Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Cedar Barren Cleanup, Prairie Grass Extravaganza on Saturday, Aug. 20

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

September blooms at Oak Ridge Cedar Barren, courtesy Doug Colclasure. (Submitted photo)

 

There will be a free opportunity to see prairie goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides), naked-stem sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis), and Torrey’s mountain mint (Pycnanthemum torrei) at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, August 20. This will be combined with a workday to remove invasive plants, a press release said.

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, or TCWP. The area is one of just a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, and it is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses. [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School Eagles 2016 football schedule

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Note: This story was updated at 4:25 p.m. Aug. 20.

Here is the 2016 schedule for the Jefferson Middle School Eagles football team. The Eagles start the season at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 11, at Lenoir City.

All games kick off at 6 p.m., unless noted otherwise. [Read more…]

School board has special meeting Monday to consider one-time spending approved by city

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Oak Ridge Schools School Administration Building

The Oak Ridge Board of Education will have a special meeting on Monday to consider approving $538,048 worth of one-time spending that was approved by the Oak Ridge City Council this past Monday (May 6).

If the Tennessee Department of Education agrees, the extra money, which had been requested by Oak Ridge Schools and the BOE, would not be part of the city’s annual “maintenance of effort” for the schools, a level of funding that can’t be reduced.

Most of the $538,048, or $425,000, would be used in the next fiscal year for principal and interest payments for a four-year technology lease that began in fiscal year 2016, the current fiscal year. That lease funded the purchase of convertible laptops for grade levels 5-8, supporting what is known as a 1:1 initiative and part of Access Oak Ridge.

The other $113,048 would be used for building improvements: [Read more…]

Jefferson girls finish second in state in track, field

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Jefferson Middle School 4x400 Relay Team State Runner-up 2016

The Jefferson Middle School girls’ track and field team finished as state runner-up in the first-ever state meet for Class A middle schools at Austin Peay University in Clarksville on Saturday, May 21, 2016. Members of the girls 4×400-meter relay team, which finished second at the state meet, are pictured above. From left to right they are Grace Wilson, Katie Swigert, Aaliyah Hall, and Khamari Mitchell. (Submitted photo via Barbara Gritzner)

 

The Jefferson Middle School girls track and field team finished as state runner-up in a first-ever state track and field meet for middle schools in Clarksville on Saturday. The girls team finished second in two events and third in another.

The Jefferson Middle School team of Katie Swigert, Aaliyah Hall, Grace Wilson, and Khamari Mitchell finished second in the 4×400-meter relay, Coach Bill Byas said. And Muskan Vohra finished second in the girls 800-meter run and third in the 1,600-meter run.

The girls team earned enough points to finish as state runner-up. The JMS boys team finished eighth.

It was the first state track and field meet for Class A and Class AA middle schools. It was held Saturday, May 21, at Austin Peay University in Clarksville.

“I expected a great outcome because they worked so hard all season long,” Byas said. “We’ve been going at it since February, and these kids have just consistently improved.” [Read more…]

Jefferson Middle School wins one of twenty 2016 Shape the State grants

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Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School

Jefferson Middle School is one of 20 recipients this year of a Shape the State grant that includes the highly touted SPARK curriculum and its accompanying equipment for physical education courses. The grant includes an additional $1,000 for desired improvements to the wellness/nutrition/PE program.

Jefferson Middle School PE teachers will receive curriculum training on-site on September 19 and 20.

Robertsville Middle School received a similar grant last year, so this year’s grant will ensure all Oak Ridge middle school PE teachers have had the opportunity for the training, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge teachers Jane Sasser, Brian Smith receive Outstanding Educator awards

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Jane Sasser, English teacher at Oak Ridge High School, and Brian Smith, history teacher at Jefferson Middle School, were two out of only six recipients from the entire state who received the Outstanding Educator Awards from Humanities Tennessee.

According to the Humanities Tennessee website, these awards were available for up to six full-time, third- to 12th-grade teachers in Tennessee who have demonstrated excellence in teaching the humanities. Since 1985, Humanities Tennessee has awarded almost $400,000 to 169 teachers in Tennessee.

Applicants for this award are expected to be skillful and dedicated teachers who exhibit expansive and in-depth knowledge of the subjects they teach, a press release said. They are to have the respect of students, parents, and co-workers, and have a record of active involvement in community activities and professional organizations, particularly those that promote the humanities.

