Oak Ridge Today

Hackworth running for Anderson County mayor

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Jim Hackworth

Jim Hackworth

CLINTON—Former Anderson County Commissioner and Tennessee Rep. Jim Hackworth announced last week that he is a Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor in the Aug. 7 county general election.

“I am running for county mayor because I am concerned with the lack of focus the current administration has for the issues, such as education, jobs, and quality of life, that are important to Anderson County residents,” Hackworth said in a press release. “Whether serving as a county commissioner or a state representative, I worked with other elected officials to fight for fiscal responsibility, good schools, reduced taxes, and safer neighborhoods and communities.Our management of these issues attracted the attention of businesses and brought new jobs to Anderson County.”

Hackworth is an Anderson County native who worked 34 years at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as a project leader and program manager in the Maintenance and Engineering divisions. He retired in 2008.

Hackworth served as a state representative for 10 years and as a county commissioner for eight years. [Read more…]

Letter: Chamber endorses tablets for all students, tech infrastructure improvements

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Note: This is a copy of a resolution adopted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

Whereas, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a long-standing tradition of supporting education in our community as education and training are critical in the development of the workforce;

Whereas, Oak Ridge Schools is an internationally recognized system of excellence;

Whereas, the educational opportunities, rigor, and performance provided by Oak Ridge Schools have been, and continue to be, the key attraction for new residents to our community; [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation names new director

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation Jenna Whitney and Lila Metcalf

Lila Metcalf, left, former director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, welcomes the new foundation director, Jenna Whitney. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation has named a new director.

Jenna Whitney started Jan. 1, the foundation’s board of directors announced this week. Whitney has more than 15 years of general management experience in the professional services industry and the U.S. government.

Whitney replaces the foundation’s first director, Lila Metcalf, who has announced that she is leaving the position after almost 10 years with the foundation. She will return full-time to her nursing career.

Whitney recently served as a program manager at a defense contracting firm with oversight of more than $59 million in U.S. government contracts, and she has directed a portfolio of engineering and technical support contracts, a press release said. She has worked overseas for the U.S. State Department, managing financial operations and leading strategic and technical initiatives. [Read more…]

Yager presents Brown-Forman donation to Roane Alliance’s Education Matters!

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Brown-Forman Donation to Roane Alliance Education Matters

Tennessee Sen. Ken Yager, center, presents a donation from Brown-Forman to the Roane Alliance’s Education Matters. Also pictured are Rep. Kent Calfee, left, and Allen Lutz of The Roane Alliance. (Submitted photo)

Tennessee Sen. Ken Yager on Thursday announced a new partner for the continued funding of The Roane Alliance’s award-winning Education Matters! program. Yager presented a $5,000 check at the beginning of the Roane County Chamber of Commerce regular monthly board meeting.

Yager presented the check to Allen Lutz, education and workforce development specialist for the Roane Alliance, on behalf of Brown-Forman—the global, multi-billion dollar company that produces and markets Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey.

The Brown-Forman donation comes on the heels of the Alliance’s Education Matters! program receiving an international economic development award earlier this month. The Roane County program won a Gold Award for Excellence in Economic Development (category 25,000-200,000 population) from the International Economic Development Council at their annual conference in Philadelphia. [Read more…]

See Oak Ridge Schools with ‘fresh eyes’ with new superintendent

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Superintendent Bruce Borchers will share his initial impressions of education in the Oak Ridge Schools and his priorities and goals during a Wednesday luncheon meeting of Altrusa International Club.

Borchers’ presentation is titled “Seeing Oak Ridge Schools through Fresh Eyes.”

The luncheon meeting will be at the DoubleTree Hotel on South Illinois Avenue. It starts at 11:45 a.m., and visitors with reservations are welcome to attend. [Read more…]

Four Anderson County schools among top in state for growth, achievement

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Norris Middle School

Norris Middle School in Anderson County was among the top 5 percent of schools in Tennessee for annual growth and academic achievement in 2012-13, state officials said Monday.

Note: This story was updated at 8:45 a.m. Aug. 21 to add Clinton Elementary School.

Four Anderson County schools were among the top 5 percent of schools in Tennessee for annual growth and academic achievement in 2012-13, state officials said Monday.

They were Clinton Elementary School, Grand Oaks Elementary School, Norris Middle School, and Norwood Elementary School.

