Oak Ridge Today

Register now for winter-spring 2022 ORICL courses

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An ORICL course during the winter-spring term will explore Zentangle, a fun, easy-to-learn, relaxing method of drawing beautiful images with structured patterns. As a meditational art form, every Zentangle stroke is mindful rather than mindless (like doodling). (Submitted photo)

 

Would you like to learn about fascinating characters in Oak Ridge history and in the Old West, as well as hear the voices of those who shaped the Golden Age of Radio? Are you familiar with the story about the Oak Ridge Wildcats football team that won the national championship in 1958?

Would you like to learn the best ways to research your family’s history and identify potential ancestors? Do you know all sides of the gun issue in our country? Do you wish to hear from a former Oak Ridge mayor and his wife how to run a local political campaign?

These and other interesting topics will be addressed in courses that will be taught during the winter-spring term of the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), a press release said. Most of the smorgasbord of 65 courses will be presented in person but a few will be online via Zoom or as hybrid classes (in person and online). ORICL’s in-person and hybrid classes will be held mostly in the Coffey-McNally building on Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Branch Campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The fall catalog is posted on ORICL’s www.roanestate.edu/oricl website. The registration form and calendar are also posted there, the press release said. Online registration opened Tuesday, December 7. Paper registrations can be brought to the office or mailed by December 14. The office will be closed from December 15 to January 3. [Read more…]

Register online now for ORICL summer courses

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Bill Capshaw, master potter and Oak Ridge resident, regularly teaches pottery to ORICL members who attend his classes at the Oak Ridge Art Center. (Submitted photo)

Looking for mental stimulation? Want to learn a new skill or increase your knowledge of history and science?

Online registration for in-person and online courses offered in the summer of 2021 by the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL) will open on April 20. The classes will be given between June 7 and July 30.

You can see the courses in the online Summer 2021 Catalog and register online by visiting the ORICL website at www.roanestate.edu/oricl. If you want to receive a paper catalog, call the ORICL office at (865) 481-8222 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon Monday through Thursday. You can also register by filling out a paper form inside the catalog and mailing it to the ORICL office, Room F-111, Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Ave., Oak Ridge, TN 37830. [Read more…]

Online classes offered for lifelong learners

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In a recent Friday lecture offered on Zoom by ORICL, Lane Warmbrod, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University with an Oak Ridge relative, spoke on “Advances in Life Sciences and their Implications for Biosecurity and Arms Control.” She mentioned untrue conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 virus. (Submitted photo)

 

For 21 different courses offered this fall by the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL), you don’t have to get dressed and drive to Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Branch Campus. All you have to do is open your email to the message about the class you registered for and click on the Zoom videoconferencing link. In less than two minutes, you will be admitted to the class.

On your computer screen, you will see yourself, your fellow classmates, and your instructor, who will speak, show Power Point slides., and offer you a chance to ask questions—all from the comfort and convenience of your home.

At least one of the classes—the Friday morning lecture series—will offer talks not only by local instructors but also by speakers from other cities and states. [Read more…]

Register by Friday for ORICL’s summer online, off-site classes

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Dan Robbins leads an ORICL class on observing birds and butterflies at the Oak Ridge Greenway. (Submitted photo by Don Miller)

Because of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on use of Roane State Community College buildings on the Oak Ridge campus, the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning (ORICL) is offering 25 online and off-site classes for its summer term.

Online registration is now open for the term, which runs from June 1 through July 31 for most classes. The summer 2020 catalog is available on the RSCC website at www.roanestate.edu/oricl. Click on the “Complete list of cancellations/Zoom list” link to see which classes are available and then, if you wish, read about the classes in the online catalog.

Please register by Friday, May 22, by emailing a list of the numbers and names of classes you wish to take to the ORICL office at [email protected]. If you are not an ORICL member, the fee for the summer term membership is $45. [Read more…]

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.

[Read more…]

Enrich your life through ORICL

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Submitted

What is ORICL? It is the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, and it is sponsored by Roane State Community College. It is open to people of all backgrounds and educational levels who reside in Oak Ridge, Clinton, Norris, Rocky Top, Knoxville, and the surrounding areas. ORICL offers programs to appeal to many different interests. Membership is $100 for a full year, consisting of three terms beginning in September; $80 for two terms beginning in February; and $45 for the summer term only.

