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Ten COVID cases reported among students since Friday

Posted at 11:54 pm October 28, 2020
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

A graph shows the number of COVID-19 cases in Oak Ridge Schools reported by school week since Wednesday, July 29, 2020. We have defined weeks as Wednesday-Tuesday. Students were on fall break for parts of weeks nine and 11, and for all of week 10. Note: Week 14 started Wednesday, Oct. 28, so it’s a partial week. (Graph by Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was last updated at 10 a.m. Oct. 29.

Ten COVID-19 cases have been reported among students in Oak Ridge Schools since Friday. That’s the highest number of cases reported in any seven-day period so far this school year.

The 10 new student cases were reported between Friday and Wednesday. Six of the cases were reported among students at Oak Ridge High School. It’s not clear yet if the surge is an anomaly or part of a trend.

There are currently 46 students and five staff members who are not allowed to attend school because they have been in close contact with someone at school who has been confirmed to have COVID-19, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in response to questions Wednesday.

The surge in new cases has occurred as middle schools prepare to return to classes five days per week starting Monday.

Borchers has said about 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in the schools were due to activities outside of school. On Wednesday, he said 85.2 percent of the student cases in Oak Ridge Schools have been confirmed to be non-school related.

Borchers said the schools are not aware of any cases in which students or staff members have developed COVID-19 because they were in close contact with a person at school who was confirmed to be COVID-positive.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: COVID-19, Education, Education, Front Page News, Health, K-12, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Bruce Borchers, COVID-19, Glenwood Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, preschool, Robertsville Middle School, Secret City Academy, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Education Foundation to award grants April 24

Posted at 1:17 pm April 18, 2019
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Woodland Elementary School teacher Megan Sauer is pictured above with one of her students demonstrating her 2018 grant “Communication for All.” (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $99,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 24.

Oak Ridge High School’s retired math teacher and former department head Benita Albert will be the featured speaker at the event, sharing her talk titled “We’ve Come a Long Way Teachers.”

The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Pollard Auditorium at ORAU beginning at 2:30 p.m. Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given in the lobby after the formal ceremony. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District, a press release said.

The 2019 grant recipients are as follows: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12 Tagged With: Amy Jeske, Becky Mullins, Benita Albert, Camille Millsaps, Carol Lawson, Dan Schwartz, Emily Haverkamp, Gigi Naeve, Glenwood Elementary School, grants, Jackie Cohn, James Mitchell, Janie Shanafield, Jefferson Middle School, Jessica Steed, John Beard, Katelynn Olvey, Lauren Hawkins, Linden Elementary School, Lisa Buckner, Logan Burke, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Preschool, Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, Oak Ridge teachers, ORPSEF, Randy Doss, Robertsville Middle School, Ryan Nicholls, Spence Milligan, Theresa Davis, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Three ORHS students qualify for state chess championship

Posted at 11:42 am February 6, 2019
By Gilbert Chan Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School freshman Henri Scott was one of three state championship qualifiers from the high school for the state chess championship at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 16, 2019. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge High School freshman Henri Scott is one of three state championship qualifiers from the high school for the state chess championship at Tennessee Tech on Feb. 16, 2019. (Submitted photo)

 

Note: This story was updated at 6:05 p.m.

Three Oak Ridge High School students have qualified for the state chess championship on February 16 at Tennessee Tech University.

The three ORHS students took home trophies and qualified for the state championship during the Region 1 scholastic at Oak Ridge High School on Saturday, January 26, a press release said. More than 109 students from across East Tennessee attended that event.

ORHS juniors Justin Blanchard and Bear Moran took third and seventh, respectively, in the high school division, the press release said. Freshman Henri Scott also qualified for the K-9 championship by taking sixth in that division. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Slider Tagged With: Bear Moran, Benjamin Bell, Brandon Bonamarte, chess, chess school, Daisy Kercher, Domenic Grove, Gabriel Hadid-McCallum, Graham Thompson, Henri Scott, Isabella Hickey, Jefferson Middle School, Jonas Tilson, Justin Blanchard, Kevin Lozada-Gonzales, Leo Ehlers, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge High School, ORHS, Region 1 scholastic, Renji Hua, Robertsville Middle School, Simon Weston, St. Mary’s School, state chess championship, Tennessee Chess Association, William Hetrick, William McNab, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School, Yasmin Miller

Oak Ridge Schools names nine teachers of the year

Posted at 10:19 am February 6, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Teachers of the Year in 2019 at Oak Ridge Schools are pictured above. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

Teachers of the Year in 2019 at Oak Ridge Schools are pictured above. (Image by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year at its nine schools.

