Oak Ridge Today

Honors: Anderson County FFA first in state for veterinary science career development

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Anderson County FFA State Winning Team

The state winning team from Anderson County FFA is pictured above. From left to right they are Advisor Philip Warfield, Allison Brown, Taylor Brown, Carlin Frost, and Brian Moore. (Submitted photo)

 

Headed to national convention in October

MARTIN—On May 10, 25 FFA chapters from all three regions competed in the State Veterinary Science Career Development Event, or CDE.

The state winner of the Veterinary Science CDE was the Anderson County FFA Chapter from East Tennessee. They will represent Tennessee at the National FFA Convention in October and compete against teams from across the nation for the national title.

The teams that participated completed a written exam that determined the team members’ broad understanding of the veterinary science field, and completed an identification round that consisted of equipment ID, parasite ID, and breed ID. Teams also participated in a math practicum that included conversions, dose calculations, dilutions, cost calculations, and invoices. The Top 10 teams then completed a team activity that consisted of completing a scenario to cure a horse of colic to determine the state winner. [Read more…]

UT solar house donated, moving Saturday to Children’s Museum

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ut-living-light-house

 

KNOXVILLE—The University of Tennessee in Knoxville is donating the Living Light House— its award-winning, solar-powered project—to the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

The Living Light House will move to its permanent home on Saturday, May 17. Starting at 7 a.m., the 750-square-foot, zero-energy structure, will be transported from the UT Gardens to the Oak Ridge museum at 461 W. Outer Drive. The move is expected to take several hours.

“The house has served as an ambassador for good design and energy efficiency,” said James Rose, UT architecture lecturer and lead faculty member of the Living Light project. “One of the most satisfying things about giving tours of the house is the response from children. Young people are always fascinated by the house and leave it excited about the future. I cannot think of a better place for the Living Light house to carry on this mission than at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.”

The Living Light House, which was built through the efforts of more than 200 UT students, was an entry to the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. It has traveled nearly 6,000 miles, been toured by more than 50,000 visitors, and was on exhibit at the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. [Read more…]

MOTH-ers Night Out at UT Arboretum on Saturday

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Tiger Moth

Tiger Moth

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will sponsor the fifth annual MOTH-ers Night Out program Saturday evening.

The program starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge

“Have you ever wondered about what kind of insects are out hunting and eating while you sleep snugly in your bed at night?” a press release said. “Come learn about these creatures with naturalist Kris Light. After an introductory program in the main office building, we will venture outdoors to check the sheets to observe the insects that have been attracted by the black lights.” [Read more…]

Education Foundation will award $80,000 in grants at Wednesday ceremony

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Oak Ridge Today

As part of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award almost $80,000 in grants to community teachers at a ceremony this Wednesday, May 21. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 3 p.m.

Longtime Oak Ridge resident and award-winning author Eva Wike will speak at the event and will be available after the ceremony to sign copies of her most recent book, “Fiddler of the Mountains—Attuned to the Life and Times of Johnny Mull.” Wike is contributing a significant portion of the sales of her book to the Education Foundation.

The grants program is a key component of the foundation’s mission to support the highest quality education for all students. [Read more…]

School budget proposals include cuts, tax hikes with varying benefits

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers presented three budget proposals for fiscal year 2015 to the school board on Wednesday. The proposals suggest that deep cuts will need to be made to attract new students, families, and staff to the district, and to keep those already here. Borchers introduced the proposals by stating that the district will be “tightening our belt.”

Students, families, and staff were the main theme of the budgets proposed on Wednesday. In fact, each was presented to show a different budget scenario that would lose, retain, or attract the group. The school board will review two budgets intended to retain and attract those groups, as well as a third expected to result in a loss of students, family, and staff. All of the budgets proposed generate revenue through expenditure cuts.

All three budget proposals suggest property tax rate increases to offset the cuts, with the rate hikes ranging from 14 to 57 cents.

With about $1.2 million in cost savings, the first proposal has the lowest budget target, and it was referred to as the “losing students-families-staff” budget. It proposed the fewest system-wide cuts, but still suggested that reductions are needed. Those expenditure cuts include increasing class sizes and reducing teaching positions and transportation services. Transportation reductions would increase the student “walk zone” to one mile and end preschool transportation altogether. This proposal would not be able to fund the district’s 1:1 device integration program.

The second budget, said to “retain students-families-staff,” is targeted to bring $3.7 million in revenue through cost savings. This budget would still make cuts to staff and transportation, but would allow the planned 1:1 device integration to begin, which would be cut from the “losing” budget. This budget allows a 2 percent wage raise system-wide, but still calls for staff reductions, including reducing the assistant principal position at Oak Ridge High School as well as extra-curricular stipends and staff development reductions. [Read more…]

Proposed budget presented to school board today

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Oak Ridge Board of Education

The Oak Ridge Board of Education and school administrators are pictured above during a meeting earlier this year. (File photo)

The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015 will be presented to the Oak Ridge Board of Education during a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. today.

The board meets in the School Administration Building at 304 New York Ave.

