Oak Ridge Today

Robertsville Middle School girls win regular season, district championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

RMS-Girls-Basketball-Team-Championship-Bracket-2016

The Robertsville Middle School girls basketball team won both the regular season and district tournament championship, and they are pictured above with the championship bracket. (Photo courtesy Edward Dunbar)

 

By Edward Dunbar

The Robertsville and Jefferson Middle School girls basketball teams just completed their seasons.

Robertsville won both the regular season and district tournament championship, with Jefferson placing second in the regular season and third in the district tournament. The teams split the regular season City Championship.

Keyanna Thompson and Khamari Mitchell-Stein were named to the All-District Tournament team for Jefferson, and Brianna Dunbar, Selena Pettus, Raja Eckeles, and Cre Thompson for Roberstville. Brianna Dunbar was named District Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Robertsville-Jefferson-Middle-School-Girls-Basketball-All-District-2016

Keyanna Thompson and Khamari Mitchell-Stein were named to the All-District Tournament team for Jefferson Middle School, and Brianna Dunbar, Selena Pettus, Raja Eckeles, and Cre Thompson for Roberstville Middle School. Brianna Dunbar was named District Tournament Most Valuable Player. (Photo courtesy Edward Dunbar)

 

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

JMS FIRST Lego League teams win first-place awards at regional championship

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jefferson-Middle-School-FIRST-Lego-League-Teams-Feb-2016

The Jefferson Middle School FIRST Lego League Atomic Eagles, JMS Master Builders, and their coaches and mentors are pictured above. From left are Iliana Spence, Thomas Proffen, Alex Shanafield, Jeff Thomson, Amelia Thomson, Klara Proffen, Henri Scott, Mack Patrick, Holly Hensberry, Bethany Marshall, Thora Spence, Jessica Mohr, Levi Parish, Lexie Scott, Janie Shanafield, and Harold Shanafield. (Submitted photo)

 

The Jefferson Middle School FIRST Lego League teams competed at the East Tennessee Regional Championship on February 13 in Cookeville.

The Atomic Eagles received the first-place Robot Strategy and Innovation Award.

The JMS Master Builders received the second-place Robot Performance Trophy and the first-place Champions Trophy. The JMS Master Builders have been invited to go to St. Louis to participate in the World Festival in April.

The Atomic Eagles are coached by Janie and Harold Shanafield and mentored by Thomas Proffen. The JMS Master Builders are coached by Lexie Scott and coached/mentored by Jeff Thomson.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Oak Ridge teacher to receive Geography Teacher of the Year Award

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Brian-Smith-Geography-Award-2016

Brian Smith, seventh-grade social studies teacher in Oak Ridge, will receive the 14th Tom and Stella Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award during the 2016 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Friday, March 11. (Submitted photo)

 

An Oak Ridge teacher will receive a Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award in March.

Brian Smith, seventh-grade social studies teacher in Oak Ridge, will receive the 14th Tom and Stella Mullane Geography Teacher of the Year Award during the 2016 Tennessee Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin on Friday, March 11.

The Mullane award is bestowed for superior achievement in the teaching of geography in the social studies in grades 7-12, a press release said. The award carries a $500 cash prize.

Smith has been informed that he will be this year’s recipient of the Mullane Teacher of the Year award for the outstanding work he does, ensuring that geography is a daily part of instruction in the Oak Ridge school system, the press release said. [Read more…]

Jefferson’s Master Builders St. Louis-bound as LEGO champions

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jefferson-Middle-School-Master-Builders-Feb-2016

Members of Jefferson Middle School’s Master Builders are, from left, Amelia Thomson, Iliana Spence, Henry Scott, Jessica Mohr, and Thora Spence. Not pictured is Andrew Brady. (Submitted photo)

 

Jefferson Middle School’s Master Builders are bound for St. Louis in April after they won the Champions Award as the overall winner of the FIRST LEGO League Tournament held February 13 at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.

By virtue of their victory, the Master Builders have qualified to travel to St. Louis in April representing East Tennessee in the FIRST LEGO League World Championships, a press release said.

The Master Builders are the second team from Jefferson during the past two years to win the Champions Award. The Atomic Eagles were Champions Award winners a year ago. [Read more…]

Top 3 in DOE middle school science bowl: Farragut, Jefferson, Norris

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Farragut-Middle-School-2016-Middle-School-Science-Bowl

Farragut Middle School finished first in the U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl at Roane State Community College on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. Pictured above from left to right are Kevin Wang, Prajwal Jagadish, Caden Farley, Aditya Bal, Luke Kronzer, and Coach Mary Sue Pruitt. (Submitted photo)

 

Farragut Middle School finished first in the U.S. Department of Energy’s East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl on Saturday. Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge finished second, and Norris Middle School finished third.

The sixth annual East Tennessee Middle School Science Bowl was on Saturday, February 6, at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. It highlighted the academic and problem-solving abilities of students representing 13 Tennessee middle schools, a press release said.

“The Middle School Science Bowl is a competition that tests participants’ knowledge in mathematics and the sciences,” the press release said.

There were 16 teams this year, and they included some of the state’s brightest middle school students. The students were quizzed in a fast-paced question-and-answer format similar to the Jeopardy! television game show, the press release said. Each team included four student competitors, an alternate, and a coach who also served as the team’s adviser.

After an intense competition, three winning teams emerged and received monetary awards: [Read more…]

Teachers of the year announced at Oak Ridge Schools

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Oak-Ridge-Schools-Teacher-Year-Feb-2016

Eight teachers of the year have been announced by Oak Ridge Schools from the preschool, all four elementary schools, both middle schools, and the high school. Pictured above from left to right, starting at top left, are Amy Kennedy, Ginger Adams, Jennifer Little, Jim Dodson, Michael Feuer, Michelle Chenot, Scot Smith, and Susan Galler.