The teachers of the year are:

  • Preschool—Melissa McMurry
  • Glenwood Elementary School—Amanda Fitch
  • Linden Elementary School—Steffanie Smith Greer
  • Willow Brook Elementary School—Melanie Bloomer
  • Woodland Elementary School—Inger Scudder
  • Jefferson Middle School—Michael Murphy
  • Robertsville Middle School—Michael Mott
  • Oak Ridge High School—Kayla Gass
  • Secret City Academy—Tobran Tillman

The school winners were nominated by their principals and peers for this 2018-2019 application.

The district winner will be announced today (Wednesday, February 6). [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Amanda Fitch, Glenwood Elementary School, Inger Scudder, Jefferson Middle School, Kayla Gass, Linden Elementary School, Melanie Bloomer, Melissa McMurry, Michael Mott, Michael Murphy, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, preschool, Robertsville Middle School, Secret City Academy, Steffanie Smith Greer, Teacher of the Year, Teachers of the Year, Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee Teacher of the Year, Tobran Tillman, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Oak Ridge teams excel at state chess team championships

Posted at 12:22 pm April 5, 2018
By Gilbert Chan Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School Freshmen Chess Team in March 2018: Levi Parish, Adam Herron, Kenny Adams, and Dan Joy (Photo courtesy Esther Parish)

Oak Ridge High School Freshmen Chess Team: Levi Parish, Adam Herron, Kenny Adams, and Dan Joy (Photo courtesy Esther Parish)

 

Every year, the top four scholastic chess teams in each of the four grade divisions qualify to join teams from the other three regions to compete for the Tennessee Chess Association scholastic team championships, which were held March 24 at Tennessee Tech University.

Four Oak Ridge schools—Linden Elementary School, Robertsville Middle School, Jefferson Middle School, and Oak Ridge High School—qualified a total of six teams for this year’s event. That meant that about 1/10th of the players were Oak Ridge students (Oak Ridge has about 0.4 percent of the state’s population).

In the Primary (K-3) section, the Linden team of Ricardo Smith, William Hetrick, Quinn Richardson, and Kaylee Tress finished 11th overall.

In the Elementary (K-6) section, Jefferson (Brian Qu, Isaak Nussbaum, Gavin Koentop, and Toby Croft) finished fifth, while Robertsville (Leo Ehlers, Patrick Wurm, Daisy Kercher, Brandon Bonamarte, and Zachary Williamson) took 10th. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Adam Herron, Andrew Brady, Bear Moran, Brandon Bonamarte, Brian Qu, chess, chess teams, Daisy Kercher, Dan Joy, Gavin Koentop, Henri Scott, Isaak Nussbaum, Jack Biewer, Jackson Johnson, Jefferson, Jefferson Middle School, Justin Blanchard, Kaylee Tres, Kenny Adams, Leo Ehlers, Levi Parish, Linden, Linden Elementary School, Nick Pelletier, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge HS, Patrick Wurm, Quinn Richardson, Ricardo Smith, Robertsville, Robertsville Middle School, Steven Qu, Tennessee Chess Association, Tennessee Chess Association scholastic team championships, Toby Croft, William Hetrick, Zachary Williamson

Roger Ward named Principal of the Year

Posted at 9:40 pm March 11, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Roger Ward

Roger Ward

Roger Ward has been named Principal of the Year by Oak Ridge Schools.

Ward has been principal of Linden Elementary School since July 2005.

He began his career in 1990 and has served in many roles as an elementary educator during the past 28 years, a press release said.

“Mr. Ward emphasizes that students need not only to learn academic skills but also to be responsible, respectful, ready, and safe,” the press release said. “Thank you for your continued dedication to the students and staff at Linden and throughout the Oak Ridge Schools family.”

Ward’s nomination will be sent to the state level for consideration, Oak Ridge Schools said in the press release. The state winner will be honored during the annual LEAD Conference in Nashville.

