Oak Ridge Today

Aqua Power fall session starts Sept. 8

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The Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department aquatic exercise program, Aqua Power, will start its fall session September 8.

The instructor is Janice Greenwood, who holds numerous certifications in exercise programs, a press release said. This program is geared toward participants who wish to receive a workout in the water; individuals will be encouraged to work at their own pace and participants do not have to be able to swim or get their hair wet.

Classes will be held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The fee is $42 for a six-week session or $5 per class. [Read more…]

Bats: Friend or foe? Find out Sept. 4

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Bats are the topic of a free, interactive program on Thursday, September 4. Starting with a presentation at 7 p.m. and ending with a field demonstration with bat detectors, spotlights, and a thermal imaging camera by Melton Hill Lake, the evening will provide ample evidence that bats are friends, a press release said.

Although they sometimes suffer from a poor public image, bats are extremely beneficial animals: They are major predators of night-flying insects. Bat specialist Gerry Middleton, a biologist with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, is the presenter.

Following his 7 p.m. talk and a question and answer period, participants will adjourn to the marina on Melton Hill Lake for a field demonstration: Gerry will use his “bat detectors” (which detect echolocation calls) to help spot the nocturnal creatures as they forage for insects at dusk. He’ll also bring a spotlight and a thermal imaging camera to help participants see bats after dark. [Read more…]

Pet of the Day: Lexi

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Pet of the Day: Lexi

Submitted

Lexi is four years old and a dachshund mix. She is so sweet and would be a wonderful addition to your family. She is a little shy and scared at the shelter.

Many animals are sponsored and adoption fees are all half off through the end of the month! Come meet Lexi today!

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.

Pet of the Day: Wooly and Chase

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Pet of the Day: Wooly and Chase

Submitted

Wooly and Chase here…Aren’t we too cute, sitting here waiting on someone to promise forever?

You see, we got dumped here by our owners. How can they just walk away? It made us sad, but you know what? There are wonderful people like Miss Bev and Miss Maggie who just snatched us up lovingly in their arms and whisked us away. They are really nice and very special people who told us that there are humans who will promise to never let us go. Is that true?

Wooly and Chase [Read more…]

Camera Club accepts East Tennessee entries in annual Salon

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Umbrella Girl

“Umbrella Girl” by John Music, an image in the Color Print Urbanscape category from last year’s Salon. (Submitted photo)

One of East Tennessee’s most prestigious photography shows and competitions is under way for its 66th year.

The Camera Club of Oak Ridge is inviting all East Tennessee photographers—both amateur and professional, as well as students—to submit entries to their annual Salon, a press release said. Entries will be exhibited at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge during November and December. A community reception and gallery walk will be held at New Hope Center on Friday evening, November 14.

Photographers may enter digital images, color prints, or black and white prints. There are 10 categories: Animals, Architecture, Botanicals, Creative Development, Creative Vision, Inanimate Objects, Landscape, People, Scenic, and Urbanscapes. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School has open house on Thursday

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Oak Ridge High School will have an open house on Thursday, August 28, beginning at 5:15 p.m. in the Food Court. Parents are asked to print their student’s schedule prior to the event from Skyward Family Access.

From 5:15 to 6 p.m., school guidance counselors will have PSAT sign up, freshman TCAP results, and senior information tables. School clubs and community organizations will have information tables set up during this time. Pizza will be available for $2 and drinks for $1. PTSO will be accepting donations of Kleenex and hand sanitizer for teacher use.

Beginning at 6 p.m., parents will meet in the Auditorium for a short welcome from Principal David Bryant and the PTSO officers. Then, parents will follow their children’s schedule, period by period, spending about 10 minutes with each teacher. Hall guides will be provided to direct parents.

Parents are encouraged to take this opportunity to join the Parent Teacher Student Organization at the PTSO membership table. The majority of PTSO funding comes from membership dues and donations. All donations are tax-deductible. All money raised remains in the school and is used to communicate important information and dates via newsletters, express appreciation to teachers, fund teacher grants, and make contributions to various academic departments and activities.

