Oak Ridge Today

Sixty players at Oak Ridge-Grace Christian tennis match

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Oak Ridge High School tennis team introductions (Photo submitted by David Bowman)

Oak Ridge High School tennis team introductions (Photo submitted by David Bowman)

 

There were 60 players and more than 30 parents at Oak Ridge’s home tennis match against Grace Christian Academy on Monday, February 26. That’s the largest number of people at the site for any match the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats tennis teams have had during the past three years.

The Oak Ridge tennis team has 13 Wildcats and 25 Lady Wildcats. Grace Christian also had a large contingent available to play during the scrimmage, 16 girls and six boys, Oak Ridge Coach David Bowman said.

“As a result during the four-hour event, a total of 39 singles and 15 doubles matches were played by both teams,” Bowman said. “It was a perfect storm of competition on the courts for the novice and beginner players. They gained valuable experience while learning tennis rules and etiquette.”

Highlighting the day for Oak Ridge were singles wins by starters Archer Marlow, Haley Smallwood, and Elizabeth Lowman, Bowman said. [Read more…]

Atomic City swimmers compete in regional, Southeastern championships

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Pictured above from left to right are Logan Hall, Abigail King, Tais Brown, Mason Fischer, and Coach Andy Wagner as they prepare for upcoming swims. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above from left to right are Logan Hall, Abigail King, Tais Brown, Mason Fischer, and Coach Andy Wagner as they prepare for upcoming swims. (Submitted photo)

 

By Chip Fischer

Atomic City Aquatic Club swimmers recently began their short course championship season, competing in two important swim meets. The first was the 2018 Southeastern Region Championships, which is a last opportunity to make cuts for the 2018 Southeastern Championships. An elite contingent of team swimmers recently attended that meet. The swimmers performed well at both meets and made ACAC proud.

At the regional championships, 40 swimmers competed. Landon Hall (8) made Southeasterns in five events and bonus in one, winning five races. Logan Hall (11) made Southeasterns in five races and won three. Aydan Skelton (10) made Southeasterns in six events and bonus cuts in four, winning one and coming in second in four. Stephen Zhukov (11) made Southeasterns in seven events, bonus in two, and won one and took second in four.

Other swimmers at Regionals also excelled. Abigail King (13) and Mason Fischer (13) made a Southeastern cut in the 1650 Free. Esther Gallmeier (17) achieved Southeasterns in the 100 and 200 Breast. Katharina Gallmeier (17) made a Southeastern in the 200 Breast and bonus in the 100 Breast. Paul Greene (14) made Southeasterns in the 100 Breast and bonus in the 200 Breast. Alexander Greenhalgh (17) made Southeasterns in the 100 Breast, which he also won. Creed Loy (13) made Southeasterns in the 200 Breast. Sidney Ozcan (13) made two bonus cuts. Savannah Miniard (12) made one bonus cut. Andrew Chou (11) made a bonus cut. [Read more…]

ORISE, Rotary Club plan to package 20,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger

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More than 100 volunteers from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge will package 20,000 nutritious meals for Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, in a few hours on Thursday, March 8.

The event is marking the expansion of a warehouse on ORISE’s south campus by helping feed people around the world.

“Volunteers will follow an assembly-line process to package highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables, and 23 essential vitamins and minerals,” a media alert said. “Rise Against Hunger will distribute the meals primarily to school feeding programs in developing countries around the world.”

ORISE is managed by ORAU, a nonprofit corporation and federal contractor, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

Secret City Wildbots competing in Palmetto robotics competition

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The Secret City Wildbots compete in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics competition on Friday, March 2, 2018. Pictured above, Mantis, the robot, loads a cube for a powerup. (Photo by Angi Agle)

The Secret City Wildbots compete in the Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition on Friday, March 2, 2018. Pictured above, Mantis, the robot, loads a cube for a powerup. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots are competing in the Palmetto regional robotics competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this weekend.

The Wildbots ended the first day of qualification rounds on Friday with four wins and three losses, Oak Ridge Board of Education member Angi Agle said. In two of the losses, the third robot on the team did not play, and Oak Ridge was 2-on-3 for both of those.

