Oak Ridge Today

Secret City Wildbots have ‘Tech or Treat’ on Friday

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Spook-Tech-Ular!

The Secret City Wildbots are hosting the first annual Tech or Treat at Oak Ridge High School on Friday evening. (Submitted image)

The Secret City Wildbots are hosting the first annual Tech or Treat at Oak Ridge High School on Friday evening.

Tech or Treat will support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education in Oak Ridge Schools and the surrounding areas.

Tech or Treat is similar to trunk or treat. STEM-related clubs and teams from around the area will set up booths in the Oak Ridge High School Cafeteria and hand out candy to community trick-or-treaters. There will even be special guests from technology research companies in the area, a press release said. [Read more…]

Chemistry experiment waste starts trash can fire in ORHS classroom

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Oak Ridge High School Trash Can Fire

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day. (Photos courtesy of Oak Ridge Fire Department)

A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

The fire occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The classroom was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived, but they were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked classroom, Kerley said. [Read more…]

Wildcats extend district win streak to 3-0 at Central; play Anderson County on Halloween

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Isiah Jones

Oak Ridge Wildcats sophomore Isiah Jones runs for 138 yards on 18 carries on Friday night at Central High School. (Photos by Julio Culiat)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge Wildcats extended their district win streak to 3-0 against the Central High School Bobcats on Friday in Knoxville.

The final score was 24-13.

Next up is district rival Anderson County on Halloween. It’s the last regular-season game and a district title could be at stake.

Oak Ridge Coach Joe Gaddis has emphasized that he wants the Wildcats to go 4-0 in the final four district games. [Read more…]

Second-place finish for boys’ cross country sends ORHS to state

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Oak Ridge Cross Country's Wesley Robinson

Wesley Robinson, a junior and top finisher for the Oak Ridge High School boys’ team, finished sixth in a 5K race during a cross country regional championship at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville on Thursday. (Photos by Nichole Zawisza)

KNOXVILLE—The Oak Ridge High School boys’ cross country team finished second in a regional championship in Knoxville on Thursday and will race in the state championship in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The girls’ team ran well but finished fourth, meaning they won’t get to compete in the state championship. It’s only open to the top three teams in the region.

Finishing first in the 5K race for the Oak Ridge boys, and sixth overall, was junior Wesley Robinson. He had a time of 16:44.31. That was his best race all year, Robinson said.

“I was very happy with my race,” he said. The course—two loops around Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville and a downhill finish—had several difficult hills and some rocky areas, Robinson said. [Read more…]

ORHS hopes to win top reform prize in Nashville on Oct. 28

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Oak Ridge High School

Representatives of Oak Ridge High School, selected as one of the best three public high schools in Tennessee for growth in student achievement, will be in Nashville on Oct. 28, when they hope the school wins top honors at the SCORE Prize event.

Leaders, teachers, parents, and students of Oak Ridge High School, selected as one of the best three public high schools in Tennessee for growth in student achievement, will be in Nashville on Oct. 28, when they hope to win top honors at the SCORE Prize event.

The SCORE Prize, sponsored by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, is the hallmark award for Tennessee public schools and districts that have made the greatest gains in student achievement. The prize will be awarded during an event that begins at 6 p.m., Oct. 28, at Laura Turner Concert Hall, Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan education advocacy and research institution that works collaboratively to support Tennessee’s work to prepare students for college and the workforce and was founded by Bill Frist, former U.S. Senate majority leader. [Read more…]

Robertsville Rams finish season 8-1, win conference championship

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Robertsville Middle School Rams

The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finished the season with an 8-1 overall record. (Submitted photo)

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The Robertsville Rams capped off a great season Thursday night with a 34-14 win over conference rival Rhea Central Middle School. The Rams finish the season with an 8-1 overall record, with their only loss coming in a double overtime thriller against Christian Academy of Knoxville.

This team is the first to win a conference championship at Robertsville since 2006. The win over Rhea Central marks an impressive seven-game win streak for the Rams football program led by some strong future Oak Ridge Wildcats.

“This team has been fun to coach. They battle every game. Even in our one loss, they realize and see how close we were,” said Chris Layton, head football coach of Robertsville Middle School. [Read more…]

Four inducted into Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame

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Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame

The 2013 inductees into the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame are pictured above. From left in the front row are Jennifer Cristy Strawn, Bobby Richards, and Jennifer Wilson Galloway. Barry Saunders is in the back row. (Photo courtesy Mike Kelly)

Four people were recently inducted into the Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame.

