Oak Ridge Today

Campaign finance laws, U.S. politics to be discussed Tuesday

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Jon Shefner

Jon Shefner

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss campaign finance laws and U.S. politics during Lunch with the League on Tuesday.

Jon Shefner is professor and head of the Sociology Department at the University of Tennessee. He will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League at noon Tuesday. The meeting will be held in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.

“The ties between economic interests and political power are repeated throughout American history,” a press release said. [Read more…]

AMSE calendar of events for May

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The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

The American Museum of Science and Energy on South Tulane Avenue in Oak Ridge is pictured above.

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Here is a calendar of events for the American Museum of Science and Energy in May:

  • May 1–31: Registration Open for AMSE Science Explorer Camp for rising 5th graders (must be 10 years old by June 1, 2014) 6th graders and 7th graders. Two identical one-week sessions are offered June 9-13 and June 16–20 from 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. (Monday–Friday) at historic Freels Bend Cabin in Oak Ridge. Campers will do field explorations and hands-on activities related to land and water habitats, life sciences, geology, weather, flight, forensic science, and electricity. The week includes a tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and special presentations by ORNL researchers. Cost is $150 for AMSE members, and $175 for non-members. AMSE Science Explorer Camp is sponsored by the AMSE Foundation. Find Camp Registration form online at http://amse.org/visitors/summercamps/ or stop by AMSE to get a form. [Read more…]

Riley, 5, loves princesses but battles brain tumor

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Riley Mozingo

Five-year-old Riley Mozingo was diagnosed with brain cancer May 10, 2010. A princess-themed carnival was held Friday at Lake City Elementary School in her honor. All proceeds from the carnival will help fund her bedroom renovation. (Photos by Sara Wise)

LAKE CITY—“Come on, let’s go,” shouts Riley Mozingo as she drags her good friend, Anderson County Schools junior Emilee Hooks, toward the bounce house outside Lake City Elementary School.

Riley is a typical five-year-old. She loves princesses—especially The Little Mermaid, Ariel—and has big dreams to become a doctor when she grows up. But one thing sets Riley apart: she was diagnosed with astrocytoma grade 3.

She has had eight procedures since she was diagnosed with the brain tumor on May 14, 2010, and has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Now, she has to attend physical therapy sessions because she has trouble with her left side. Her tumor hasn’t shrunk—it actually got bigger during chemo—but it’s stayed about the same size with radiation.

Riley Mozingo and Little Mermaid

Riley admires a Little Mermaid-themed game during the carnival.

But it’s not all bad for Riley. She’s about to have her bedroom renovated by Special Spaces of Knoxville. The nonprofit organization renovates rooms for sick children all across the country, especially those with life-threatening illnesses. Riley is getting a princess-themed room.

Melanie Lamberson of Special Spaces said that once she heard about a five-year-old with cancer, she knew she had to help. [Read more…]

Student at UT’s Bredesen Center wins $50,000 ORNL prize

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Andrew Lepore Big Idea ORNL Check

Bredesen Center student Andrew Lepore stands with the $50,000 check he won as part of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Next Big Idea competition. (Photo courtesy University of Tennessee)

KNOXVILLE—With the first set of Bredesen Center graduates at the University of Tennessee set to receive their doctorates next week, students who will be in the next wave of graduates are already finding success.

Andrew Lepore, working out of the Materials Science and Technology Division through the center, recently won a prestigious Oak Ridge National Laboratory-related prize at the Next Big Idea competition. Lepore is on track to receive his doctorate in 2016.

“For him to go in there against some more seasoned researchers, against students who are further along, and come out with one of the three awards speaks highly of him and of the quality of students we have here,” said Bredesen Center Director Lee Riedinger. [Read more…]

Roane State Concert Choir earns honor in international competition

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Roane State Concert Choir

The Roane State Concert Choir won a silver award at the Canta en Primavera festival in Malaga, Spain. From left are music director Geol Greenlee, students Amanda Cole, Kela Oberloh, Amber Delk, Mason Van Horn, Paul Davis, Jeremiah Jacks, Eddie Rivera, Amanda Holly, Trisha Davidson, Judy Rivera, and Ashley Sherrill, and choral director Brenda Luggie. (Submitted photo)

 

Roane State Community College’s Concert Choir won a silver award at an international choral festival held in Malaga, Spain.

The choir traveled to Malaga, a seaport on the Andalusian coast of southern Spain, last month during spring break. Under the direction of Brenda Luggie and accompanied by Geol Greenlee, the 11-member choir performed in the Canta en Primavera (Sing in Spring) festival.

“The group was the only ensemble from the U.S., and in their first international competition, scored silver (level 9), less than two points from the winner’s score,” Luggie said. “Their success is not just a feather in their caps, but a memory they will cherish for the rest of their lives.” [Read more…]

Honors: Norwood Elementary Classworks All-Stars

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Norwood Elementary Classworks All-Stars

Pictured above are Norwood Elementary School students Ronnie Rigney, Kristin Lindsay, Landan Lowery, and Jason Bolden. (Submitted photo)

 

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Congratulations to Norwood Elementary School students Ronnie Rigney, Kristin Lindsay, Landan Lowery, and Jason Bolden. They have been selected as Classworks All-Stars. This honor is only given to 500 students nationwide. This award is for math and reading achievement on the Classworks program sponsored by Anderson County Schools.

