak Ridge community, where he has engaged in that activity for some 19 years, and has further affected his reputation and character as a civic leader and football coach in the Oak Ridge school system,” the lawsuit said. “He will be unable to engage in such activity in the future and has sustained damages for loss of his career and future as a football coach, with damages resulting from the adverse imputation to his name, as well as his reputation in the community.”

The defendants are Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers and the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

Colquitt said he has never acted inappropriately or made any inappropriate contact with an ORHS student while employed by Oak Ridge Schools, but both the superintendent and school board have denied his right to be heard, including through a grievance hearing before the board. [Read more…]

Ragan runs on record; Nolan questions his representation

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John Ragan

John Ragan

He’s running for his third term in the Tennessee House, touting his record on state energy policy and trimming government. His challenger questions his record on representing the children and residents of the district, rather than special interests.

The two Republican candidates for the House seat in District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, are the incumbent, Representative John Ragan, and his GOP challenger, Caitlin Nolan. They will face off in the state Republican primary on Thursday.

It’s not clear who the winner will face in November. Misty Neergaard, the only candidate listed on the ballot in the state Democratic primary, has dropped out of the race, although she withdrew too late for her name to be taken off the ballot. There is a write-in candidate on the Democratic ticket, Leslie Agron of Oak Ridge.

During an interview last week, Ragan said legislators have eliminated 14 government organizations in the past two years, and a dozen legislative committees have been cut.

He said he’s helped to make state energy policy a top priority.

Asked about the challenge posed by Nolan, Ragan said: “It’s a race. My opponent is making me work hard, which is good for the voters even if it’s a strain on the candidates.” [Read more…]

Guest column: ORS made gains on most of Seven Keys to College, Career Readiness

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

In any transition year in which the state’s standards and/or tests change, it is difficult to make meaningful comparisons with the results on those tests from previous years. Comparisons within the year can be meaningful, such as the fact that the percentage of students in Oak Ridge Schools that were at or above proficiency is higher than the state average on nearly every test administered; or that the state said that “strong gains” were made on the high school tests, and our data shows that ORS continues to far outperform the state on every high school End of Course examination.

That being said, ORS did find areas for growth and also celebration within our results. Our overall student population did not achieve as highly as we had hoped. However, we did see significant increases in some of our subgroups. In fact, ORS closed the achievement gap in 10 of the 16 areas monitored by the state. For instance, our English Language Learners had a nearly 8 percent increase in the number of students who were proficient on the state’s mathematics examination.

So what do we do when the state changes the standards and tests? Is there a way that we can continue to monitor our progress to ensure the success of our students? Yes! We can look to the measures that we know indicate the success of our students—ORS Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness. These Keys were developed collaboratively with the community and focus on the steps needed to prepare students for the rigors of life after high school. In our Keys, we see positive gains on the majority of measures. [Read more…]

AP Academy held at Oak Ridge High School

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Last week, Oak Ridge High School hosted the AP Academy, a College Board-endorsed Advanced Placement Summer Institute for teachers, led by certified AP consultants.

Now in its 14th year, the academy hosted new and veteran teachers of Advanced Placement courses for a four-day, subject-specific workshop aimed at providing support and training needed to teach AP courses. Teachers came together from schools across the country and as far away as Saudi Arabia to exchange ideas. This year, enrollment was up from 105 to 167 teachers.

Oak Ridge High School boasts an extremely robust AP program, and most of the consultants who led these workshops are former Oak Ridge High School teachers, a press release said. Students who take an AP course and pass an AP exam may earn college credit while still in high school. [Read more…]

ORHS Boys Basketball Boosters have fundraising golf tournament in Sept.

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The Oak Ridge High School Boys Basketball Boosters will have their 17th annual golf tournament in September.

This year’s event—a four-man scramble format—will be held September 13 at Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge. The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.

Sponsored by BSN Sports, the tournament costs just $75 per person, a press release said. [Read more…]

Letter: Support stadium renovation, attend Temptations Revue

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Randy McNally

Randy McNally

To the Editor:

One of Oak Ridge’s best assets is the tremendous support our community displays for our schools. Our citizens have greatly supported our schools, whether they are alumni or their children attend, or simply as a member of the community.

There is an upcoming event that needs our support which is a kickoff fundraiser for the renovation of the Jack Armstrong Stadium and Blankenship Field. This is the Temptations Revue, a musical featuring Nate Evans. It will be coming to Oak Ridge High School Auditorium on Saturday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Oak Ridge Quarterback Club, with all proceeds going toward the stadium and field renovation project. [Read more…]

ORHS Football Boosters have Aug. 16 auction to support team

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The Oak Ridge High School Football Boosters is having an auction on Saturday, August 16, from 5-8 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

This will be a community event, and admission is free. There will be food, fun, and fantastic items to bid on such as Dollywood tickets, spa items, golfing gear, autographed collectables, and much, much, more, a press release said.

“This is a chance to meet the players and the coaching staff and bid on cool stuff,” the release said. “Please come and support the 2014 Oak Ridge High School football team…’Roll Cats, Roll!'”

Honors: Mehta awarded Food City scholarship

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Monil Mehta of Oak Ridge was recently awarded a $1,500 Food City Scholarship Award from the Tennessee Grocers Education Foundation.

Mehta was recognized on June 14 at the annual convention of the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association held at the Music City Center.

A graduate of Oak Ridge High School, Mehta attends the University of Tennessee and majors in biochemistry and molecular  and cellular biology. Monil is an employee at Food City, and he has spent close to 500 hours volunteering in his community with fundraisers and youth outreaches, a press release said.

The Tennessee Grocers Education Foundation presented 148 scholarships this year valued at $161,300 to students in the food industry. Eligible recipients are either employed by TGCSA member firms, or have parents who are full-time employees of a TGCSA member firm.

Running camp for middle school runners starts Monday at RMS

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The Oak Ridge High Cross Country staff will host a running camp for middle school runners starting on Monday, July 28, at Robertsville Middle School at 9:30 a.m.

Head Coach Allen Etheridge, with assistant coaches Sam Roberts and Ed Wright, with a total of 60 years experience, will lead the camp. Daily workouts will include a dynamic warm-up, gait and form analysis, and workout.

The camp is open to any middle school-age athlete from sixth to eighth grade. The cost is $50, and it includes a T-shirt. Contact Coach Roberts at shroberts@ortn.edu for more information.