Oak Ridge Today



 










Sound Company has auditions on Saturday

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Children currently in first through 12th grade who enjoy music and performing are encouraged to come to the Grove Theater (High Places Community Church) in Oak Ridge to audition for Sound Company, the children’s show choir of Oak Ridge, on Saturday, October 19. Auditioners should prepare a song to perform, a press release said. You can sign up to audition and find out more at the Sound Company website, www.soundcompanytn.net.

Sound Company is comprised of approximately 100 children who come from all over East Tennessee. They present concerts featuring a wide range of music, from pop to Broadway to classical to multicultural, incorporating choreography and costumes into many of their pieces, and they have travelled regularly to Switzerland, where they have a “sister” choir, and to other places such as New York City. Sound Company is divided by age into four groups, and is led by Katy Wolfe and Terry Silver-Alford, both on staff at the University of Tennessee in the vocal music/musical theater departments and both regular performers in the area.

[Read more…]

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UT-Battelle provides scholarships for Roane State Middle College students

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ORNL UT-Battelle Roane State Middle College Scholarship

From left, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Thomas Zacharia is joined by Roane State Middle College students Layla Malenovsky of Kingston and Anthony Ciccarelli of Kingston, along with Roane State President Chris Whaley, for the presentation of the $34,000 UT-Battelle Scholarship for Roane State Middle College students. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

Twelve Roane County students participating in Roane State Community College’s Middle College have received $34,000 in annual scholarships thanks to UT-Battelle, a press release said. The scholarships were made possible through a gift to the Roane State Foundation.

Roane State’s Middle College program allows high school students to take college classes in their junior and senior years and then graduate with their associate degrees and their diplomas. Middle College graduates are then able to complete their bachelor’s degrees just two years after finishing high school.

Middle College students pay for tuition through a combination of out-of-pocket funds, use of state grants, and other private scholarships, the press release said. The UT-Battelle Scholarship was established in fall 2015, and it is awarded to Middle College students from Roane County. The scholarship is administered by the Roane State Foundation. [Read more…]

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TSBA recognizes Tara Kneiser, Laura McLean

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Pictured above are Oak Ridge Board of Education members Ben Stephens, left; Keys Fillauer, second from left; Laura McLean, third from right; Angi Agle, second from right; Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, right; and Tara Kneiser. (Photo submitted by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

The Oak Ridge Board of Education recently nominated Tara Kneiser to qualify as the Tennessee School Board Association Volunteer of the Year. In the first round of qualification, Kneiser earned the East District School Volunteer of the Year award. She now is one of nine volunteers from across the state who qualifies to become the State School Volunteer of the Year. This state-level award will be presented to one of the nine finalists at the TSBA Convention in November, a press release said. [Read more…]

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Small business donates $10,000 for new Center for Math & Science at Pellissippi State

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GEM Check Presentation

Romaine Evans, GEM vice president; Michael Evans, GEM president/CEO; Ryan Overton, GEM vice president; Anthony Wise, Pellissippi State president. Left to right, back row: Susanna Waters, GEM business development manager; Esam Abid, GEM employee and current student at Pellissippi; and Ben Jerrell, GEM chief financial officer. (Submitted photo)

 

GEM Technologies has donated $10,000 to the Pellissippi State Community College Foundation to support the construction of the new Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science, a press release said.

Pellissippi State is Tennessee’s largest community college, and the 82,000-foot Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science will play an integral part in meeting the increasing demand for lab spaces and classrooms on Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus, which has the largest enrollment of the college’s five campuses, the press release said.

“As a long-time neighbor to Pellissippi State’s Hardin Valley Campus, GEM is thrilled to partner with the college as they continue their excellent work educating the students of the community,” said GEM President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Evans after presenting GEM’s contribution to Pellissippi State President L. Anthony Wise Jr. on September 13. [Read more…]

ORAU sponsors U.S. student researchers to attend Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany

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Part of the ORAU campus in central Oak Ridge is pictured above on May 29, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

ORAU will again sponsor young researchers in the fields of mathematics and computer science to attend the Seventh Heidelberg Laureate Forum from September 22-27 in Heidelberg, Germany.

The Heidelberg Laureate Forum is a gathering of laureates of some of the most prestigious prizes in mathematics and computer science, namely the Abel Prize and Fields Medal as well as the Turing Award and Nevanlinna Prize. Held annually for a week in Heidelberg, Germany, the Heidelberg Laureate Forum brings these laureates at the apex of their careers together with 200 high-achieving graduate student and postdoctoral counterparts from around the world, a press release said.

The forum gives early career researchers an opportunity for interaction that is typically not available within the normal university environment or in their home university department, whereby the laureates provided formal plenary lectures and led small group discussions with topics driven by a combination of prepared presentations by the laureates as well as student questions, the press release said. [Read more…]

Raider Pantry now open at Roane State’s main campus in Harriman

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raider_pantry roane state

Retired Roane State dean of students Brenda Rector cuts the ribbon for the new Raider Pantry at the college’s main campus in Harriman. From left are Roane State president Chris Whaley; Mid-East Community Action Agency Executive Director Jerry Johnson; Brenda Rector; Kristie Hopwood, agency relations and school pantry program coordinator with Second Harvest Food Bank; Kroger assistant store manager Fred Kleimola; and Kroger corporate affairs manager Melissa Eads. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The new Raider Pantry is fully stocked and open for business, ready to provide everything from snacks to the makings of nutritious meals for Roane State Community College students and their families.

A ribbon-cutting in August formally opened the newest effort by the community college to address the vexing problem of food insecurity, which affects a staggering number of college students nationwide.

