Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge team wins regionals in National Science Bowl, headed to finals

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Jefferson Middle School National Science Bowl Regional Champs

Pictured above from left are coordinator Ken Mayes, Catherine Humphreys, Sadie Lloyd, coach Sharon Wiliford, Joseph Andress, Lawrence Zhang, Henry Shen, and Greg Mills, DOE-ORO representative.

Competition managed by DOE Office of Science

A team of students from Oak Ridge was among 14 teams of middle and high school students who won their regional competitions for the 2014 National Science Bowl this past weekend and are advancing to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., in April.

The Oak Ridge team is from Jefferson Middle School. U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the winners on Monday.

“The National Science Bowl challenges students to excel and heightens their interest in fields vital to America’s continued scientific advancement,” Moniz said. “Congratulations to these students for advancing to the National Finals. I wish them the best of luck in the competition.” [Read more…]

Middle school students competing regionally for National Science Bowl finals

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Middle school students from Oak Ridge, Norris, and Oliver Springs are participating in an upcoming competition to determine what team will represent Tennessee in the middle school national finals of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s National Science Bowl.

The winner of the regional competition, scheduled for Feb. 1 at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the Office of Science’s National Science Bowl in late April.

The winner of the national competition will win prizes for the team members and their schools.

Here are the teams that are competing: [Read more…]

Principals appointed at Oak Ridge High, Jefferson Middle

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David Bryant

David Bryant

Phil Cox

Phil Cox

Interim principals at Oak Ridge High School and Jefferson Middle School have been named principals, Oak Ridge Schools announced Wednesday.

David Bryant, who has been interim principal at Oak Ridge High School, has been named principal, and Phillip Cox, interim principal at Jefferson Middle School, has been named principal at the middle school.

Bryant has been interim principal at the high school since July 2013. He was an assistant ORHS principal from 2006 to 2013, and before that, he was an administrator at the Alternative Program.

Bryant began his career with Oak Ridge Schools as a special education teacher in 1985. He has a bachelor’s degree in special education from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and a master’s degree from Lincoln Memorial University. [Read more…]

UCOR general counsel featured at MLK celebration with Alpha Kappa Alpha

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Raeburn Josey

Raeburn Josey

The Oak Ridge Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority will hold its 26th annual program to celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday at the Y-12 New Hope Center on Scarboro Road in Oak Ridge.

The program, “The Community Speaks,” begins at 9:45 a.m. in the NHC Auditorium. UCOR General Counsel Raeburn Josey will present the keynote address entitled “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—2014.”

At UCOR, Josey provides legal and management services on behalf of URS and its affiliates. He holds degrees from Georgia State University and Georgia State College of Law, and has bar licenses in several states. UCOR is the federal government’s cleanup contractor in Oak Ridge.  [Read more…]

K-25 workers also shelter in place during police search

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K-25 Aerial

Now demolished, the former K-25 Building at the East Tennessee Technology Park in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy)

Workers at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site, were asked to shelter in place for about 30 minutes early Thursday afternoon as police officers searched for an armed person who had been reported to be traveling from the Clinton area to west Oak Ridge.

It was the same search that led to a brief lockdown at Jefferson Middle School at about 1 p.m. Thursday, said Mike Koentop, U.S. Department of Energy spokesman in the Oak Ridge Office.

“It was not related at all to any DOE activity,” Koentop said. “Steps were taken as a precaution.” [Read more…]

JMS briefly locked down as police search area for person with handgun

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Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School was briefly locked down early Thursday afternoon as police searched for a person armed with a handgun at a nearby business.

The Oak Ridge Police Department began searching for the person at about 12:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving information that the individual, who is not identified in a press release, had just left the Clinton area and might be on the way to the west end of Oak Ridge.

