Oak Ridge Today

ORUD raises money for program that helps families with heating bills

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Emily Rios and Nikki Adkisson of the Marketing Department for Oak Ridge Utility District are pictured above with Barry Stephenson at the MCLinc Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast. (Submitted photo)

Emily Rios and Nikki Adkisson of the Marketing Department for Oak Ridge Utility District are pictured above with Barry Stephenson at the MCLinc Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast. (Submitted photo)

 

In February, Oak Ridge Utility District hosts its annual “Have a Heart, Heat a Home” fundraiser to raise money for ADFAC’s Project SAFE, a program that helps families struggling to pay heating bills and facing the loss of energy service.

This year’s low temperatures in January meant that heating bills would be on the rise and donations would be greatly needed, a press release said.

“In order to help our neighbors pay these bills, ADFAC counts on the generosity of the community to support the program,” the press release said. [Read more…]

New sports complex opens at Clinton High School

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Photo courtesy Johanna Whitley/Anderson County Schools

Photo courtesy Johanna Whitley/Anderson County Schools

 

Clinton High School officially opened its new sports complex on March 1.

“The complex was a dream of so many in the community,” Anderson County Schools said on its website. “ACS would like to thank everyone who had a part in making this dream a reality.

“A special thanks goes to Mr. Joe Hollingsworth…his dedication to our community will be a gift to the students and families of Clinton for generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Hollingsworth.” [Read more…]

Clinton Middle School introduces College & Career Academy

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Clinton Middle College and Career Academy 2018-2019 Registration Guide Cover

By Clinton Middle School

With the current push in our school district, Anderson County Schools, and in the State of Tennessee to promote success for every student, every day, Clinton Middle School has drawn up plans to transition from a traditional middle school to a “College and Career Academy.”

On Monday night, March 5, 2018, the Anderson County Board of Education unanimously approved the CMS administration’s plans for huge changes coming next school year. To start the 2018-19 school year, the hometown middle school will be Clinton Middle School: College and Career Academy.

This will serve first to create an environment of goal-attaining, resilient young people working with educators to close achievement gaps and to gain awareness of the world beyond secondary education. Plans have been set in motion to create the following: advisory programs, grade level college and career focuses, diverse related arts programs, financial literacy programs, and community service projects.

Each grade level will focus throughout the year on a different aspect of college and career readiness. [Read more…]

Roger Ward named Principal of the Year

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Roger Ward

Roger Ward

Roger Ward has been named Principal of the Year by Oak Ridge Schools.

Ward has been principal of Linden Elementary School since July 2005.

He began his career in 1990 and has served in many roles as an elementary educator during the past 28 years, a press release said.

“Mr. Ward emphasizes that students need not only to learn academic skills but also to be responsible, respectful, ready, and safe,” the press release said. “Thank you for your continued dedication to the students and staff at Linden and throughout the Oak Ridge Schools family.”

Ward’s nomination will be sent to the state level for consideration, Oak Ridge Schools said in the press release. The state winner will be honored during the annual LEAD Conference in Nashville.

Each year, an outstanding public school principal earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Principal of the Year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Cybersecurity expert shares career opportunities with Roane State students

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Cybersecurity expert Rob Ashcraft of Sword & Shield Enterprise Security discusses career opportunities with Roane State students. (Submitted photo)

Cybersecurity expert Rob Ashcraft of Sword & Shield Enterprise Security discusses career opportunities with Roane State students. (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

In this era of online hacking and ransomware, jobs in cybersecurity are booming, and they pay extremely well, an expert in the field told Roane State Community College faculty and students.

Rob Ashcraft, with the state’s largest firm of its kind—Sword & Shield Enterprise Security of Knoxville—recently gave an overview of the various positions available in the profession.

The demand for those jobs is growing 350 percent faster than other information technology positions, and those with the appropriate certifications can make as much as $55 an hour.

“I think you made a good choice,” Ashcraft told students now enrolled in Roane State’s new cyber defense program, which was launched in the fall 2017 semester. “It’s a great career, and it’s a lot of fun.” [Read more…]

ORNL, NETL sign research agreement on new ways to use coal

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U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steve Winberg looks on as Acting National Energy Technology Laboratory Director Sean Plasynski, left, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thomas Zacharia shake hands after signing a research agreement on new ways to use coal on Friday, March 2, 2018. (Photo courtesy NETL)

U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steve Winberg looks on as Acting National Energy Technology Laboratory Director Sean Plasynski, left, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thomas Zacharia shake hands after signing a research agreement on new ways to use coal on Friday, March 2, 2018. (Photo courtesy NETL)

 

Two U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories with energy research expertise, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have agreed to pursue research that could find new ways to use coal, a press release said.

ORNL and the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, signed the agreement, a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, on Friday, March 2.

The two labs are joining forces to pursue research on new ways to use coal to create innovative high-value products, the press release said.

U.S. Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steve Winberg attended the signing event.

“The MOU signed today signals the Department’s continued commitment to enhancing the use of our coal resources,” Winberg said. “The depth and breadth of scientific knowledge across the DOE enterprise, especially at our national labs, is what allows for this kind of innovative partnership.” [Read more…]

Roane State launches office, website to help parents stay engaged with students

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Roane State’s new parent portal is online at www.roanestate.edu/parents. The portal offers parents access to campus news and deadlines, personalized newsletters, alerts, and insights into students’ progress and financial details. (Submitted image)

Roane State’s new parent portal is online at www.roanestate.edu/parents. The portal offers parents access to campus news and deadlines, personalized newsletters, alerts, and insights into students’ progress and financial details. (Submitted image)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

There’s a new office promoting family involvement and providing ways for families help their students succeed at Roane State Community College.

