Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools: State assessment results announced

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Oak Ridge Schools is pleased to announce that we have received our results from high school end of course assessment for the 2015-2016 school year. Only high school results have been released because testing was canceled for grades 3-8 last school year due to difficulties with the state’s assessment vendor.

We are delighted to report that Oak Ridge Schools excelled in high school achievement and growth as compared to the state. In fact, we outperformed the state in every subject area in every subgroup and in every single subscore.

Here are a few highlights: [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle earns $10,000 BlueCross Shape the State Grant

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Jefferson Middle School has been awarded a Shape the State grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation to upgrade its physical education program. The grants are valued at $10,000 each. (Photo by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Jefferson Middle School has been awarded a Shape the State grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation to upgrade its physical education program.

The grants, valued at $10,000 each, provide the nationally acclaimed Sports Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) physical education curriculum, teacher training, and equipment for each recipient school. In addition, Jefferson received $1,000 to spend on PE, nutrition, and wellness efforts. Members of the Physical Education Department worked with Oak Ridge Schools Office of Coordinated School Health to write the grant.

“We are very thankful to BlueCross for this providing schools in Tennessee with this wonderful grant opportunity,” said JMS Physical Education teacher Katie Bolling. “Jefferson Middle School students will benefit from the wonderful SPARK equipment. We are excited to implement the curriculum into our physical education program.” [Read more…]

Cedar Barren clean-up scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5

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September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

September flowers at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren (Photo courtesy D. Colclasure)

 

The Oak Ridge Cedar Barren will again be the site of exotic invasive plant removal as Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning conduct its fall cleanup, its third and final cleanup of the year.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the Barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is the home to three state listed plants: prairie goldenrod, fewleaf sunflower and Torrey’s mountain mint.

The Barrens are subject to invasion by bushy lespedeza, leatherleaf viburnum, privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system¹s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

Letter: Dodson’s skill set, commitment a perfect fit for dynamic times in Oak Ridge

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To the editor:

I am for Jim Dodson for City Council.

Others have written eloquently about his resume and credentials for the position. I would like to take a more personal approach.

I have known and worked alongside Jim for nearly 30 years at Jefferson Middle School. During that time, I have watched him grow exponentially both as a professional and a person. He has inspired an entire generation of budding artists. Often teaching students across four different grade levels, Jim has cultivated and encouraged the artistic skills of students of all abilities and backgrounds. His tireless promotion of student art within the school, community, and region so typifies the exceptional fine arts education that students receive in the Oak Ridge Schools. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge: Driver runs red light, crashes into school bus

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No students were injured in a school bus crash on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 19, 2016, when the driver of a car ran a red light and collided with the bus at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Georgia Avenue, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:10 p.m.

No students were injured in a school bus crash on Wednesday afternoon when the driver of a car ran a red light and collided with the bus, the City of Oak Ridge said in a press release.

The crash was reported at about 12:20 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Georgia Avenue. A preliminary investigation by Oak Ridge Police Department officers revealed that the driver of a four-door Volkswagen Passat sedan ran the red light, causing a collision with the school bus, the press release said.

There were three children on the bus at the time of the crash, along with the school bus driver. None of them were injured, the city said. [Read more…]

Sixth-grade girl plays wide receiver, cornerback for Robertsville Rams

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Isabella Steade (11) plays wide receiver and cornerback for the Robertsville Middle School Rams football team. She is pictured above during the City Championship game with Jefferson Middle School on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 5:15 p.m.

A sixth-grade girl played wide receiver and cornerback for the Robertsville Middle School Rams this season.

It’s unusual but not unprecedented for a girl to play football, although it’s not clear if one has played wide receiver and cornerback before. Other girls have played for Robertsville before, but Steade might be the first one who wasn’t a kicker, Rams Coach James Branson said. He said RMS had a female kicker, Reagan Madden, a few years ago.

Oak Ridge Wildcats broadcaster David Clary said there were two females who played in the early 2000s, and one, Lori Niemeyer, kicked an extra point in a game against Sevier County in 2002. Niemeyer is the only female Wildcat to score in a football game, Clary said.

“There have been a couple of others that have played middle school though,” he said.