Each year, an outstanding public school principal earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Principal of the Year, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Bruce Borchers, Bruce Lay, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge Schools, Pearl Goins, Phil Cox, principal of the year, Roger Ward, Sherrie Fairchild-Keyes, Tennessee Department of Education, Tracey Beckendorf-Edou

Born in Oak Ridge, author Dan Kilday to visit Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday

Posted at 12:48 pm February 9, 2018
By Kathy Kilday Gillenwaters Leave a Comment

Dan Kilday, author of the new children's chapter book "Molly Warner: School Reporter." Kilday will be visiting several Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. (Submitted photo)

Dan Kilday, author of the new children’s chapter book “Molly Warner: School Reporter.” Kilday will be visiting several Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

Dan Kilday, author of the new children’s book “Molly Warner: School Reporter,” will be visiting several Oak Ridge Schools on Tuesday, February 13. The author will be visiting Linden Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School, and Willow Brook Elementary School, as well as Jefferson Middle School, a press release said.

A graduate of Central High School in Knoxville, Kilday earned a communications degree from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, before working as a television anchor and reporter for local stations in three states. Kilday was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and currently resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three children.

Here is more information about the book: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Dan Kilday, Jefferson Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Molly Warner, Molly Warner: School Reporter, Oak Ridge Schools, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Oak Ridge students earn spots in state chess tournament

Posted at 11:52 am February 3, 2018
By Gilbert CHAN Leave a Comment

K-3 section winners are pictured above at the Tennessee Chess Association Individual Regional Tournament on Jan. 27, 2018, at Oak Ridge High School. An Nguyen from St. Mary's is at right. (Submitted photo)

K-3 section winners are pictured above at the Tennessee Chess Association Individual Regional Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at Oak Ridge High School. An Nguyen from St. Mary’s is at right. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge students have earned spots in the state championship chess tournament this month.

The Tennessee Chess Association Individual Regional Tournament was Saturday, January 27, at Oak Ridge High School. There were 36 competitors representing Oak Ridge schools: 12 from Oak Ridge High School, six from Jefferson Middle School, six from Robertsville Middle School, four from Willow Brook Elementary School, three each from Linden Elementary School and Woodland Elementary School, and two from St. Mary’s.

Kindergartener An Nguyen from St. Mary’s won a clear first place in the K-3 division with a perfect 5-0 score, a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: An Nguyen, Andrew Chan, Bear Moran, Brian Qu, Bronson Burdick, chess, Jefferson Middle School, Justin Blanchard, Linden Elementary School, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge High School, Robertsville Middle School, St. Mary's, state chess tournament, Tennessee Chess Association, Tennessee Chess Association Individual Regional Tournament, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Oak Ridge Schools names teachers of the year

Posted at 2:48 am January 31, 2018
By Oak Ridge Schools Leave a Comment

From left to right, top row, are Lauren Blair, Lisa Buckner, Linda Dalton, Donna Gilbert, and Donna Grove, and from left to right, bottom row, are Michael Martin, Bob O'Connor, Steve Reddick, and Leslie Shelton.

From left to right, top row, are Lauren Blair, Lisa Buckner, Linda Dalton, Donna Gilbert, and Donna Grove, and from left to right, bottom row, are Michael Martin, Bob O’Connor, Steve Reddick, and Leslie Shelton.

 

Oak Ridge Schools has named its teachers of the year.

Here are the teachers of the year:

  • Oak Ridge Schools Preschool—Linda Dalton
  • Glenwood Elementary School—Lauren Blair
  • Linden Elementary School—Lisa Buckner
  • Willow Brook Elementary School—Donna Grove
  • Woodland Elementary School—Michael Martin
  • Jefferson Middle School—Steve Reddick
  • Robertsville Middle School—Bob O’Connor
  • Secret City Academy—Donna Gilbert
  • Oak Ridge High School—Leslie Shelton

Here is more information about the teachers and their schools from Oak Ridge Schools: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Slider Tagged With: Bob O'Connor, Donna Gilbert, Donna Grove, Glenwood Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, Lauren Blair, Leslie Shelton, Linda Dalton, Linden Elementary School, Lisa Buckner, Michael Martin, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, Robertsville Middle School, Secret City Academy, Steve Reddick, Teachers of the Year, Tennessee Department of Education, Willow Brook Elementary School, Woodland Elementary School

Great American Eclipse in Oak Ridge Schools

Posted at 2:30 pm October 18, 2017
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Glenwood Elementary School students worked with OBED Park Rangers and practiced safe use of a telescope for viewing during the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

Glenwood Elementary School students worked with Obed park rangers and practiced safe use of a telescope for viewing during the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Submitted by Oak Ridge Schools

The Great American Eclipse was unique in Oak Ridge, as we were on the coveted path of totality. Some solar eclipse fanatics will travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars just to get themselves into The Path. We took advantage of this rare opportunity that came to our back yard for the breathtaking experience of totality with our students and staff.