 

Eight teachers of the year have been announced by Oak Ridge Schools. Teachers of the year were chosen at the preschool, all four elementary schools, both middle schools, and the high school.

Here are those picked as teachers of the year:

  • Oak Ridge Preschool—Susan Galler
  • Glenwood Elementary School—Amy Kennedy
  • Linden Elementary School—Ginger Adams
  • Willow Brook Elementary School—Michelle Chenot
  • Woodland Elementary School—Jennifer Little
  • Jefferson Middle School—Jim Dodson
  • Robertsville Middle School—Scot Smith
  • Oak Ridge High School—Michael Feuer

Oak Ridge Schools is participating in Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year program, a press release said.

“This program is intended to recognize and honor outstanding teachers in our state,” the press release said. “In Oak Ridge, we have many talented and hard-working teachers. These teachers of the year are representatives and examples of the great educators who do great work with students every day.”

Here is more information about the teachers from the press release: [Read more…]

Four Oak Ridge students sing in Bijou Awards competition

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bijou-Awards-Composite-Photo-Jan-16-2016

Four Oak Ridge students sang in the Bijou Awards competition at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. They are, clockwise from top left, Oak Ridge High School seniors Jacob Moreno and Treston Henderson; Marian Vacaliuc, a 7th-grader at Jefferson Middle School; and Sarah Hepler, an 8th-grader at Robertsville Middle School. (Photos by Savanna Schubert)

 

KNOXVILLE—On Saturday night, students from all over East Tennessee gathered for a night of competition at the Bijou Theatre. Students from across the region had the chance to audition to win a spot to perform on stage at the historic location.

The Fourth Annual Bijou Awards was a competition to showcase students and their performing arts talents, such as singing and acting. The competition had five different categories, and five students were selected for each category. The categories were: Rising Star, Male Acting, Female Acting, Male Singing, and Female Singing.

Four Oak Ridge Schools students were chosen to compete in this year’s awards. Sarah Hepler, an eighth-grader from Robertsville Middle School, and Marian Vacaliuc, a seventh-grader from Jefferson Middle School, sang in the Rising Star competition. Treston Henderson and Jacob Moreno, seniors from Oak Ridge High School, competed in the Male Singing category. [Read more…]

Video: Four Oak Ridge students compete in Bijou Awards

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Bijou-Awards-Jan-16-2016

Four Oak Ridge students competed in the Bijou Awards at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

KNOXVILLE—Four Oak Ridge students competed in the Bijou Awards in Knoxville on Saturday.

Freelance contributor Savanna Schubert interviewed the four students and organizer Jay Apking at the Bijou Theatre. The four students are Jacob Moreno and Treston Henderson of Oak Ridge High School, Sarah Hepler of Robertsville Middle School, and Marian Vacaliuc of Jefferson Middle School.

See the video by Schubert here:

See this story for more information about the Saturday night Bijou Awards.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Four Oak Ridge students competing in Bijou Awards in January

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jacob Moreno

Jacob Moreno

Four Oak Ridge students will compete in the Bijou Awards in January.

The Fourth Annual Bijou Awards will showcase the talent of high school students in and around Knoxville. The 2016 Bijou Awards Gala is on January 16 at the Bijou Theatre in downtown Knoxville.

Oak Ridge High School seniors Treston Henderson and Jacob Moreno will both compete in the male singing category.

Sarah Hepler, an eight-grader at Robertsville Middle School, and Marian Vacaliuc, a seventh-grader at Jefferson Middle School, will compete in the rising star category. [Read more…]

Remaining middle school students to get convertible laptops in January

Posted at
By 3 Comments

Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, and roughly 130 were distributed at Jefferson Middle School. The remaining laptops will be distributed to the other middle schools students in January. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

They’ve tried a pilot program at the city’s two middle schools, and in January, school officials will distribute convertible laptops to the rest of the students at Jefferson and Robertsville middle schools.

The pilot program was considered successful. It distributed more than 300 convertible laptops to about 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

The students, grades 5 through 8, are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects. [Read more…]

Game-changer: JMS, RMS trying laptops now, more students could soon

Posted at
By 6 Comments

Robertsville-Middle-School-Device-Rollout-Nov-3-2015

More than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November. About 190 are being used by seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School, pictured above, and roughly 130 were distributed to sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In what was described as a “game-changer,” more than 300 convertible laptops were given to Oak Ridge middle school students for educational use in November.

The laptops, which must be returned at the end of each school year, are part of a new program named Access Oak Ridge.

About 190 seventh-grade students at Robertsville Middle School and roughly 130 sixth-grade students at Jefferson Middle School are trying the devices this month, and they could be “rolled out” to all middle school students, grades 5 to 8, in January, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said.

The students are using Lenovo Yoga 11e convertible laptops that can be used as laptops, tablets, tents, or stands. The children can use the computers for all subjects.

“When implemented well, the research shows an increase in student engagement and achievement,” Borchers said. [Read more…]

Digital transformation: Rollout of convertible laptops starts at Robertsville

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robertsville Middle School

Robertsville Middle School is pictured above in this file photo.

 

The digital transformation at Oak Ridge Schools starts Tuesday with the rollout of convertible laptops at Robertsville Middle School, officials said. It will continue Thursday at Jefferson Middle School.

“This is an exciting day for Oak Ridge Schools,” officials said in a press release. It marks the “first step in the digital transformation that will impact teaching and learning in our 21st century classrooms,” the release said.

“We aim to close the digital divide and ensure access to powerful technology tools for all Oak Ridge Schools students,” the press release said.

Here are some specific plans: [Read more…]