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First ORHS Middle College class at Roane State about to graduate

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Oak Ridge High School Roane State Community College Middle College 2020
Pictured is the first class of Roane State Middle College students from Oak Ridge High School. Seated from left are Aamariah Crow, Isabella Kelly, Chloe Mallett, Savannah Shropshire, Selena Sterling, and Christina Thomas. Standing from left are Caroline Webb, Katie Swigert, Haley Snyder, Jacob Wright, Shaelyn Deal, and Cameille Schubert. Not pictured: Cameron Malone and Marissa Colvais. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

One wants to be a doctor. Another, a lawyer involved in immigration cases. Two plan to become engineers, another wants to be involved in mission work, and one intends to work as an ultrasound technician.

They are among 14 Oak Ridge High School students who are members of the first Roane State Community College Middle College class, and they’re getting ready to graduate this spring, both from high school and college.

Although they have varying career goals, they have several things in common. They all say they have enjoyed their Middle College experiences, they’ve all been accepted to colleges and universities to continue their educations, and they’re fans of their advisor and English instructor, Assistant Roane State Professor Margaret “Maggie” Bouldin.

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Reminder: ORHS Masquers presents ‘Little Women’

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A reminder: Oak Ridge High School Masquers is presenting “Little Women” at the high school this weekend.

The first show was Thursday evening in the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center at ORHS.

The next two shows are at 7 p.m. Saturday, November 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, November 17, also in the Performing Arts Center.

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Soccer: Oak Ridge girls win district championship

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The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcats soccer team won the District 3-AAA soccer tournament championship with a 1-0 win over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge won the District 3-AAA girls soccer championship with a 1-0 victory over Powell at Oak Ridge High School on Thursday.

It was the first time the Lady Wildcats have won the district championship since 2016. The Lady Panthers won the title in 2015—the first-ever district title for the Powell girls—and again in 2017 and 2018.

Seniors on this year’s Oak Ridge team were freshmen the last time the Lady Wildcats won the district title. Oak Ridge and Powell have played for the district championship five years in a row.

On Thursday, Oak Ridge senior Katie O’Brien scored the winning goal on a breakaway after a pass from junior Katelyn Mattus in the center of the field in the 53rd minute. O’Brien, who has committed to play soccer at Maryville College, got behind the Powell defense, came into the center, and shot the ball into the left side of the net, Oak Ridge Coach Tom Gorman said.

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Benita Albert to highlight Oak Ridge schools in Aug. 27 talk

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Benita Albert
Benita Albert

Noted educator Benita Albert will speak at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge on Tuesday, August 27.

The talk is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. in the City Room (A-111) of the Coffey-McNally Building.

Titled “SPECIAL (Students, Parents, Educators: A Community’s Incredible Alliance with Learning),” the talk will highlight the decades in the Oak Ridge public school system from the 1940s to the present, a press release said. Albert will cite exceptional teachers’ contributions, share candid student observations, and relate stories of alumni of Oak Ridge Schools who have become important world citizens, the release said.

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Geothermal well system leaking under ORHS soccer field

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The geothermal well system is leaking under the soccer field at Oak Ridge High School, requiring emergency repairs to prevent classroom heat pumps from shutting down, school officials said.

“Recently, we lost a section of the geothermal wellfield to leaks in the well system that would require extensive exploratory excavation to locate and repair the leaks,” said Allen Thacker, Oak Ridge Schools maintenance and operations supervisor. “This option is not possible due to the location of the wellfield under the soccer field and the extensive cost of excavation and replacement of field damage. The wellfield is now operating at below 80 percent capacity, and the need for the cooling tower to be the primary source of water cooling is imperative to prevent shutdown of the classroom heat pumps.”

Thacker said the heat pumps serve all of the Learning Center, most of Comprehensive Studies, part of the Wellness Center, Visual Arts, and administration areas.

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Bat infestation cleaned from high school during summer

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A bat infestation was cleaned from a third floor ceiling of Oak Ridge High School this summer, school officials said.

Five live bats and more than 20 dead bats were removed, according to Allen Thacker, maintenance and operations supervisor for Oak Ridge Schools.

Maintenance workers had learned of the possible infestation on June 5, Thacker said. A pest control contractor said the infestation was contained in a third floor level of a 1994 addition.

The contractor said the bats were a common brown bat that migrates though the area, and the bats were most likely part of a larger colony that moved through the area, leaving a small group of sick or weakened bats behind.