They are Barry Saunders, Bobby Richards, Jennifer Wilson Galloway, and Jennifer Cristy Strawn.

An induction ceremony took place during halftime of the recent Oak Ridge High School homecoming game against Gibbs High School.

Here is more information on the four:

Barry Saunders has been a member of the football coaching staff at Oak Ridge High School for more than 35 years. [Read more…]

Reminder: Grammy-winning bassist Edgar Meyer plays today

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Edgar Meyer

The internationally renowned Oak Ridge bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, winner of four Grammy awards, will open the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s Chamber Music Series with a one-man concert at 7:30 p.m. today (Saturday) at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. (Submitted photo)

The internationally renowned Oak Ridge bassist and composer Edgar Meyer, winner of four Grammy awards, will open the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association’s Chamber Music Series with a one-man concert at 7:30 p.m. today (Saturday) at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center.

Meyer, who grew up in Oak Ridge and graduated from Oak Ridge High School, plays a unique role in the contemporary music scene, with compositions and performances in both classical and jazz traditions, and even in some remarkable combinations of both. He was hailed by the “New Yorker” as “…the most remarkable virtuoso in the…history of his instrument.”

As a solo classical bassist, Meyer has released a concerto album with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra featuring Bottesini’s “Gran Duo” with well-known violinist Joshua Bell, Meyer’s own “Double Concerto for Bass and Cello” with internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Bottesini’s “Bass Concerto No. 2,” and Meyer’s “Concerto in D for Bass.” [Read more…]

Choral concert at ORUUC tonight celebrates National Coming Out Day

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In celebration of National Coming Out Day, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church will present a choral concert headlined by the Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Freddie Brabson. The concert is at 7 p.m. today at ORUUC. Tickets are $5.

Proceeds will go to the Gay/Straight Alliance at Oak Ridge High School. ORUUC is located at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

There will also be featured performances by musicians from other area Unitarian Universalist churches, including the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church choir, the new Foothills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship choir, ORUUC’s own Mighty Choir, as well as musical selections from members of The Westside Unitarian Universalist Church. [Read more…]

ORHS has 11 seniors named National Merit semifinalists

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Oak Ridge High School National Merit Semifinalists

Eleven seniors at Oak Ridge High School have been named National Merit semifinalists. Ten are pictured above. (Submitted photo)

Eleven seniors from the Class of 2014 at Oak Ridge High School have been named National Merit semifinalists.

Semifinalists are students who score in the top 1 percent in their state on the PSAT, or preliminary SAT test. The students took the test as juniors to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or NMSQT, a press release said.

The students are pictured at left. [Read more…]

ORHS students commended in 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program

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Oak Ridge High School Commended Students

Ten of the 11 Commended Students at Oak Ridge High School are pictured above. From left in the front row are ORHS Principal David Bryant and students Sydney Buckner, Maria Dazevedo, and Vicki Huang. In the second row are Natalie Cross, Jane Abernathy, and Andrew Skipper. In the top row are Warren LaForest, Ian Barclay, Riley Fitchpatrick, and Nicholas Goldstein. Not pictured is Dasha Morin.

Eleven Oak Ridge High School students have been named Commended Students in the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The students are Jane L. Abernathy, Ian A. Barclay, Sydney N. Buckner, Natalie R. Cross, Maria M. Dazevedo, Riley M. Fitchpatrick, Nicholas Goldstein, Dasha N. Gorin, Vicki Huang, Warren J. Laforest, and Andrew D Skipper.

ORHS Principal David Bryant will present a letter of commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program, to these scholastically talented seniors, a press release said. [Read more…]

Community Band presents ‘Early Music’ concert on Oct. 13

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Oak Ridge Community Band

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs earlier at the pavilion at A.K. Bissell Park. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Community Band)

The Oak Ridge Community Band will present an “Early Music” Concert on Oct. 13 at Oak Ridge High School.

The concert starts at 3:30 p.m. in the ORHS Performing Arts Center at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

This concert is the first of six indoor concerts in the “Music for a Lifetime” series scheduled for October, November, December, January, February, and April. These concerts will take the audience from early compositions up to the 1890s, then continue through the 20th century featuring the roaring ’20s, Big Band era on through the Nifty Fifties, Swinging Sixties, Generation X, and ending with music representing the New Millenium. [Read more…]