“Oak Ridge police personnel from the Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and Administration divisions immediately deployed throughout the city to locate the individual, and at approximately 12:52 p.m., information was received that the individual may have been in a vehicle in the Home Depot parking lot in Oak Ridge,” an ORPD press release said. “Oak Ridge police unmarked units identified a vehicle matching the description of the individual’s vehicle in the parking lot and requested the Jefferson Middle School initiate a lockdown, as it was nearby. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools students, staff increase United Way donations by more than 25 percent

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Oak Ridge Schools Donate to United Way

Michael Mott, second from left, was the winner of the grand prize of a weekend getaway donated by United Way of Anderson County Loaned Executive Becky Hook, a retired Oak Ridge teacher. Mott is pictured above with Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, right, and Principal Bruce Lay, left, and Rick Morrow, UWAC executive director. (Submitted photo)

Students and staff in the Oak Ridge School system increased their contributions to this year’s United Way of Anderson County campaign by more than 25 percent, an official said.

“We are excited to be able to give back to our community,” said Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge School superintendent. “This is a great community to be part of.”

“To see an increase during these very challenging times really means a lot,” said Rick Morrow, UWAC executive director. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools reassigns middle school principals

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Oak Ridge Schools Principals

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, center, announced reassignments of middle school principals on Wednesday, including James Hundertmark, right, who has been Robertsville Middle School principal. Also pictured is Christopher Scott, vice principal of curriculum and instruction at Oak Ridge High School.

Principals at Robertsville and Jefferson middle schools have been reassigned, education officials said Wednesday.

Robertsville Middle School Principal James Hundertmark is moving to the School Administration Building, where he will be the special projects administrator, Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

Meanwhile, Jefferson Middle School Principal Bruce Lay has been reassigned as RMS principal, Borchers said. Philip Cox, who has been JMS vice principal, will become interim principal. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $39,000 in education grants to East Tennessee schools

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ORAU Education Grants

Oak Ridge Associated Universities awards 27 teachers from 17 East Tennessee schools more than $39,000 during a recent grants ceremony. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Associated Universities awarded more than $39,000 to more than two dozen teachers in 17 schools in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, and Anderson County in a recent grants ceremony.

It was the 12th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony, and 27 teachers received awards, a press release said.

The grant money can be used to buy educational materials and equipment such as microscopes, iPads, robotics kits, and computers that will help teachers “continue to meet rigorous, state-wide curriculum standards and enhance the learning experience of their students,” the release said. [Read more…]

Officials, volunteers celebrate new Cedar Barren kiosk near JMS

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens Celebration

Officials and volunteers celebrate a new kiosk with a ribbon-cutting at Oak Ridge Cedar Barrens near Jefferson Middle School on Aug. 17. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren has a new kiosk, thanks to Thomas Crout and his Eagle Scout project. There was a ribbon cutting on Saturday, Aug. 17, followed by a brief interpretive tour and some cleanup work.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, this barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, the State Natural Areas Division, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. This area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee.

Oak Ridge school bus routes announced

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge Schools have announced the bus routes for the 2013-2014 school year, including at Oak Ridge High School, pictured above.

Oak Ridge Schools have announced the 2013-2014 bus routes for Glenwood Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Robertsville Middle School, and Woodland Elementary School.

The routes have been uploaded to Oak Ridge Today.

The links to the routes are below. The Oak Ridge Schools’ Preschool and Willow Brook Elementary School are on separate calendars. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools announces dates for registration and school orientations

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge Schools have announced registration and school orientation information, including for Oak Ridge High School, pictured above.

All students, with the exception of those attending Willow Brook and the Preschool, who are new to the Oak Ridge elementary and middle schools, need to register at their respective schools Monday, July 29, through Wednesday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Parents who pre-registered kindergartners in May also need to complete the registration process on those dates.

Registration for new students in grades 9-12 will be made by appointment only. Appointments may be made Tuesday, July 23, through Tuesday, July 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. by calling (865) 425-9607. The registration process should be completed no later than Tuesday, July 31. Registration materials can be picked up at the Oak Ridge High School guidance office starting Monday, July 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. [Read more…]