Other schools have also had female kickers. This year, Lenoir City High School senior Hailey Abston is the goalkeeper on the school’s soccer team and also the kicker on the football team. [Read more…]

Football photos: Jefferson vs. Robertsville in City Championship

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Jefferson Middle School quarterback Mitchell Gibbons (17) threw a 19-yard touchdown pass and scored twice on quarterback keepers on two-point conversions during a 16-12 win over Robertsville Middle School in the City Championship on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Jefferson Middle School Eagles won the City Championship for the second year in a row, beating the Robertsville Middle School Rams 16-12 in a game of fourth-quarter drama on Blankenship Field on Thursday. Here are photos from the game. [Read more…]

Football: Jefferson Eagles win City Championship for second year in row

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The Jefferson Middle School Eagles won the City Championship for the second year in a row, beating the Robertsville Middle School Rams 16-12 on Blankenship Field on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Pictured above is JMS eighth-grader Jonathan Stewart (2), who caught a 19-yard pass for a touchdown in the first quarter. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Jefferson Middle School Eagles won the City Championship for the second year in a row, beating the Robertsville Middle School Rams 16-12 in a game of fourth-quarter drama on Blankenship Field on Thursday.

Jefferson took the lead late in the first quarter and held it until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Eagles led by 8-6.

But then RMS sixth-grader Jayden Williams intercepted a JMS pass at about the Eagles 25 and weaved his way into the end zone, giving Robertsville its first lead of the evening, a 12-8 lead with 4:27 remaining.

But after the two-point conversion failed, the Eagles regained the lead 17 seconds later, when eighth-grader Jonathan Stewart, who scored both touchdowns for Jefferson, returned a kickoff for six points.

This time, the Eagles kept the lead for good. Jefferson quarterback Mitchell Gibbons, who also played defense, intercepted Robertsville quarterback Ky Hirsch on the Rams’ next and final drive, helping to preserve the Eagles’ win. [Read more…]

Middle school football: Jefferson, Robertsville play in City Championship on Thursday

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The Jefferson Middle School Eagles and Robertsville Middle School Rams play in the City Championship game on Blankenship Field on Thursday, September 29. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

Events start earlier, and there is an Eighth Grade Recognition Night Ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Jefferson Middle School student confesses to making social media threats, ORPD says

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An 11-year-old student at Jefferson Middle School confessed to making potential threats of violence on Friday morning, authorities said.

The threats were made over social media and were against students who attend Jefferson Middle School, according to the Oak Ridge Police Department.

When it learned of the threats, the ORPD Support Services Unit, or SSU, was sent to Jefferson to protect the property while an investigation was started by ORPD’s Criminal Investigations Division, or CID, a press release said. SSU officers and CID detectives coordinated with Oak Ridge Schools staff to interview several students who may have had knowledge of the threats, the press release said. [Read more…]

Letter: Dodson has positive outlook, believes passionately in Oak Ridge

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To Oak Ridge Today:

We have known Jim Dodson, candidate for City Council, for almost 30 years. We first met him when he began teaching art at Jefferson Middle School, where he still teaches. A superb artist himself, Jim has fostered the artistic talents of many students who have gone on to win local and regional art competitions.

Jim has a positive outlook on life. No matter what the circumstances, Jim looks for the best in every person and every situation. This has made him a fantastic teacher and leader. He has served on the board of directors for several arts and civic organizations and is highly respected for his leadership abilities and his work ethic. I served on the Arts Council when he was president. He was always highly organized and prepared for every meeting. He researched the issues involved before each meeting and treated every board member with respect. [Read more…]

See student art at Oak Ridge library this month

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The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September 2016 is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School. (Submitted photo)

 

The art display at Oak Ridge Public Library for September is a collection of illustrations created by art students of Jim Dodson from Jefferson Middle School.

These 19 tempera paintings were inspired by Ed Westcott’s photographs of early Oak Ridge. Some of the paintings were submitted as entries for the 2015 Congressional Medal of Honor Student Art Exhibit held at the Tennessee Valley Fair.

Painted in black, white, and gray tones, the images reflect the black and white photographs of Westcott, the famed Manhattan Engineer District’s photographer. Although the pictures depict the somber time period of World War II, youthful energy and movement can be seen in the artwork. [Read more…]