It’s called the Office of Parent and Family Engagement. An integral part of this new office is providing a “parent and family portal” developed by CampusESP. The portal is online at www.roanestate.edu/parents.

The portal, available on any device, allows parents to learn more about their children’s college experience, from campus news and events to notices about tuition and grade-point averages.

Students will be able to determine what access is given to parents or guardians through the new portal. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge offers Spring Break camps

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Campers will make slime, paint rocks, and have leprechaun fun at the Children’s Museum Spring Break Camp in March 2018. (Submitted photo)

Campers will make slime, paint rocks, and have leprechaun fun at the Children’s Museum Spring Break Camp in March 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

Flower art, slime and chemistry, science and art, and St. Patrick’s Day activities will be among spring break camps offered for children in kindergarten through 5th grades at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge Monday through Friday, March 12-16.

The museum will offer morning camps from 9 a.m.-noon and afternoon sessions from 1-4 p.m. Children may register for individual sessions, a day, all mornings, all afternoons, or the entire week.

Meanwhile, the Children’s Museum will be open for visits Tuesday through Sunday during spring break. Children may imagine they are astronauts in the Mars Rocket Room, play in a farmer’s market in the Healthy Living exhibit, explore how children lived in historic Appalachia, wander through a rain forest, play in a tugboat in TVA Waterworks, and much more.

Here’s the schedule of activities for March 12-16: [Read more…]

Monday, March 12: Eat out for ADFAC!

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Pictured above is Cesar Ortiz, owner of Gallo Loco, who invites you to celebrate Dine & Donate by eating out on Monday, March 12, 2018. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above is Cesar Ortiz, owner of Gallo Loco, who invites you to celebrate Dine & Donate by eating out on Monday, March 12, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

Did you know you can support a fantastic organization in our community just by eating? Does it sound too good to be true? The second Monday of each month marks the Dine and Donate promotion for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC. Several area restaurants have pledged to donate a portion of their sales for the day to support ADFAC’s important programs to promote self-sustainability for families in our area, a press release said.

The featured restaurant for March is Gallo Loco Mexican restaurant at 80 East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. The press release said this cozy Mexican restaurant is regularly mentioned as a favorite by locals, and their friendly atmosphere can’t be beat! Stop by on Monday, March 12, and find out for yourself why this spot will become one of your favorites, too!

Other restaurants supporting ADFAC on Monday, and each month, are Burchfield’s, Dean’s, Hoskins, Mediterranean Delight, Outback Steakhouse, Razzleberry’s, Soup Kitchen, Subway locations in Clinton (both), west Oak Ridge (1968 Oak Ridge Turnpike), Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top. So many tasty opportunities to support a valued organization in our community! [Read more…]

Selected for space launch, Robertsville satellite gets boost from ORNL

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Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the first middle school to ever be selected for a NASA program that launches small cube-shaped satellites into space. On Friday, March 9, 2018, the $70,000 science project got a $15,000 boost from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Celebrating above by saying "NASA, we are a go!" are RMS students, teacher Todd Livesay, ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, and other Oak Ridge Schools staff and project volunteers. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the first middle school to ever be selected for a NASA program that launches small cube-shaped satellites into space. On Friday, March 9, 2018, the $70,000 science project got a $15,000 boost from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Celebrating above by saying “NASA, we are a go!” are RMS students, teacher Todd Livesay, ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, and other Oak Ridge Schools staff and project volunteers. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 2 p.m. March 11.

Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge is the first middle school to ever be selected for a NASA program that launches small cube-shaped satellites into space.

On Friday, the $70,000 science project, which started about three years ago, got a $15,000 boost from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Robertsville satellite, which will orbit a few hundred miles above Earth, will use a small camera to try to take pictures of forest regrowth in the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg. That area burned in forest fires fed by high winds after Thanksgiving 2016, killing 14 people and damaging or destroying more than 2,500 homes and businesses.

The RMS satellite, named RamSat, will use a radio to relay its images and other data back to Earth.

A project proposal was submitted to NASA in November, and Oak Ridge Schools learned this month that the RMS proposal had been accepted.

“This is such an exciting opportunity for the students!” said Peter Thornton, one of the RamSat team leaders from ORNL. “They will now have the chance to design, build, carry out, and own a satellite mission.” [Read more…]

ORHS students qualify for state competition for future business leaders

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Left to right: Rosemary Archer, business teacher; Blake Norris, Bailey Williams, Hannah Phillips, Ella Stewart, and Rachel McBryar.

Left to right: Rosemary Archer, business teacher; Blake Norris, Bailey Williams, Hannah Phillips, Ella Stewart, and Rachel McBryar. (Submitted photo)

 

On February 1, five members of the Oak Ridge High School Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America attended the Region 6 Conference at the Knoxville Expo Center.

The ORHS students received the following awards: [Read more…]

Plan for former AMSE property shows possible grocery, tire store, retail/restaurant

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Image from Oak Ridge Community Development Department's staff report for TN Oak Ridge Illinois PUD Final Master Plan, to be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This image shows the types of businesses that could locate on the 7.4-acre site.

Image from Oak Ridge Community Development Department’s staff report for TN Oak Ridge Illinois PUD Final Master Plan, to be considered by the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday, March 8, 2018. This image shows the location and types of businesses that could locate on the 7.4-acre site.

 

A final master plan for about 7.4 acres south of the American Museum of Science and Energy shows possible businesses that could include a grocery or retail store of about 55,000 square feet and smaller businesses that could include a tire store and retail/restaurant.

The businesses would be on former AMSE property that is now vacant land at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and South Tulane Avenue.

The final master plan for the planned unit development, or PUD, will be considered during a special meeting of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission on Thursday. The special meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom at 200 South Tulane Avenue. A work session will follow at 6 p.m. [Read more…]