The four were among 169 schools in 52 districts recognized as Reward Schools in the past year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said in a press release. The list includes 70 schools that serve mostly economically disadvantaged populations. [Read more…]

Faith column: Take hold of instruction

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Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life (Prov 4:13)

Being instructed is hard. It rubs against our pride by forcing us to admit that there is something lacking in us, and everything in our society tells us that we are complete and adequate in ourselves, just as we are. There is nothing in us that requires instruction, at least not morally; men are basically good in themselves. If there is a flaw, society will take care of that through its Department of Corrections.

The emphasis in public education upon “self esteem” undermines real instruction. No longer does a student have to master a certain body of material; he is given passing marks so that he will feel good about himself. As a result of this unbiblical philosophy, larger numbers of our society are having to be “corrected.” [Read more…]

RSI awards eight $1,000 college scholarships

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RSI Scholarship Winners

RSI executives and scholarship recipients are pictured above. In the front row from left are Rick Ferguson, RSI vice president, and Kaitlyn Byrd, Stephanie Hanahan, Bethany Allen, and Jedidiah Long. In the back row are Peter Caswell, RSI vice president, and Joseph “Grant” Barbour, Jalen Carter, and Staci Ferguson, RSI president. Not pictured are Christiana Goode and Tyler Moore. (Submitted photo)

Restoration Services Inc., or RSI, and its voluntary Employee Outreach Committee have joined efforts to offer eight $1,000 college scholarships to “help students achieve their greatest potential through higher education,” a press release said.

The company announced this week that six scholarships were awarded to graduating high school students who will be attending college in the upcoming fall 2013 semester. The remaining two scholarships were awarded to children of RSI employees who are upcoming sophomores, juniors, or seniors currently enrolled in an accredited college for the 2013 fall semester. Scholarship recipients were selected from submitted applications that included academic accomplishments, community involvement and leadership roles, and an essay on current environmental threats. [Read more…]

ORAU awards 30 research grants to junior faculty

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Oak Ridge Associated Universities has awarded competitive research grants totaling $150,000 to 30 junior faculty from ORAU member institutions. The annual grants are made through the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards program that provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty.

The recipients, each of whom is in the first two years of a tenure track position, will receive $5,000 in “seed money” for the 2013-2014 academic year to enhance their research during the early stages of their career. Each recipient’s institution also matches the ORAU award with an additional $5,000, making the total prize worth $10,000 for each winner. Winners may use the grants to purchase equipment, continue research, or travel to professional meetings and conferences. [Read more…]

East Tennessee teachers win UCOR ‘mini-grants’

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Teachers in more than a dozen East Tennessee schools have won 25 “mini-grants” in an education program meant to recognize and support teaching excellence, and help teachers with specific projects or curricula.

The grants focus primarily on projects meant to help students learn about science, technology, engineering, and math, a press release said. UCOR, a federal cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge, announced the grant winners Wednesday.

The winners and their proposed projects and schools are: [Read more…]

Governor says legislative agenda underscores top priorities

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Governor Bill Haslam

Gov. Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam this week announced his priorities for the 2013 legislative session, building on momentum from his past proposals focused on attracting and growing Tennessee jobs, pursuing meaningful education reform, managing an efficient and effective state government, and strengthening public safety.

“In working together over the past two years with the Legislature, we’ve accomplished a lot for the people of Tennessee, and I look forward to working with the 108th General Assembly in the same way,” Haslam said. “Our proposals represent our top priorities of making Tennessee the No. 1 state in the Southeast for high quality jobs, continuing to improve education, being the best managed state in the country, and keeping our citizens safe.”

The governor’s legislation:

[Read more…]

State of State: Education investment, fiscal restraint set Tennessee apart

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Governor Bill Haslam

Gov. Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam on Monday delivered his 2013 State of the State address before a joint session of the General Assembly, contrasting Tennessee with Washington, D.C., and other states across the country that have struggled to keep their fiscal houses in order.

“Unlike the news coming out of our nation’s capital and so many other states around the country, good things are happening in Tennessee,” Haslam said. “We have a long history of fiscal restraint that crosses party lines. We have been deliberate about not spending money we don’t have and in making a concerted effort to save for the future…And now we are well-positioned to continue to invest in a thoughtful, strategic manner.”

[Read more…]