Anderson County school officials revoke rejection of Oak Ridge Head Start application

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Anderson County Board of Education

Members of the Anderson County Board of Education pictured above are, from left, Steve Fritts and Scott Gillenwaters, Schools Director Larry Foster, Board Chair John Burrell, Vice Chair Greg Crawford, and member Dail Cantrell.

 

CLINTON—Anderson County school officials have revoked a decision that could have resulted in the loss of about $700,000 in funding for the Head Start program in Oak Ridge in the next school year.

The Anderson County Board of Education rejected Oak Ridge’s Head Start application on April 10 over concerns about the falsification of federal data, specifically reports on the motor skills of children.

But since then, officials from Anderson County and Oak Ridge schools have met and hammered out a 10-point plan that could be put into place for the 2014-2015 school year. The agreement would allow Oak Ridge to continue to receive funding for the city’s Head Start program through Anderson County.

The agreement between the two systems, which would have the city and county work together to hire a new preschool principal or director in Oak Ridge, was considered during a brief special meeting of the Anderson County Board of Education in Clinton on Tuesday. The board unanimously agreed to rescind their April 10 rejection and accept Oak Ridge’s proposal. [Read more…]

School board approves balanced calendar

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Oak Ridge Board of Education

The Oak Ridge Board of Education and school administrators are pictured above during a recent meeting.

Note: This story was last updated at 11:30 p.m.

The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday approved a new balanced calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. The balanced calendar, which is different than the traditional school calendar, gives students about nine weeks of classroom instruction at a time. This will be the first time that Oak Ridge has had a balanced calendar.

The school board approved the change in a 4-1 vote on Monday. Board member Jenny Richter was opposed.

A separate motion to outsource substitute teachers died with little discussion.

The vote on the balanced calendar came after input from three community members who were opposed to the change from the traditional calendar, which is now being used at most Oak Ridge schools. The board discussed the calendars for nearly an hour before the vote. [Read more…]

ORHS again ranked sixth-best in state

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is pictured above.

Oak Ridge High School has again been ranked sixth in Tennessee in an annual ranking of the best high schools in the state.

The ranking by U.S. News and World Report said ORHS is among the Top 1,000 high schools in the nation, ranking No. 894.

At 13:1, Oak Ridge High School has a smaller-than-average student-to-teacher ratio, and it is above the state average in college readiness and student proficiency in algebra and English. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots receive Excellence in Engineering award at robotics championship

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FIRST Robotics Luke Buckner, Mark Buckner, and Tag Groff

Luke Buckner, Mark Buckner, and Tag Groff in the drivers’ station at the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in St. Louis this past weekend. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots team received an Excellence in Engineering award at the FIRST Robotics World Championships in St. Louis this past weekend, Oak Ridge school officials said Monday.

“The Wildbots competed in the Archimedes Division, and after 10 tough qualification matches, earned their way into the Elimination Tournament by defeating the top-ranked team in the division in the final qualification match,” according to information from Gordon F. Williams, engineering instructor, Oak Ridge High School Engineering and Robotics Academy, and FIRST Robotics Team 4265 coach and sponsor.

Williams said the Secret City Wildbots, Team 4265, formed an alliance team consisting of Team 20, The Rocketeers (from Clifton Park, N.Y.); Team 195, The Cyber Knights (from Southington, Conn.); and Team 4077, MASH (from Edmonds, Wash.) that was eliminated in the quarterfinals round. [Read more…]

Secret City Wildbots make robotics quarterfinals, but not semifinals

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Secret City Wildbots Lisa Buckner

The Secret City Wildbots survived the qualification rounds 6-4-0 and were selected to join alliance #6, advancing to the elimination rounds. Team 4265 representative Sydney Buckner, pictured, accepts the invitation from the alliance captain, Team 4077. (Photo by Angi Agle)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:41 p.m.

The Secret City Wildbots survived the qualification rounds 6-4-0 in the in the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in St. Louis, Mo., this week and advanced to the elimination rounds.

Saturday evening update: The Secret City Wildbots made it as far as the quarterfinals, but did not advance to the semifinals.

See previous photos and video here.

Photos, video: Secret City Wildbots at FIRST Robotics Competition

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Secret City Wildbots Robot

The robot is double-loaded for autonomous mode (first 10 seconds of the match). In autonomous mode, each robot is given one ball. However, if one team on the alliance believes that another team’s robot is a more capable shooter, it can relinquish its ball to the more capable teammate. (Photos by Angi Agle)

 

The Secret City Wildbots were 5-4 in the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship in St. Louis on Friday night, with one qualifying round remaining this morning (Saturday morning). Here are pictures and video sent by Angi Agle from the Aerial Assist competition on Friday. [Read more…]