Oak Ridge educator to receive national recognition

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Mike Carvella

Mike Carvella

Submitted

Michael Carvella, a second-grade teacher at Woodland Elementary School, will receive the 2015 California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence, one of public education’s most prestigious awards, a press release said.

Carvella is among 39 public educators who will be honored at the NEA Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Gala to be held in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 2015. One of public education’s most anticipated events, the gala attracts more than 850 of the nation’s leaders from public education, philanthropy, and the private sector.

“We give these awards annually to honor and promote excellence in education and to elevate the profession,” said Harriet Sanford, president and chief executive officer of the NEA Foundation. “Educators like these are critical to their students’ academic success, and they deserve national recognition. We are thrilled that California Casualty has joined us again this year to pay tribute to educators who are making such a difference in the lives of students in classrooms across the country.” [Read more…]

Photos: Lady Wildcats take ice bucket challenge

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Lady Wildcats Ice Bucket Challenge

 

The Lady Wildcats took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on Thursday. Here is a collection of photos from the ice bucket challenge submitted by coach David Scott.

The Lady Wildcats program then went on to challenge Coach Aaron Green and his staff and the Wildcats basketball team, Coach Allen Etheridge and his staff and the cross country team, and the Oak Ridge football team, Scott said.

Sewer rehab work continues week of Aug. 25

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More rehabilitation work of the city’s sewer collection pipes is scheduled to continue this week, starting Monday, August 25.

The work is being done by Hurst Excavating and Morgan Contracting under contract with the City of Oak Ridge. It includes rehabilitating sewer collection pipes within city easements in yards and in roadways, a press release said.

Residents should already have received color-coded letters and door hangers (orange for Hurst Excavating and purple for Morgan Contracting) providing general information and each contractors’ contact information.

Motorists, pedestrians and cyclists are urged to use extra care and caution when traveling on the streets with sewer work areas, a press release said. Temporary road repairs will be made, and loose gravel should be expected until the patches are permanently paved. [Read more…]

ORHS grad, brand manager running for school board

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Paige Marshall

Paige Marshall

Paige (White) Marshall, a 1988 graduate of Oak Ridge High School and current Oak Ridge resident, is running for Oak Ridge Board of Education in the November 4 election.

Marshall said her father spent most of his teaching career teaching in Oak Ridge.

“I quite literally grew up in these schools, among public educators,” Marshall said in a press release. “I am convinced that there is incredible power in public education to give students a chance to improve personally so that they can contribute responsibly as adults.”

Marshall attended Middle Tennessee State University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1991, and she went on to seminary at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, where she received her M.Div. in 1997.

After serving as a member of the clergy for almost 15 years, she went back to school and completed a master’s of business administration in marketing at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2008. Since then, she has worked in the business world for Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, and for Bush Brothers and Company in Knoxville, where she is currently a brand manager. [Read more…]

Community Band has free Labor Day concert in A.K. Bissell Park

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Oak Ridge Community Band Concert

The Oak Ridge Community Band performs at a 70th anniversary concert on Independence Day. (File photo)

The Oak Ridge Community Band will perform its annual Labor Day concert on Monday, September 1, at 7 p.m. in A.K. Bissell Park.

This is a free event, and the public is encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for outdoor seating, a press release said. Refreshments will be available for sale.

To help kick off the Community Band’s 2014-2015 subscription season of indoor concerts, the first 200 people attending the Labor Day Concert will be given free tickets to the band’s October 12 concert, which will be held at the Oak Ridge High School auditorium, the press release said. [Read more…]

Celebrity Scoops fundraiser to benefit SARG tonight

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An animal rescue group has a fundraiser at Baskin-Robbins in Oak Ridge this evening.

SARG, the rescue group, will have giveaways, and local celebrities will be appearing, organizers said. A portion of the proceeds at the Celebrity Scoops for Paws and Purrs fundraiser will benefit SARG (Shelter Animals Rescue Group).

The fundraiser is scheduled from 4-8 p.m. today (Saturday, August 23) at Baskin-Robbins, which is at 104 East Tulsa Road in Oak Ridge.

See the SARG page on Facebook for a full list of those will appear.

Organizers said parking will be available in the large shopping center near the ice cream shop or across the street in the parking lot of the former Chinese restaurant.