Oak Ridge Today

Eighth-grader at St. Mary’s to compete in ‘Punt, Pass, and Kick’ at Titans game on Sunday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Anne Carter

Anne Carter

Anne Marie Carter, an eighth-grader at St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge, has advanced to the Team Championship Level for the NFL’s Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition.

Carter’s journey began in her physical education class the week of September 22 when she won for 12-13 year old girls. As a school champion, she advanced to the Knoxville area championship, known as the Sectional Championship, in October. Carter won this competition as well.

Carter will compete at the Tennessee Titans game on Sunday, December 7, in Nashville. She is one of four girls in her age group in the four-state region of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee to advance to this level of competition. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge elementary schools participate in ‘Foodie Fridays’

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Adrianna King and Abbie Cary

Linden Elementary School second-grader Adrianna King and University of Tennessee Extension Outreach Coordinator Abbie Cary pose for a picture in front of a broccoli poster on Foodie Friday. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

This year, each elementary school throughout the Oak Ridge Schools district will participate in Foodie Friday. Foodie Friday is made available through a partnership between Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated School Health, food service provider Aramark, and the University of Tennessee Extension Office, a press release said.

Each Friday, volunteers from the UT Extension Office and the Anderson County Health Department prepare healthy samples, provided by Aramark, to sample during elementary school lunch periods. The students talk about the foods, see how it is prepared, and share their thoughts on how they taste, the Oak Ridge Schools release said.

Linden Elementary School is the first school of the year to participate in the program. The students have sampled red peppers, grapes, broccoli, green peppers, cherry tomatoes, and apples. Educational nutritional information is also provided to the teachers and students through the UT Extension office.

Foodie Friday will return after winter break at Glenwood Elementary School starting January 16, Woodland Elementary School on March 6, and Willow Brook Elementary School on April 10. [Read more…]

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

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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.

Conserving coral reefs: Learn more in ‘Classroom Under the Sea’ on Thursday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Coral Restoration

The decline of coral formations will be the topic of the Dec. 4 episode of “Classroom Under the Sea.” The photo shows coral polyps on Molasses Reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. (Photo by Brent Deuel, courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce)

 

The devastation of coral reefs will be the topic of the next episode of “Classroom Under the Sea,” an online lecture series hosted by two local college educators living underwater for more than two months.

The live program starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, December 4. Viewers can watch live at roanestate.edu/classroomunderthesea and on youtube.com/classroomunderthesea.

Roane State Community College biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain are living and working in an underwater habitat for 73 days. While they stay in the habitat, where the living space is about the size of a dorm room, Fain and Cantrell host “Classroom Under the Sea,” an educational program about marine science. [Read more…]

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

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

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…]

Public invited to speak live with Roane State educators living underwater

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Aquanaut Chat

Roane State professor Bruce Cantrell, right, interviews astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Mike Gernhardt during a live episode of Classroom Under the Sea. Cantrell and Roane State adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who are living underwater for 73 days, will be available to speak live with community members on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus. (Photo courtesy RSCC)

 

Two Roane State Community College educators living underwater for 73 days will share their experiences and answer questions during a live video chat session on Tuesday, December 2, at the college’s Oak Ridge campus.

The session will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Room 107 in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The public is invited to talk with biology professor Bruce Cantrell and adjunct professor Jessica Fain, who will be chatting from the underwater habitat where they have lived since October 3.

Cantrell and Fain are staying in Jules’ Undersea Lodge on Key Largo in the Florida Keys. They have faced the psychological challenge of living 25 feet underwater in a space that’s 300 square feet and the physical challenge of living without sunlight. They will resurface December 15. [Read more…]

Workshop will address ‘The Basics of Negotiation for Women’

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Mary Mahoney

Mary Mahoney

A University of Tennessee expert will discuss “The Basics of Negotiation for Women” during a free forum on Tuesday, December 2, at 3:30 p.m. at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The forum—presented by the Social Science, Business, and Education Division—will be held in room 107 in the new Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building. The public is invited.

The speaker is Mary Mahoney, assistant director of recruiting for the University of Tennessee Career Services. [Read more…]

Clinton school board member inducted into TSBA Quarter Century Club

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jim Webster Retires

Longtime Clinton Board of Education member Jim Webster, center, was honored for his dedicated service to Clinton City Schools at a reception before the November school board meeting. Among those who gathered to honor Webster were past Board Chairman Don Elledge, third from right; Mayor Scott Burton, second from left; City Manager Roger Houck, right; Councilman Jerry Shattuck, left; other longtime friends, and four of his children. (Photo courtesy Clinton City Schools)

 

Longtime Clinton Board of Education member was inducted into the Tennessee School Board Association’s Quarter Century Club during a recent TSBA Annual Convention awards luncheon in Nashville.

The two school board members who were inducted have served 25 years on their local boards of education. Those individuals received honorary life membership in the Tennessee School Boards Association. The other 2014 inductee was Harold Garrett of Haywood County.

[Read more…]

Fillauer named East director for state school board group

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer has been named East director for the Tennessee School Board Association.

The TSBA announced its officers and directors for 2015 at the close of its recent annual convention in Nashville. [Read more…]

ORISE accepts apps for summer research with Homeland Security

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is accepting applications for the 2015 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Summer Research Team Program for Minority Serving Institutions, or MSI. The program engages faculty and student teams in research that provides opportunities to better understand the mission and research needs of DHS and to strengthen the talent pool of scientists and engineers, a press release said.

ORISE administers the program for DHS through ORISE, which is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The 10-week summer research program provides faculty and student teams from Minority Serving Institutions with opportunities to conduct research at the university-based DHS Centers of Excellence. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate Centers of Excellence network is an extended consortium of hundreds of universities generating ground-breaking ideas for new technologies, while collaborating to serve DHS’ many mission needs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Two ORHS students win UT scholarships in statewide math contest

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

KNOXVILLE—Two Oak Ridge High School students were among 10 from across the state who received $6,000 annual scholarships to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in this year’s UT-Pro2Serve Math Contest. More than 700 students from 51 schools all across Tennessee competed in the competition, held November 6 at UT.

The scholarship winners were:

  • Joseph Andress, Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • Christopher Dean, Cookeville High, Cookeville, Tennessee
  • Jason Fu, Farragut High, Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Gene Li, Ravenwood High, Brentwood, Tennessee
  • Remilia Li, Pope John Paul II High, Hendersonville, Tennessee
  • Ohm J. Patel, White Station High, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Daniel Tancredi, Memphis University School, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Barbara Xiong, University School of Nashville, Nashville, Tennessee
  • Albert Xue, Oak Ridge High, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
  • Chang Yu, Memphis University School, Memphis, Tennessee

[Read more…]