Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders: combining spirit and sport

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Oak Ridge High School Cheerleaders

The Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders for the 2013-2014 school year, pictured above, will have a pre-camp exhibition performance at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Wildcat Arena. (Submitted photo)

Community invited to pre-camp performance this Friday

Traditional cheerleading began at the University of Minnesota in 1898, when male cheerleaders encouraged students to show their spirit at athletic events.

This model continued exclusively until the early 1990s, when all-star competitive gyms formed to highlight the athleticism of the cheerleader. Combining tumbling, stunting, and dancing, non-school teams began competing at the regional and national level, drawing more and more girls to the fast growing sport.

At Oak Ridge High School, cheerleaders were maintaining the traditional role, but found they were losing students to the competitive nature of the all-star gym. [Read more…]

Debate erupts over drugs, violence in Oak Ridge schools

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Oak Ridge Schools Press Conference

Keys Fillauer, Oak Ridge Board of Education chair, left, and Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan reject allegations by City Council member Trina Baughn that, among other things, there is a “culture of terror” in Oak Ridge Schools and students are at risk.

The fiery debate erupted last week, with one Oak Ridge City Council member alleging drugs are rampant in many schools, students are at risk of being assaulted, and a culture of terror has saturated the school system.

It continued this week, with two school officials and the city’s mayor holding a press conference at the Oak Ridge High School to rebut the allegations. They were joined by a throng of several dozen administrators, officials, and teachers.

Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn sparked the debate last week in a letter to new school superintendent Bruce Borchers, who started June 18. Baughn told Borchers that countless parents, school staff, and students have shared stories with her that paint a picture of an “inner-city school system run amuck.”

“I’ve heard so many stories of assaults occurring at the middle schools and high school that I am heartbroken,” Baughn said.

But a half-dozen other local officials—including City Council members, school board members, and teachers—said they haven’t heard many complaints, if any, from parents regarding drugs and assaults in Oak Ridge Schools. They called some of Baughn’s claims inaccurate, exaggerated, or untrue. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School student technology team wins 10 awards

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Jefferson Middle School at State TSA Competition

Jefferson Middle School TSA members and faculty advisers Chris Jaeger and Bruce McMaster at TSA State Competition in Chattanooga. (Submitted photo)

The Technology Student Association at Jefferson Middle School received 10 awards in eight events during an annual competition earlier this month, a press release said.

The annual TSA State Competition was March 14-17 in Chattanooga. The JMS team did well in team and individual events, the press release said. The JMS awards included five first-place finishes, four second-place, and one third-place finish.

Members earning first place included: [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School 4-H GIS Club visits Roane State

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Roane State and Jefferson Middle School

In front, from left, are students Ty Dahl, Mikolai Jakowski, and Mollie Smith. In back, from left, are student Logan Ogle, Jefferson Middle School social studies teacher Brian Smith, student Haley Snyder, and Pat Wurth. (Submitted photo)

Jefferson Middle School and Roane State Community College are working together to help students learn about geographic information systems, or GIS.

Jefferson Middle School has a 4-H GIS Club, and Pat Wurth, Roane State associate professor of geographic information systems and geography, is mentoring the students. The middle schoolers visit campus and are working on a project to map bluebird houses thanks to a grant from software company ESRI.

Here is a photo from a recent visit.

Jefferson Middle cross country results from Panther Creek meet

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Here are the Jefferson Middle School results from the Panther Creek Invitational Cross Country meet on Tuesday in Morristown.

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