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Air Force musicians to perform at Oak Ridge High School

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The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America’s Concert Band will present a concert in Oak Ridge next week.

The concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27, in the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Auditorium at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Admission is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, visit the website www.bandofmidamerica.af.mil or www.usaf27july.eventbrite.com.

This is a family-friendly, all-ages event, a press release said. The concert is presented in partnership with Explore Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools.

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ORHS student part of Team USA at International Biology Olympiad

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Photo of Henry Shen courtesy of Oak Ridge High School teacher Sharon Thomas.

Henry Shen of Oak Ridge High School is one of four students who will represent Team USA at the International Biology Olympiad in Hungary next week.

Shen was one of four gold medalists at the USA Biology Olympiad, or USABO, at the University of California in San Diego on July 3. That’s the premier biology competition for high school students in the United States.

“After two rounds of challenging exams, 20 finalists are invited to a residential training program where they learn advanced biological concepts and exacting lab skills at the USABO National Finals,” the organization said on its website. “Ultimately, four students earn the right as Team USA to represent the USA at the International Biology Olympiad, a worldwide competition involving student teams from over 70 countries.”

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Shen of ORHS participating in USA Biology Olympiad Finals

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Photo of Henry Shen courtesy of Oak Ridge High School teacher Sharon Thomas.

Henry Shen of Oak Ridge High School is among 20 students participating in the USA Biology Olympiad National Finals in California.

The Center for Excellence in Education announced Shen’s participation in the 17th Annual USA Biology Olympiad National Finals. The competition is hosted by the University of California San Diego on its campus.

“We look forward to hosting the USA Biology Olympiad finalists, and welcome the energy and drive that these stellar students bring to this national event anthedo campus,” said Kit Pogliano, ean of UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences. “The biological research and teaching facilities at UC San Diego and our surrounding institutions provide an ideal location to host this program and to prepare biology superstars from around the country for the international competition.”

The finalists, including Shen, are participating from June 22 to July 6 at UC San Diego for 10 days of biology instruction that includes laboratory training and conceptual understanding, followed by two days of testing, a press release said.

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Atomic Rowing pair finishes 11th in USRowing Youth National Championships

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An Atomic Rowing team finished 11th in the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, from June 6-9, 2019. The women’s lightweight double consisted of Sara Kate White, a sophomore at Maryville High School, and Veda Seay, a senior at Oak Ridge High School. (Photo courtesy Rachel Seay)

An Atomic Rowing team finished 11th in the nation at youth championships in Florida this month.

The women’s lightweight double consisted of Veda Seay, a senior at Oak Ridge High School, and Sara Kate White, a sophomore at Maryville High School. They competed in the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Florida, from June 6-9.

Seay and White had a fantastic weekend of racing, a press release said. Their boat placed 12th in time trials on Thursday, June 6, with a time of 7:29.200. Only the top nine teams advanced to semifinals, and the rest competed in a second-chance repechage.

Seay and White went on to win their repechage race on Friday, June 7, to advance to semifinals with a time of 7:47.576, beating a PNRA/Mercer team by about two seconds.

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Graduation Celebration for high school graduates on May 30

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Graduation Celebration 2018 — Card Games (Photo courtesy Graduation Celebration)

The 22nd Annual Oak Ridge Graduation Celebration—a free, all-night party for high school graduates in the city—will be held Thursday, May 30, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It will start at 10 p.m., according to event organizers.

The party, which goes until May 31 at 5 a.m., is aimed at keeping graduates safe in an alcohol- and drug-free environment while celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime event. Since the party’s inception in 1997, not one traffic accident involving a student has occurred on graduation night in Oak Ridge, and nearly 6,000 students have participated, a press release said.

“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,” said Debbie Magill, chair of the planning committee. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about students, is proud of their accomplishments, and wants them to be safe on graduation night. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.”

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Leading AI expert, ORHS grad to be featured at reception, talk on Monday

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Submitted photo

Kai-Fu Lee—a world leading artificial intelligence expert, venture capitalist, author, and founder of Google China and Microsoft Research Asia—will discuss artificial intelligence in Oak Ridge on Monday.

The May 6 talk is titled “Making AI Work.”

The public is invited to attend a community reception for, and also lecture by, Lee at Pollard Auditorium from 5:30-7:30 p.m., a press release said.

Lee, a 1979 Oak Ridge High School graduate, is being hosted by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and Friends of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the press release said.

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