Oak Ridge Today

Glenwood Elementary wins $10,000 for teaching kids how to code

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Oak Ridge Schools LogoAll 368 students at Glenwood Elementary will participate in one of the largest CODE education events in history. The Hour of Code will be held December 8-14, and Glenwood Elementary is the only school chosen in Tennessee to receive $10,000 from Code.org to buy technology for bringing these critical skills to students.

Google, Microsoft, Apple, President Obama, Bill Gates, Shakira, and Ashton Kutcher have all backed the Hour of Code, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said. More than 100 partners are coming together to support this global movement. So far, 47 million students have tried the Hour of Code. The Hour of Code movement is aiming for 100 million students.

On Tuesday, December 9, at 2:30 p.m. Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Christopher Marczak will present the $10,000 prize and speak on the importance of bringing computer science into the schools. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools staff, students donate almost $14K to United Way

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Oak Ridge Schools and United Way Mike Haygood

Picture above, from left to right are Jefferson Middle School Principal Phil Cox; Rick Morrow, executive director of United Way of Anderson County; JMS Assistant Principal Mike Haygood; and Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge Schools staff and students once again stepped up in a big way and donated nearly $14,000 to the United Way of Anderson County’s 2014 campaign, a press release said.

All donors were eligible to win a “Week End Getaway” donated by Tim and Becky Hooks, and this year’s winner was Mike Haygood, assistant principal at Jefferson Middle School.

The press release said the donated funds will go to support 32 agencies and 50 different programs that provide services here in Anderson County. Donations like these helped provide 149 families the supplies to grow their own garden this year, and each garden is expected to produce more than $450 of fresh food. That is more than $67,000 of fresh produce created from the $4,000 invested by UWAC donors.

For more information about UWAC services and to donate to provide this type of assistance to our neighbors, visit www.uwayac.org or call the United Way at (865) 483-8431.

Sound Co. has Sparkly Jolly Twinkle Holly holiday concert this weekend

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Sound Company Children's Choir

Sound Company Children’s Choir of Oak Ridge

The much-anticipated Sparkly Jolly Twinkle Holly holiday concert by Sound Company is set for the first weekend in December. “Don’t miss the festive costumes and seasonal stylings of Sound Company Children’s Choir of Oak Ridge,” a press release said.

Performances will be at 3 p.m. Saturday, December 6, and 6 p.m. Sunday, December 7, at the High Places Church at Grove Center, in Oak Ridge’s historic Grove Theater.

The press release said more than 100 talented young vocalists in grades one through 12 will present everything from classical holiday carols to Louis Armstrong jazz (“Zat You Santa Claus?”), an Elvis Christmas medley, and pop ballad “Peppermint Winter” by Owl City. Sound Company is polishing a range of holiday tunes, including “Hanukkah Shalom,” a traditional Spanish carol, and spirited “Mele Kalikimaka” from Hawaii.

“Of course, you won’t want to miss the new holiday classic popularized in the show ‘Elf,’ ‘Sparklejollytwinklejingley,’ complete with kick line,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Safety forum on Wednesday to focus on worker accident

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Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership

Forum to feature ORNL Excess Property Sales event and how complacency had near-fatal impact

The Oak Ridge Business Safety Partnership is having a community safety forum from 8 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, December 3, at the American Museum of Science and Energy. The safety forum, free of charge and open to the public, will explore an accident in which a worker was seriously injured that occurred earlier in 2014 during a routine transfer of excess equipment from UT-Battelle to the public.

Jimmy Stone, UT-Battelle’s Facilities and Operations Director, will make a presentation about the accident, focusing specifically on what could have been done to have prevented it from occurring, a press release said. [Read more…]

All-District football accolades announced: Gaddis is Coach of the Year

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Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and Team

Oak Ridge Wildcats Coach Joe Gaddis and his football team celebrate an October win in a post-game huddle. (Photo by Julio Culiat)

 

Information from WYSH Radio

The All-District 3AAA football team for 2014 was announced last week as were individual postseason honors.

The Coach of the Year is Oak Ridge’s Joe Gaddis.

Anderson County’s Matt Fox was named Player of the Year, while Campbell County’s Ethan Jeffers was named Offensive Player of the Year and Gibbs’ Hunter Lane was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Lineman of the Year honors went to Oak Ridge’s Alex Alcorn, the D3AAA Newcomer of the Year was Oak Ridge’s Tee Higgins, and the Specialist of the Year was Oak Ridge’s Brandon Nickle. [Read more…]

EPA: Oak Ridge is a Green Power Community of the Year

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ORNL Bethel Valley Solar Array

Construction was completed in 2008 on a 288-foot-long, 51.25 kilowatt solar system (second-largest in Tennessee) that will supply power to the office building that houses researchers associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s buildings technology programs. (Photo courtesy ORNL)

 

Oak Ridge has been recognized as a Green Power Community of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Oak Ridge is one of only two cities to receive the award. The other is Medford, Oregon.