The Wildbots ended the day ranked 33rd of 64, with two more matches today (Saturday, March 3). Number 75 is scheduled for 9:42 a.m., and Number 96 is at 12:09 p.m. Alliance selections should occur at 12:15 p.m.

Agle said Mantis, the robot, has performed better with each successive match, so two more wins could significantly improve Oak Ridge’s standing, “thereby improving our odds of being selected for an alliance for the elimination rounds tomorrow afternoon (Saturday afternoon).” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools has one of 11 small research satellites selected by NASA

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Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students. (Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students. (Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

 

NASA, which has been working with Robertsville Middle School, announced Friday that the Oak Ridge Schools project is one of 11 small research satellites selected to fly as auxiliary payloads aboard space missions in the next few years.

The satellite projects were selected from seven states and Puerto Rico. They are eligible for placement on a launch manifest, depending on the availability of a flight opportunity, for space missions planned in 2019, 2020, and 2021, NASA said.

The Oak Ridge project, RamSat, is an education mission to develop and implement a middle school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, curriculum for building a CubeSat. CubeSats are a type of spacecraft called nanosatellites, often measuring about four inches on each side and weighing less than three pounds. They have a volume of about one quart. CubeSats are built using these standard dimensions as Units or “U,” and are classified as 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in total size.

The selections, which were announced Friday, are part of the ninth round of the NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative.

The launch opportunities for the 11 small research satellites include planned spaceflight missions led by NASA, other U.S. government agencies, or commercial organizations, as well as deployments from the International Space Station. The CubeSats were proposed by educational institutions, or nonprofit organizations. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge tennis teams had first match Monday, play Catholic Tuesday

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Pictured above from left to right are Inna Diawara, Kaitlin Summers, McKenna Norris, Teagan Russell, Alexis Hammond, Anthony Filigenzi, Stephanie Romanoski, Christina Thomas, Morgan Loggins, Hyeji Bang, Audrey Chrisman, Jacky DeLeon, Elizabeth Lowman, Savannah Shropshire, Haley Smallwood, Abby Magee, Mily Vidal, Liza Williams, Archer Marlow, Joey Kelley, Justin Blanchard, Wilder Dodson, Ethan Brady, Anhaar Ajaz, Andrew Brady, Mikolaj Jakowski, Jina Jiang, Brigitte Turner, Levi Parish, and Rose Farahi. (Submitted photo)

Pictured above from left to right are Inna Diawara, Kaitlin Summers, McKenna Norris, Teagan Russell, Alexis Hammond, Anthony Filigenzi, Stephanie Romanoski, Christina Thomas, Morgan Loggins, Hyeji Bang, Audrey Chrisman, Jacky DeLeon, Elizabeth Lowman, Savannah Shropshire, Haley Smallwood, Abby Magee, Mily Vidal, Liza Williams, Archer Marlow, Joey Kelley, Justin Blanchard, Wilder Dodson, Ethan Brady, Anhaar Ajaz, Andrew Brady, Mikolaj Jakowski, Jina Jiang, Brigitte Turner, Levi Parish, and Rose Farahi. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat and Lady Wildcat tennis teams braved a recent 37-degree wind chill to start their 2018 season. They will host 12 home matches this spring on the public courts located Oak Ridge High School at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, across from the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The 14 Wildcats and 26 Lady Wildcats worked hard to prepare for their first match this past Monday (February 26) with Grace Christian Academy, a press release said. The team had its annual pancake breakfast fundraiser at Aubrey‘s on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, February 24. Funds raised during the breakfast will be used for items like the new storage shed located at the courts and ball machines purchased by the Tennis Booster Club.

“This equipment has provided quality teaching tools sorely needed to help a large number of players hone their skills and compete successfully on the courts,” said Coach Joanne Bowman. The ball machines have given students the opportunity to hit thousands of balls during the season, helping advanced and novice players build confidence in their ball striking skills, Bowman said.

