Oak Ridge Today

Roane State Education Department to host open houses

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The Roane State Community College Education Department will host open houses for anyone interested in becoming a K-12 teacher.

An open house at the college’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue will be held on Thursday, April 20, at 6 p.m. The event will be held in Room 336 in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building.

An open house at the college’s Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman, will be held on Thursday, April 27, at 6 p.m. Visitors will meet in Room 224 in the O’Brien Humanities Building. [Read more…]

Regional symposium for community college leaders, educators

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The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges, and the Appalachian Regional Commission will co-sponsor a regional symposium for community college leaders and educators in Appalachia who are interested in enhancing economic growth in their areas.

The summit, “Leveraging Assets in Your Local Community to Promote Economic Development,” will be held March 30-31 at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville.

The keynote speaker for the event is Randy Boyd, former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College, and Anthony Wise, president of Pellissippi State Community College, are among those scheduled to present at the symposium. [Read more…]

Opinion: How far can we move the needle?

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Ron Woody

By Ron Woody

The buzz around the Roane County Courthouse and School Board has been what will our leaders do about the future of education in Roane County? The initial discussions were about consolidation of high schools with an acceptable debate change to: What should the delivery of future education services look like? I applaud both the School Board, the County Commission, and the public for focusing the discussion on the future of education and not on consolidation.

So, here we are in 2017 having a discussion that we should have had in the late ’80s and early ’90s. What does education look like today? What should it look like the next 15 to 20 years? Two important meetings have taken place within the last eight months in order to answer these questions. Excerpts of these meetings can be found on http://www.roaneschools.com under district, then High School visioning process. Please take the time to read through these meeting notes to help arrive at your own conclusions. Here are a few of my conclusions from attending the meetings and reviewing the minutes. Roane County should work to:

  1. expose students to more career opportunities,
  2. expand the mentoring programs, and
  3. expand vocational class opportunities.

[Read more…]

Astronomy club meeting Wednesday features ORNL engineer, citizen science, radio astronomy

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Bogdan Vacaliuc

Bogdan Vacaliuc

 

The Wednesday meeting of ORION, an amateur science and astronomy club based in Oak Ridge, will feature Bogdan Vacaliuc of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and a discussion of citizen science and radio astronomy.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 16, at the historic Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge.

ORION was founded in April 1974 by a group of scientists at the United States Department of Energy facility in Oak Ridge. Its purpose is to promote learning and inquiry throughout the cities of Oak Ridge and Knoxville, and the counties of Anderson, Knox, and Roane, a press release said.

The group meets monthly at the Grove Theater at 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month, starting with coffee and conversation with the program beginning 15 minutes thereafter. For directions, please visit the website at www.orioninc.org. Programs are free and open to the public. [Read more…]

High school students begin new automotive repair class

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orhs-auto-shop-1

A new course, Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair, started this fall at Oak Ridge High School as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE) program. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Submitted by Sarah Self/City of Oak Ridge

Students at Oak Ridge High School now have an opportunity to learn the skills they need to begin yet another high-demand, high-wage occupation after graduating.

The newest course, Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair, started with the 2016 fall semester as part of Oak Ridge Schools’ College, Career, and Technical Education, or CCTE, program. The class currently has 14 students enrolled for a fall and spring session.

Upon completing two full years of the class, each student will have worked with engine systems, transmissions, suspensions, steering, brakes, electrical, and HVAC. Students earn a full year’s worth of credit hours in one semester. The credits are recognized by the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) as part of a dual enrollment program and will count toward further certifications with TCAT. Students can also obtain some Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications while still in high school. [Read more…]

Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus to host fair for adults who want to go back to college

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Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host an information fair for adults who want to go back to college.

The Adult Information Fair will be held on Thursday, July 21, from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue. The fair is free and open to the public. [Read more…]

Layton named vice principal at Jefferson Middle starting in 2016-17

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Chris Layton

Chris Layton

Note: This story was updated at 1:15 a.m.

Chris Layton, a world history teacher at Jefferson Middle School, has been named vice principal for the school year starting this fall.