Sasser and Smith will each receive a $2,000 fellowship to further their professional development in the humanities. Oak Ridge High School and Jefferson Middle School will each receive a $1,500 grant to be used for the purchase of humanities instructional materials or for student humanities projects. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge students experience success at Southern Appalachian Science, Engineering Fair

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Gabe Vacliuc with Poster and Trophy

Oak Ridge High School student Gabe Vacaliuc earned first place for his project titled “dQCuts: Simplifying Molecular Dynamics Datasets Using Higher Order Statistical Signatures” under the mentorship of Arvind Ramanathan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Vacaliuc is pictured above with his poster and trophy at the Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair at the University of Tennessee earlier this month. (Submitted photo)

 

Seventeen research students from Oak Ridge High School competed in the 64th Annual Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair hosted at the University of Tennessee. The competition was held April 4-7 with the awards ceremony on Thursday evening. There were 52 Senior Division projects in competition.

All 17 students are a part of either the Experimental Scientific Research, or ESR, course or Math, Science, and Computer Science Thesis course at ORHS. The ESR course is led by Sharon Thomas and Thesis is led by Tammy Carneim and Jessica Williams.

Gabe Vacaliuc earned first place for his project titled “dQCuts: Simplifying Molecular Dynamics Datasets Using Higher Order Statistical Signatures” under the mentorship of Arvind Ramanathan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with a $1,000 scholarship and trophy, Vacaliuc will travel to Phoenix, Arizona, in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

“SASEF was a great experience because I was able to get substantial feedback in a professional setting,” Vacaliuc said. “I’m so grateful to SASEF for the opportunity to represent my school at ISEF in May.” [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…]

Education Foundation to award $85,000 in grants at April 13 ceremony

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Jay Searcy

Jay Searcy

As part of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award approximately $85,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 13.

Jay Searcy, a national award-winning sports writer and Oak Ridge Class of 1952 alumnus, will be the featured speaker at the event sharing his talk entitled, “How to Improve Our Schools Without Knowing How.” The ceremony is open to the public and will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4 p.m. April 13. Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District.

The 2016 grant recipients are as follows:

  • Oak Ridge Preschool—Margaret Johnston
  • Glenwood Elementary—Amelia Bell, Lauren Blair, and Gwen Harrell
  • Linden Elementary—Ginger Adams and Lisa Buckner
  • Willow Brook Elementary—Ashley Branson and Andrew McDonald
  • Woodland Elementary—Susie Carden, Kim Howard, Michael Martin, and Evan Parker
  • Jefferson Middle School—Jim Dodson, Emily Haverkamp, Heather Henderlight, Julie McCullough, Lexie Scott, and Brian Smith
  • Robertsville Middle School—David Goforth, Mariah Kidwell, Mardee Miller, and David Scott
  • Oak Ridge High School—Christina Henry, Spence Milligan, Vidal Moreno, Deanna Pickel, Sharon Thomas, and Will Waterson

[Read more…]

Teachers, principals ask for 3 percent pay raise

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Oak-Ridge-Schools-Phil-Cox-Garfield-Adams-March-28-2016

Pictured above during a Oak Ridge Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 28, are Phil Cox, left, Jefferson Middle School principal, and Garfield Adams, Robertsville Middle School principal. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 4:55 p.m.

Teachers and principals in Oak Ridge Schools have asked for 3 percent pay increases in the budget year that starts July 1.

The request was made at last week’s Oak Ridge Board of Education meeting. It’s too early to say whether the request will be included in the budget proposal that will be presented to the BOE, possibly later this month or sometime next month, or approved by the school board, possibly in May.

In a presentation by Robertsville Middle School Principal Garfield Adams and Jefferson Middle School Principal Phil Cox, officials said Oak Ridge Schools administrators’ pay has been on a downward trend, falling from eighth in the state in 2008-2009 to 13th in 2014-2015. They said that trend reflects what is happening for teachers. [Read more…]

TCWP volunteers will remove exotic, invasive plants from Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on March 5

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Oak Ridge Cedar Barren

Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning will remove exotic, invasive plants at the Oak Ridge Cedar Barren on Saturday, March 5.

Located next to Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, the cedar barren is a joint project of the City of Oak Ridge, State Natural Areas Division, and TCWP. One of only a few cedar barrens in East Tennessee, the area is subject to invasion by Chinese lespedeza, Japanese privet, autumn olive, mimosa, Nepal grass, multiflora rose, and woody plants that threaten the system’s prairie grasses.

“Our continuing efforts help to eliminate these invasives and other shade-producing plants that prevent the prairie grasses from getting needed sun,” TCWP said in a press release. [Read more…]

Adams, a first-grade teacher at Linden, named Oak Ridge Schools teacher of the year

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Ginger Adams

Ginger Adams

Ginger Adams, a first-grade teacher at Linden Elementary School, has been named the 2016 Oak Ridge School District Teacher of the Year, officials said.

Oak Ridge Schools officials hope Adams will now be considered for East Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Her application will be sent to the East Tennessee Regional Office for their consideration for that award, a press release said.

Adams is one of eight teachers of the year selected from Oak Ridge eight schools: the Preschool, all four elementary schools, the two middle schools, and the high school. They are: [Read more…]