You can see the season schedule below. All are home matches except for Halls and Powell. [Read more…]

Park Service to discuss TVA role in powering Tennessee Valley, supporting war effort

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Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

Norris Dam (Submitted photo)

 

The National Park Service will have a talk on the Tennessee Valley Authority on Sunday while celebrating the 82nd anniversary of the completion of the TVA Norris Dam. During the program, the Park Service will discuss how the Tennessee Valley Authority changed the landscape and supported the war effort in East Tennessee, a press release said.

The Sunday program is free, and it is being offered by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, a unique three-site park that includes Oak Ridge; Hanford, Washington; and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The program is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge.

The American Museum of Science and Energy is located at 300 South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge. The National Park Service visitor desk is located at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge at 461 West Outer Drive. For more information or directions, call (865) 482-1942.

Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos were part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.

Richard Cook to speak at Friends of Library annual meeting on Sunday

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Richard Cook (Submitted photo)

Richard Cook (Submitted photo)

 

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Oak Ridge Public Library (FOL) will be held Sunday, and the guest speaker will be Richard Cook, author of “Ignored Heroes of World War II: The Manhattan Project Workers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee.”

The meeting is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 4, in the Oak Ridge Public Library auditorium. There is no charge. Everyone is invited to attend, a press release said. New board members will be elected during the meeting.

Cook, who has lived in Oak Ridge since 2000, said his work is an oral history of Oak Ridge, the press release said. His wife, Katy (Orrick), was born and raised in Oak Ridge.

Cook wrote an op/ed column for The Oak Ridger from 2003-2005, the press release said. He has written more than 130 op/ed columns, which have appeared in The Oak Ridger, The Knoxville News-Sentinel, and The Tennessean website, the release said. His book has been profiled locally on WBIR, WATE, and PBS. [Read more…]

Roane State Success Coach program honored

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Roane State Community College Logo

Roane State’s success coach program won a statewide certificate for excellence and has become a benchmark for programs throughout the state’s 12 other community colleges.

“Roane State has been a leader in developing student success opportunities,” said Kim Harris, the college’s director of workplace training and placement.

Harris nominated Roane State’s success coach program for the award, and it won out over other nominees among Tennessee’s community colleges.

The recognition was bestowed by the Tennessee Alliance for Continuing Higher Education. The organization is comprised of continuing education professionals. [Read more…]

Borchers to give update on school system & changes on Tuesday

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Oak-Ridge-Schools-Bruce-Borchers-March-28-2016

Bruce Borchers

 

Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, will discuss the state of the Oak Ridge school system during a lunchtime talk on Tuesday.

His presentation is expected to provide an update on the school system and changes that have been implemented since his last address to the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, a press release said.

The Lunch with the League meeting is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Borchers has served as Oak Ridge Schools superintendent since 2013, the press release said. He began his career as an elementary physical education teacher in Sioux City, Iowa. He later worked as an assistant principal and principal in Iowa City and Mankato, Minnesota, and as an associate superintendent of secondary schools for the Anoka-Hennepin, Minnesota, school district, the release said. Prior to coming to Oak Ridge, he was superintendent of the Rockwood (Missouri) School District. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge City Blueprint open house schedule updates

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Photo by City of Oak Ridge

Photo by City of Oak Ridge

 

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department has provided an updated open house schedule for the Oak Ridge City Blueprint project, including revised meeting dates and additional opportunities for members of the community to join the discussion.

At a recent meeting, the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission approved several modifications to the Blueprint open house schedule in an effort to balance the calendar, avoid conflicts, and potentially increase attendance, a press release said.

Here is the updated schedule: [Read more…]

Atomic Dash Splash 5K & Family Fun Run on March 31

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Image by City of Oak Ridge

Image by City of Oak Ridge

 

The aquatic staff of the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department will be hosting a fundraising event and 5K family fun run on Saturday, March 31, beginning at 9 a.m. in Melton Lake Park.

Guests are asked to wear their best luau or pool attire and join us for a morning filled with music, food, bounce houses, raffle drawings, and a 5K and 1-mile walk/run, a press release said.

“Bring the family and enjoy a day at the park while helping raise money for the new outdoor pool slide,” the press release said. Registration for the event is now open online at http://bit.ly/AtomicDashSplash. [Read more…]