We had an interesting challenge, though. The edge of the path of totality cut through town in such a way that four of our schools would only experience a partial eclipse if students and staff stayed on campus. The total solar eclipse has several attributes that are not visible outside the path of totality, such as the sudden appearance of stars and planets, the solar corona becoming visible, and a temperature drop. To ensure all of our students had the opportunity for this rich total eclipse experience, we provided transportation to move everyone who wanted to participate into The Path. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Weather Tagged With: Chap Percival, FIRST Robotics, Glenwood Elementary School, Great American Eclipse, Linden Elementary, Linden Elementary School, Lisa Buckner, Manhattan Project National Historical Park, NASA, NOAA, NOAA weather balloon, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge Schools, Oak Ridge Schools Preschool, path of totality, Roane State Community College, Robertsville Middle School, Secret City Academy, solar eclipse, total solar eclipse, UCOR, Willow Brook Elementary, Woodland Elementary

ORAU awards $36,000 in education grants to local teachers

Posted at 6:24 pm September 12, 2017
By Amanda Freuler Leave a Comment

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

Teachers representing 14 schools in Anderson County received STEM teaching tools, new technology, and grant funds worth $36,000 on Sept. 11 at the 2017 ORAU Education Grants Award Ceremony & Reception in Pollard Technology Conference Center. (Submitted photo)

 

ORAU awarded 38 teachers from 14 East Tennessee schools more than $36,000 on Monday at the 16th annual ORAU Education Grants ceremony.

Educational materials and equipment purchased with the grant awards—such as iPads, computer software, robotics kits, and more—will help teachers continue to meet state-wide curriculum standards and enhance the learning experience of their students in STEM subjects, a press release said.

“ORAU is proud to support schools in Anderson County by helping local educators obtain the resources and tools required to engage students of all ages in STEM subjects while enriching their education,” ORAU President and Chief Executive Officer Andy Page said. “These educators never fail to demonstrate their dedication to student success.”

Since beginning the Education Grant program in 2002, ORAU has provided more than $487,000 to area schools to fund educational projects that complement its mission of enriching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Anderson County Career and Technical Center, Anderson County High School, Andy Page, Claxton Elementary School, Clinton Elementary School, Clinton High School, Clinton Middle School, Dutch Valley Elementary School, education, Fairview Elementary School, Kelly Raye Williams, Lake City Elementary School, Lake City Middle School, Linden Elementary School, Norris Middle School, North Clinton Elementary School, ORAU, ORAU Education Grants, ORAU Education Grants ceremony, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, South Clinton Elementary School, STEM, STEM education

Xavier Harper, 9, of Linden, competes at USA Gymnastics Championships

Posted at 10:27 am July 4, 2017
By Dionne Harper Leave a Comment

Xavier Harper

Xavier Harper

 

Xavier Harper, a rising fourth-grader at Linden Elementary School, competed in the USA Gymnastics Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships from June 27-July 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Xavier finished second in the nation on trampoline for level 9 in the 10 and under age group. He is affiliated with Premier Athletics in Knoxville. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Front Page News, K-12, Sports, Top Stories, Youth Tagged With: Linden Elementary School, trampoline, tumbling, USA Gymnastics Championships, USA Gymnastics Trampoline and Tumbling National Championships, Xavier Harper

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Public Notice: Comment period extended for Draft EA for Lithium Processing Facility at Y-12

EXTENSION OF THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING … [Read More...]

Public Notice: Draft Environmental Assessment Available for Lithium Production Facility at Y-12

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE LITHIUM PROCESSING FACILITY AT THE Y-12 … [Read More...]

Availability of the Final Environmental Assessment for the Oak Ridge Enhanced Technology and Training Center (ORETTC) (DOE/EA-2144), Finding of No Significant Impact, and Wetland Statement of Findings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

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