Here are the other budget meetings: [Read more…]

UCOR awards 33 mini-grants for local school projects

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Leo Sain at K-25

Leo Sain, president and project manager for cleanup contractor UCOR, pictured in front of part of the former K-25 Building, which is now demolished, in January 2013.

The federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge last week announced 33 winners of the UCOR Education Mini-Grant Program in East Tennessee.

One of UCOR’s primary objectives is to support and encourage education initiatives, a press release said. The Mini-Grant Program was designed to recognize and support excellence in teaching by providing funds to assist classroom teachers for specific projects or curricula, focusing primarily on science, technology, engineering, and math, the release said..

UCOR is a partnership between URS and CH2M Oak Ridge LLC.

“Our Mini-Grant Program provides a unique way for teachers to enhance their students’ educational experiences,” said Leo Sain, UCOR president and project manager. “The hands-on projects funded by our program give students a greater insight into today’s science and technology in fun and exciting ways.”

The successful teachers, schools, and proposed projects are: [Read more…]

Honors: Roane State dental hygiene students place second in state competition

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Roane State Dental Hygiene Students

Roane State dental hygiene students, from left, Bethany Brisson, Laci Carroll, and Jessica Swanger created an award-winning table display about the transfer of bacteria from parent/caregiver to child, resulting in tooth decay. (Submitted photo)

 

Three first-year Roane State Community College dental hygiene students recently won second place at the Tennessee Dental Hygiene Association, or TDHA, table clinic competition.

The students—Bethany Brisson (Maryville), Laci Carroll (Clinton), and Jessica Swanger (Kingston)—attended the TDHA’s annual conference in Franklin. Their research table clinic was about the transfer of bacteria from parent/caregiver to child, resulting in tooth decay. Their work was awarded second place in the competition.

The students competed against six other dental hygiene programs from Tennessee. [Read more…]

Student lights desk on fire; RMS bomb threat appears unfounded, ORPD says

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James T. Akagi

James T. Akagi

Note: This story was last updated at 3:58 p.m.

A 16-year-old student at the Alternative School used hand sanitizer and a lighter to ignite another student’s desktop on Wednesday, authorities said.

Students extinguished the fire, and the suspect was arrested at the Alternative School on Thursday. He was processed at the Oak Ridge Police Department on aggravated arson charges and taken to the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Facility in Knoxville, a press release said.

In a separate incident, authorities determined that a report of an alleged bomb threat at Robertsville Middle School on Monday was unfounded, and no criminal charges are expected.

The ORPD said the desk was set on fire just before dismissal at the Alternative School on Wednesday. The Alternative School is next to the Oak Ridge High School and on the same campus. Staff at the Alternative School notified School Resource Office Sherrill Selby about the incident via e-mail. [Read more…]

Urban design leader named newest UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair

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Phil Enquist

Phil Enquist

KNOXVILLE—Philip Enquist, partner in charge of urban design and planning and leader of the City Design Practice at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, has been named the 16th University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill is one of the world’s leading urban planning, architecture, and engineering firms, a press release said.

Enquist and a select research team will serve as Governor’s Chair for High Performance Energy Practices in Urban Environments and will be affiliated with and administer projects through the UT College of Architecture and Design.

The Governor’s Chair team will be a research partnership among many designers at the firm who specialize in sustainable urbanism and high-performance buildings. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill’s City Design Practice is the world’s most highly awarded urban planning group.

The contract between ORNL, UT, and the design firm is pending, the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge senior Andrew Skipper earns UT-Battelle scholarship

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Andrew Skipper and Thom Mason

Andrew Skipper, left, the 2014 UT-Battelle Scholarship winner, is congratulated by ORNL Director Thom Mason. (Submitted photo)

Andrew Skipper, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, is the recipient of the 2014 UT-Battelle Scholarship to the University of Tennessee.

The four-year, $20,000 scholarship is presented annually to a graduating senior who plans to study science, engineering, or mathematics at UT and whose mother or father works at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Andrew is the son of David and Maria Skipper. David Skipper works in ORNL’s Environmental Protection and Waste Services Division, and Maria Skipper works in ORNL’s Business Management Services Division. His grandmother, Margie Skipper, worked in ORNL’s Laboratory Protection Division for many years prior to her retirement in 1999.

Andrew’s goal at UT is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering before enrolling in graduate or medical school. [Read more…]

Roane State graduation set for May 9-10

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman.

Roane State Community College will hold commencement ceremonies on May 9-10.

Both events, to be held in the gym on the Roane County campus in Harriman, will be equal in presentation.

  • Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. (Eastern) for recipients of the Associate of Applied Science degree (A.A.S) in nursing, recipients of A.A.S. degrees in allied health sciences, and for recipients of certificates in allied health sciences.
  • Saturday, May 10, at 10 a.m. (Eastern) for recipients of Associate of Arts degrees and Associate of Science degrees, recipients of the Associate of Science in Teaching, and for recipients of A.A.S. degrees or certificates in all other fields.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker, former U.S Senator from Kansas and wife of Tennessee statesman Howard Baker Jr., will be the speaker for the Friday ceremony. Jim Henry, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, will speak at the Saturday event. [Read more…]