Oak Ridge is one of 19 Green Power Partners and four suppliers from across the country receiving Green Leadership Awards given each year by the EPA. Awardees are recognized for their achievements in advancing the nation’s renewable energy market and reducing greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change, a press release said.

The 2014 Green Power Leadership Awards will be presented on Wednesday, December 3, at the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Sacramento, California. [Read more…]

Students illustrate children’s book, help raise awareness of homelessness

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Student Art for Homelessness Book

TORCH, a local nonprofit that works with homeless families and low-income people, hosted its second annual art show during National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week from November 17-23.

Anderson County art students (grades seven-12) were invited to submit PIT Poster Contest entries, while younger students (grades kindergarten-six) were invited to submit illustrations for a children’s book, “The Home for Carley.”

The PIT Count is an annual, nationally mandated count of the homeless by county over a 24-hour period in the month of January. TORCH directs the PIT Count for Anderson County each year. [Read more…]

AMSE events calendar for December

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AMSE Logo

DECEMBER 5

Grounds Beautification Work Day—AMSE is seeking volunteers to help beautify our grounds from 9-noon. Volunteers are encouraged to bring gloves, planting tools, and any extra plants to donate to our flowerbeds. Hot beverages will be provided.

Homeschool Program: Electricity—Students will participate in activities that teach concepts relating to static electricity and direct current. K-2nd grade program is from 10:30 – 11:30 and cost $5 members or $7 non-members. The 3rd – 6th grade program begins at 12:30 – 2:30 and cost $9 members or $12 non-members. Registration information is available at http://amse.org/educators/home-school-programs/

DECEMBER 6

“Scandal in the Secret City” Book Signing—On Saturday, December 6, 2014 Diane Fanning will be a guest of the American Museum of Science and Energy signing copies of her latest novel, SCANDAL IN THE SECRET CITY, from 2-4pm. The book signing is a free event. [Read more…]

Music of ‘Emperor,’ ‘ Cinderella,’ ‘Christmas Festival’ to be featured at Dec. 6 concert

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Oak Ridge Community Orchestra September 2014 Concert

The Oak Ridge Community Orchestra is pictured above in a September 2014 Concert. (Photo by Ellen Greenwood)

 

By Dale Gedcke

A free concert by the Oak Ridge Community Orchestra at 2 p.m. Saturday, December 6, will feature the “Emperor (Kaiser) Waltzes” by Johann Strauss Jr., the “Cinderella Suite No. 1” by Prokofiev, the “Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss Sr., and “A Christmas Festival” by Leroy Anderson. This is an exciting program that you will not want to miss.

In 1950, Leroy Anderson wrote “A Christmas Festival” to be performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Ever since, it has been a popular favorite of audiences and orchestras. Somehow, Anderson was able to weave all the famous Christmas carols into a progressive collage of color. The startling opening begins with “Deck the Halls,” and continues with the quieter carols in the middle of the suite. In the finalé, Anderson shows his compositional ingenuity with a raucous variation on “Jingle Bells” that is briefly interrupted by the climax of “O, Come All Ye Faithful,” before rushing to an exciting conclusion with a confluence of “Joy to the World” and the “Jingle Bells” variation. [Read more…]

Honors: St. Mary’s teacher wins Air Force award

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St. Mary's Teacher wins Air Force Award

Teacher of the Year Marsha Sega receives a check from Steven Dillenburg, chapter president on September 24 in the St. Mary’s School library. (Submitted photo)

 

Marsha Sega is the middle school science and math teacher at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge. Her work preparing her students to use and excel in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) won her the local Air Force Association chapter’s Teacher of the Year Award earlier this year.

The second part of the award was presented in the form of a check from Stephen Dillenburg, chapter president of the local Air Force Association on September 24 in the St. Mary’s School library, a press release said. [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Rosetta

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Pet of the Day: Rosetta

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Beauty Alert Plus: I am Rosetta, one G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S girl. And I have this amazing little kitten that is just too precious.

I have the sweetest disposition, and they just love me here. I would like you to come by my cage…yes, it is not fitting for me to be in here…but allow me to decide if you are my human that I want to keep. I am very picky, but I know my someone is out there that will be the perfect fit for me. See you soon.

—ROSETTA [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Tandy

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Pet of the Day: Tandy

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In foster care: Call the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter at (865) 425-3423 to arrange a meet-and-greet meeting.

Dandy Tandy here…what a good looking creature I am. Why are you not running here to claim me for your own? You’ll be sorry!

—TANDY

The Oak Ridge Animal Shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It’s located at 395 Belgrade Road in east Oak Ridge. The phone number is (865) 425-3423.

See the Animal Shelter’s website here. You can also find more information on adoptable animals at the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter on this Facebook page.