Layton is a former Jefferson student (1992-1994) and a graduate of Oak Ridge High School (1998). After graduation, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Maryville College, majoring in education and political science and minoring in business. He earned his master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from the University of Tennessee.

Layton began his teaching career at Oak Ridge High School in 2003 as a civics teacher. From 2006-2009, he worked at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, where he taught world history, U.S. history, and U.S. government. He worked outside of education as a director of marketing for a construction firm in Nashville specializing in government contracting. [Read more…]

BOE vice chair to discuss education in Oak Ridge on Tuesday

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Bob Eby

Bob Eby

Robert Eby, vice chair of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, will discuss education in Oak Ridge at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, December 1.

Lunch with the League starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Eby is currently serving his fourth term on the board. He was chairman from 1991-1995. He is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School. [Read more…]

Education: A path out of poverty

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Chris Whaley

Chris Whaley

“Education: A Path out of Poverty,” will be the theme of an interfaith luncheon at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge at noon on June 5. Chris Whaley, president of Roane State Community College, will be the guest speaker.

The cost of the noon luncheon is $5, payable at the door. The luncheon is open to the public.

Admission to the talk is free. To make a reservation, call the church office at (865) 482-1318 or send an email to [email protected].

In the international development community, it is well-known that education is one of the most effective ways to improve the economic growth and potential of a country, a press release said. UNESCO reports that an additional year of schooling will raise income by 10 percent. [Read more…]

Registration for Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit closes Monday

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Includes discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge

Registration for the annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit closes Monday. The summit will include a discussion of federal missions in Oak Ridge.

Organizers expect more than 300 national and regionals leaders at the 20th Annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit. It’s being held at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City on May 27-28. The Summit will be at the D.P. Culp University Center at ETSU.

“Hundreds of regional leaders will gather in Johnson City to focus on education from the business and industry perspective at the 20th annual Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit,” a press release said. “The sessions at the two-day event will focus on how to ensure tomorrow’s workforce has the skills they need to find quality jobs at home and how the region’s educational institutions can partner with businesses and organizations for better success.” [Read more…]

20th Anniversary Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit at ETSU May 27-28

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Tennessee Valley Corridor Logo

Submitted

The Tennessee Valley Corridor will hold its 20th Annual TVC National Summit in Johnson City at East Tennessee State University on May 27-28.

The Summit will be hosted by ETSU President Brian Noland, in cooperation with Congressman Phil Roe, with the theme “Education Fuels the TVC Economy.”

“From our region’s community colleges to our outstanding four-year universities, the Corridor has a strong foundation to prepare the next generation of the workforce,” Roe said. “As co-chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Caucus, I look forward to sharing some of the work that is ongoing in Congress. The Summit will look at education from the business and industry perspective and discuss how to ensure the workforce has the skills they need to find quality jobs at home, and how our educational institutions can partner with businesses and organizations for better success, which is critical for us all to learn about.” [Read more…]

Guest column: What do ‘vouchers’ mean to Tennessee taxpayers?

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By Tammy Grissom

A school voucher is a publicly funded credit or certificate whereby a student may be enrolled in a private school and apply the credit to tuition.

So, why should Tennessee taxpayers care?

  1. Vouchers use your money to help pay for a student to go to a private school that answers to private administrators and not you, the taxpayer. Public schools must answer to the people and are held accountable for the use of local, state, and federal educational tax money.
  2. Article XI, Section 12 of the Tennessee Constitution specifically states, “The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance, support, and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools.” Nowhere in our Constitution is the General Assembly directed to take taxpayer money and use it for a voucher system so parents can use public money to send their children to private schools.
  3. Private schools are not public institutions, and without proper oversight, the “qualifications and standards” for students may fall short of expectations and undermine the fundamental idea of equality in education.  Vouchers require the public to supplement these standards even if they are contrary to state and federal education law.
  4. Vouchers force the public to support two drastically different educational systems, one over which the public has no oversight.

[Read more…]