Learn more about ORICL at https://www.roanestate.edu/?8465-ORICL-Oak-Ridge-Institute-for-Continued-Learning. Call the ORICL office at (865) 481-8222 to ask questions or to request a catalog. Online registration began on August 6, and paper registrations are being accepted starting August 7. [Read more…]

Learn about civil rights movement in lecture by Booker at Roane State

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Robert Booker

Robert J. Booker, local civil rights historian and Knoxville News Sentinel columnist, will present a talk titled “100 Years of the Civil Rights Movement” on Thursday, May 23, at 3 p.m. in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

A Knoxville native, Booker is a graduate of Knoxville College, where he initiated and led the Sit-in Movement to desegregate lunch counters and movie theaters in Knoxville, a press release said. He was the first African American representing Knox County to be elected to the state legislature, where he served three terms, the press release said. He was administrative assistant to the Knoxville mayor for seven years and was executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center for 17 years. He has also held positions on the State Civil Service Commission and the Tennessee Committee on Humanities. [Read more…]

Sign up for summer term at ORICL

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Catalogs are now available for the summer term at ORICL (Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning). Online registration opens on April 23, and the summer term runs from June 3 through August 2. Registrations may be submitted in paper format as well. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to select from almost 70 interesting, informative, and/or entertaining classes and three special activities.

To take advantage of these outstanding offerings, one must join ORICL as a dues-paying member. The fee for membership is $100 for a full year of fall, winter/spring, and summer terms beginning in September; $80 for two terms beginning in January; and $45 for the summer term only. If you are already a member of ORICL for the 2018-19 session, there are no fees due. If you are new to ORICL, the fee will be $45 for the summer term.

What is ORICL? ORICL is a continuing education opportunity for seniors, retirees, and anyone else who is able to fit the classes into his/her schedule of activities. ORICL is sponsored by Roane State Community College, and most classes are held at the Oak Ridge campus of RSCC. The courses offer varying content and appeal to people from all backgrounds and educational levels. ORICL is learning, for the fun of learning, taught by people who love to teach to people who appreciate gaining new information, a press release said.

“There is no pressure; there are no tests,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Owner of Pierce Physical Therapy to teach class at ORICL

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Pierce Physical Therapy

Ray Pierce, owner and clinic director of Pierce Physical Therapy of Oak Ridge, will be teaching a class at ORICL (Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning) starting Thursday.

Pierce will be teaching Anatomy and Health of the Musculoskeletal System, a press release said.

“We will review the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system with recommendations for health maintenance,” the press release said. “As a added bonus in one designated class session, we will review the recommendations for maintaining a healthy gut and digestive tract.” [Read more…]

ORICL provides scholarships for five Roane State students

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ORICL board president Priscilla McKenney, right, congratulates scholarship recipients Sara Nesbitt, left, and Jessica Osborn. Not pictured are additional ORICL scholarship recipients Candice Day, Gage Dotson, and Ivorie Hicks. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

ORICL board president Priscilla McKenney, right, congratulates scholarship recipients Sara Nesbitt, left, and Jessica Osborn. Not pictured are additional ORICL scholarship recipients Candice Day, Gage Dotson, and Ivorie Hicks. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Five Roane State Community College students received scholarships through the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL.

Roane State and ORICL have a partnership that spans two decades. Established in 1997, ORICL offers dozens of enrichment courses for its members in classrooms provided at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.

In addition, ORICL has established multiple scholarships supported by its members.

  • The John Million Scholarship, supported by a $5,000 annual donation by ORICL members.
  • The ORICL Scholarship Endowment, established in 2002 in celebration of ORICL’s fifth anniversary.
  • The Bob Jones Memorial Scholarship, established through memorial donations received by the Roane State Foundation in honor of the longtime ORICL member Bob Jones, who passed away in 2012.

[Read more…]

ORICL announces winter/spring classes for 2019

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Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning has opened online registration for its winter/spring term. A total of 82 classes and 7 trips are being offered for the winter/spring term running from February 4 through April 26, 2019, a press release said.

For those unfamiliar with ORICL, it is a not-for-profit organization offering classes, field trips, and other opportunities for area residents of all backgrounds and educational levels. ORICL is sponsored by Roane State Community College and located at the Oak Ridge campus of RSCC. ORICL is administered by a board of directors elected by the members and has two part-time paid employees. RSCC provides classrooms, an office, and administrative support. ORICL’s motto is “Enriching Lives Through Continued Learning.” There are no tests.

In order to attend classes, one must join ORICL as a dues-paying member. [Read more…]

‘Jazz & the Civil Rights Movement’ on Thursday

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Master Flautist Galen of Flute Juice Productions will present “Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement” at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The lecture, which will include musical interludes, is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the City Room of the Coffey/McNally building (A-111). It is free and open to the public.

The lecture is co-sponsored by RSCC’s International Education Department and their Arts and Lectures Committee, and Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning. [Read more…]