Education Archives - Page 2 of 152

One challenger for City Council, none for school board

Posted at 7:52 pm August 17, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The deadline for candidates to qualify for the November 6 municipal elections was noon Thursday, and four Oak Ridge City Council incumbents have one challenger while there are three candidates for three school board seats.

Besides the four seats now held by incumbents, the November election will include the selection of an additional member of Oak Ridge City Council to fill the rest of the term of Hans Vogel, who was elected to a four-year term in November 2016 but resigned in June to take a new job at Idaho National Laboratory. Only one candidate, Derrick Hammond, has qualified as a candidate in that special election. Hammond was unanimously appointed to the seat by City Council in July to fill the seat through the November election. After his unopposed November election, Hammond will serve the last two years of Vogel’s unexpired term.

Also on the ballot in November are city council and school board seats in Clinton, Norris, Oliver Springs, and Rocky Top. That’s in addition to the state and federal elections for Tennessee governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, and Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representatives.

The four incumbents on the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council who are up for election in November all qualified as candidates by Thursday’s deadline. They are Kelly Callison, R.G. “Rick” Chinn Jr., Warren Gooch, and Ellen D. Smith. The four incumbents last had an election in November 2014. [Read more…]

Marshall resigns from school board

Posted at 11:46 am August 17, 2018
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Paige Marshall

Oak Ridge Board of Education member Paige Marshall resigned from the school board on Thursday.

Marshall and her family are moving to North Carolina for a new job, BOE Chair Keys Fillauer said Friday.

In her resignation letter on Thursday, Marshall expressed sadness and deep appreciation.

“I am sad to leave a wonderful school district in Oak Ridge and the wonderful people on the Board of Education as well as our wonderful Oak Ridge Schools staff and students,” Marshall said. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve our community. I wish you all the best as you and the rest of the board work to keep the Oak Ridge Schools the finest in the state.”

Elected in November 2014, Marshall’s four-year term expires this November, when there are three open seats on the five-member school board. [Read more…]

Nurse to discuss mental health issues among school-age children

Posted at 1:22 am August 4, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A registered nurse who works for Anderson County Schools will discuss mental health issues among school-age children in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The talk is hosted by the Grace Lutheran Mental Health Ministry. It’s title “Mental Health: Back to School Basics,” a free community program scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, August 4, in the church’s fellowship hall.

Kim Guinn, a registered nurse and director of the Project AWARE Initiative for Anderson County Schools, will discuss the current prevalence and status of mental health issues among school-age children and the correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems, a press release said. [Read more…]

Sample ballot for August 2 county election, state & federal primaries

Posted at 11:05 am August 2, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Here is the sample ballot for the August 2 general election in Anderson County. There are also write-in candidates who have been campaigning for some of these offices, although they don’t appear on the ballot.

The county general election includes selections for mayor, sheriff, county commission, trustee, circuit court clerk, county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, and school board, among other positions. Some of the candidates have no opposition. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge names new Wildcats baseball coach

Posted at 4:10 am August 1, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

A new baseball coach, Travis Free, has been named for the Oak Ridge Wildcats.

Oak Ridge High School announced the new coach this week.

Besides coaching, Free will be an eighth-grade math teacher at Robertsville Middle School. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge police kick off new school year with Operation Safe Start

Posted at 1:20 pm July 26, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

An Oak Ridge Police Department school zone patrol is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A new school year will start next week, and the Oak Ridge Police Department will help to make sure students and families stay safe with Operation Safe Start beginning Monday, July 30, the first day of school, a press release said.

“The effort steps up police patrols to increase awareness of school zones and ensure drivers are following the law,” the press release said. “Residents will likely notice additional police vehicles and officers in school zones across the city.”

The press release said officers will be on the lookout for drivers who exceed posted speed limits, ignore school bus stop signs, and fail to yield for pedestrians. ORPD will also be enforcing seat belt, child passenger restraint, and distracted driving laws, including the new state law requiring the use of hands free devices in active school zones, the press release said. [Read more…]

ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia to present community lecture Thursday

Posted at 8:51 pm July 25, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will give a community lecture on Thursday. It’s the 21st season of the Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series.