“At least 40 percent of students in higher education suffer from some form of food insecurity,” Roane State President Chris Whaley said during the grand opening at the main campus in Harriman. “That’s appalling.”

The launch of the Raider Pantry in a small space just inside the Roane State gymnasium on the Roane County campus continues the college’s efforts to address food insecurity. Snacks are offered at campus locations, and three campuses (Roane, Oak Ridge, and Cumberland) offer dedicated rooms for food pantries. [Read more…]

Roane State hosts specialized training for Y-12 employees

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PETE_training roane state

Industrial hygiene processes was one of the topics covered as part of a training partnership between Roane State and Y-12. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Longstanding and varied partnerships between Roane State Community College and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge entered a new phase this summer, and it may lead to a five-year funding opportunity for the community college.

Using an initial $41,000 in funding from the National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE), Roane State has been hosting and coordinating specialized training for non-bargaining unit workers at Y-12. The funding from PETE came from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/Department of Energy (NIEHS/DOE) Nuclear Worker Training Program, which provides hazardous-related health and safety training to DOE workers and contractors.

PETE is a nonprofit formed to support training programs at community and technical colleges. [Read more…]

Children’s Museum benefit to feature anthropologist Bill Bass, radio’s Frank Murphy

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Frank-Murphy-Dr.-Bill-Bass

Frank Murphy, left, and Dr. Bill Bass will appear together at a fundraiser on Sept. 28, 2019, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

Dr. William “Bill” Bass, founder of the “Body Farm” at the University of Tennessee, and radio personality Frank Murphy have appeared together many times since Murphy began interviewing the renowned forensic anthropologist each time a new Jefferson Bass novel was published.

“I’ve worked on four different radio stations in Knoxville and have interviewed him on all four,” said Murphy, afternoon show host on Classic Hits 93.1 WNOX.

Bass and Murphy will appear together again on Saturday, September 28, at the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge as Bass discusses the science behind the Jefferson Bass novel “Bones of Betrayal,” a collaboration between Bass and co-author Jon Jefferson. Set in Oak Ridge, the novel explores the murder of a physicist, involved in the Manhattan Project race to build the bomb, whose body is discovered in a frozen swimming pool.

Bass will speak at 7 p.m., and Murphy will emcee the benefit presentation hosted by the Children’s Museum at 461 West Outer Drive. An earlier VIP reception begins at 5:45 p.m. Food may be purchased from Lanai Food Truck and Razzleberry’s Café, and beverages, including beer, wine, water, and soda, may also be purchased. Doors open at 5:30pm. [Read more…]

State Building Commission approves design of TCAT campus in Anderson County

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An image shows what the Tennessee College of Applied Technology could look like in Anderson County. (Image courtesy state of Tennessee)

The Tennessee State Building Commission in Nashville on Thursday approved the early design phase of the new TCAT Knoxville Higher Education Center in Anderson County, a press release said.

The 47,603 square-foot technology training facility will be located in the city of Clinton. It will be a shared-use building for TCAT Knoxville and Roane State Community College dedicated to training students for the modern workforce, the press release said.

TCAT is the Tennessee College of Applied Technology.

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican, presided over the State Building Commission meeting approving the design and was integral in getting the project approved, the press release said.

[Read more…]

ORAU awards $20,000 in education grants to 26 local teachers

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ORAU Grant Awards Ceremony Sept 10 2019

More than 25 teachers from Anderson County schools received new teaching materials and supplies at ORAU’s Education Grants program on Sept. 10, 2019, walking away with a total of $20,000 in grant funds. (Photo by ORAU)

 

More than 25 teachers from Anderson County schools received new teaching materials and supplies at ORAU’s Education Grants program on Sept. 10, walking away with a total of $20,000 in grant funds.

Now in the program’s 18th year, ORAU has awarded more than half a million dollars to Clinton City, Oak Ridge, and Anderson County Schools in its mission to enrich science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

And each year, teachers find more creative ways to incorporate STEM learning into their classrooms, a press release said. [Read more…]

Roane State to celebrate 20 years in Oak Ridge on Sept. 10

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Roane State Community College Oak Ridge Campus

Roane State Community College is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Oak Ridge campus with a breakfast and open house on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, and the public is invited. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Roane State Community College is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Oak Ridge campus with a breakfast and open house on Tuesday, September 10, and the public is invited.

The open house breakfast will be from 7:30-9 a.m. September 10 in the lobby and City Room of the Coffey/McNally Building at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The 120,000-square-foot Coffey/McNally building was dedicated on August. 13, 1999, a press release said. It’s named for Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and former Tennessee Representative David Coffey in recognition of their contributions and leadership in the campaign for the permanent Oak Ridge campus, the press release said. The building has a library, bookstore, classrooms, office space, art laboratory, and a music lab. [Read more…]

School board approves change in residency requirement

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The Oak Ridge Board of Education on Monday approved, in the first of two votes, a policy change that would require the superintendent and principals to live in Oak Ridge.

Assistant principals, the executive director of school leadership, and the executive director of teaching and learning would be required to live in Oak Ridge if they are relocating to the region after being hired by Oak Ridge Schools. This would not apply to new administrators in those positions who already live in adjacent counties, such as Knox County.

The policy change would reduce the number of administrative positions with a residency requirement. The current policy requires the superintendent, executive director of school leadership, executive director of teaching and learning, director of pupil services, principals, and assistant principals to live in Oak Ridge “to be thoroughly familiar with the community and to be available beyond the regular day.”

But the current policy is suspected of reducing the number of candidates who apply for jobs at Oak Ridge Schools, according to administrators.

[Read more…]

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