Besides being ORNL director, Zacharia is also president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle LLC, which operates ORNL for the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

On Thursday, Zacharia will talk about the scientific agenda at ORNL in a presentation titled “Science and the State of the Lab,” a press release said. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of ORNL (FORNL) and the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF). It is free of charge, and it will be held at the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the auditorium lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium, the press release said.

“The talk will be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School freshman orientation, new student orientation

Posted at 12:18 am July 24, 2018
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School freshman orientation is Thursday, July 26. It’s scheduled from 8-11:45 a.m.

Students will pick up their schedules and badges in the food court and then make their way to the Auditorium, a press release said.

There will be a welcome session in the auditorium that will last about 30 minutes. Then students will be following their entire schedule (except lunch). They will stay in each class for 10 minutes, and they will be able to meet their teachers, learn their way around, and see who is in their classes, the press release said.

After orientation is over, students will follow instructions to pick up their laptops and have their school pictures taken, the release said. Parents are welcome to attend. While the students are going through their classes, parents will be attending informational sessions.

This press release was submitted by Holly Cross.

Grant to fund scholarships for high school students to take mechatronics at Roane State

Posted at 2:27 pm July 23, 2018
By Owen Driskill Leave a Comment

Roane State Community College has been awarded a $250,000 grant that will fund scholarships for high school students to complete Roane State mechatronics courses.

The scholarships will pay for tuition, all fees, all books, all supplies, a specialized mechatronics toolkit, and transportation costs, a press release said. Approximately 30 students will be selected for the scholarships, which will be awarded beginning with the fall 2018 semester for the 2018-19 academic year. The grant was awarded by the Community College System of Tennessee.

Roane State offers a one-year certificate and two-year associate degree in mechatronics, and courses are offered at the college’s Higher Education and Workforce Training Facility in Clinton. Mechatronics students learn how to troubleshoot and repair modern automated production equipment, and elective classes include robotics, the press release said. [Read more…]

Clinton Public Library hosts Bookaroo for summer reading finale

Posted at 12:11 pm July 7, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinton Public Library

The Clinton Public Library will host Bookaroo, a unique music festival finale with fun for all ages, for its summer reading finale, a press release said.

Bookaroo will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 20.

“Join us as we celebrate with a music festival-themed summer reading finale!” the press release said. “We will be doing rockstar makeovers complete with a photo opportunity to show off your new style. There will also be games, water activities, face painting, cotton candy, and more! We have fun for the whole family as we finish our summer reading with a rocking evening.”

Prizes will be given out from the finale through August 3, the press release said. Stop by the library with your completed reading log to claim your prize. [Read more…]

Roane State offers training to become a chemical operator

Posted at 1:09 pm July 4, 2018
By Owen Driskill Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy Roane State Community College

Submitted

A new Roane State curriculum that trains people to become chemical operators will begin in the fall semester, said Markus Pomper, dean of the college’s Division of Mathematics and Sciences.

A chemical operator monitors, controls, and troubleshoots automated chemical processes. The work environment can range from processing uranium at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge to making bulk food products, such as high-fructose corn syrup.

The operator monitors data and remotely adjusts controls as needed to ensure chemical processes operate properly. If equipment breaks down, the operator also maintains and repairs valves, pumps, regulators, and sensors. [Read more…]

Golf tournament raises funds for new Roane State golf teams

Posted at 12:42 pm July 4, 2018
By Owen Driskill Leave a Comment

From left to right are Roane State alumni who were members of the original golf team at the community college: Chris Griffin, Eddie Evans, Bobby Tipton (in back), Tom Flynn, former Roane State Golf Coach Eddie Liskovec, Mike Emery, John Thomas, Mike Fuller, and Randy Button. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

A recent golf tournament at Oak Ridge Country Club raised funds to support a revived men’s golf team at Roane State Community College along with the startup of a women’s squad.

Proceeds from this year’s tournament will help in the purchase of equipment and supplies for the teams, and plans are in the works for future tournaments to support the teams, said Coach Chris Griffin, who is spearheading the effort.

Griffin and a special committee of staff and alumni, in partnership with the Roane State Foundation, organized the tournament, which also included a silent auction of items, events, and trips.

Contributions were received by the Roane State Foundation to support the effort, said Scott Niermann, executive director. The foundation is a not-for-profit entity that provides financial support for the college’s students and programs. [Read more…]

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