Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation Archives

A former Oak Ridge student, artificial intelligence expert to visit city, talk at evening ceremony

Posted at 7:43 pm March 8, 2019
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

The cover of Kai-Fu Lee’s book, “AI Superpowers.” (Submitted)

Kai-Fu Lee—a world-leading artificial intelligence expert, venture capitalist, writer, and former president of Google China—is planning a visit to Oak Ridge on May 6, a press release said.

Lee, a 1979 Oak Ridge High School graduate, will visit his former schools, St. Mary’s Catholic School and Oak Ridge Schools, meeting with students and teachers during the day, the press release said.

The public is invited to an evening ceremony at Pollard Auditorium including a reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. and Lee’s talk at 6:30. This community event will be hosted by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, UT-Battelle, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and Friends of ORNL. Lee will be available to sign his most recent best-selling book, “AI Super-Powers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.” Copies of the book will be available for purchase, the press release said. [Read more…]

MCLinc gives OR schools history book to assisted living facilities, nursing homes

Posted at 5:24 pm December 30, 2018
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Pictured above at the Alexander Guest House are, from left, LuAnn Hanchett, community relations and activity director; MCLinc President Barry Stephenson; resident Muriel Bogardus; and Executive Director Amy Duncan. (Submitted photo)

This holiday season, Oak Ridge’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes received a special gift to help residents remember the history of Oak Ridge schools, a press release said. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc) provided the facilities with collector’s edition copies of the book “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in the Oak Ridge Schools 1944-2018,” which includes the history of the Oak Ridge school system, photographs, and memories from 1944 through the present.

The book was developed by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, and it includes anchor authors from each of the 75 classes who shared their memories and helped collect those of their classmates.

MCLinc donated more than 20 books to six facilities in Oak Ridge, including Brookdale, Canterfield, Alexander Guest House, Greenfield, The Courtyards, and NHC, the press release said.

“Each year MCLinc looks for ways that we can give back to the community where we live and work, and what better way to support our schools and provide cherished memories to residents than to make these books available,” said Barry Stephenson, president and chief executive officer of MCLinc. [Read more…]

Students from 75 years of Oak Ridge Schools share memories in new book

Posted at 12:30 pm September 25, 2018
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Students from each of the 75 classes of Oak Ridge Schools have shared their school memories in a new book. There is a “reveal party” for the book, “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in Education: Oak Ridge Schools, 1944-2018,” on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, at Oak Ridge High School. (Submitted photo)

Students from each of the 75 classes of Oak Ridge Schools have shared their school memories in a new book.

There is a “reveal party” for the book, “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence in Education: Oak Ridge Schools, 1944-2018,” on Wednesday at Oak Ridge High School. The celebration is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 26, in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater.

The celebration is being hosted by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation.

Moira Kaye—ORHS graduate, former local television news anchor, and Miss Tennessee 1983—will lead a panel discussion with ORHS alumni across the decades from the 1940s to the 1980s, a press release said. The panelists and Kaye are book anchor authors for their ORHS graduation classes. Their stories and other reminiscing will be further highlighted by an ORHS choral presentation of the ORHS Alma Mater and the ORHS Fight Song and the presentation of colors by the ORHS JROTC Flag Corps. Also, volunteers who served on the book project will be recognized. [Read more…]

ORNL Director Thomas Zacharia to present community lecture Thursday

Posted at 8:51 pm July 25, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Thomas Zacharia

Thomas Zacharia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will give a community lecture on Thursday. It’s the 21st season of the Dick Smyser Community Lecture Series.

Besides being ORNL director, Zacharia is also president and chief executive officer of UT-Battelle LLC, which operates ORNL for the U. S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

On Thursday, Zacharia will talk about the scientific agenda at ORNL in a presentation titled “Science and the State of the Lab,” a press release said. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of ORNL (FORNL) and the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF). It is free of charge, and it will be held at the Pollard Technology Conference Center at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. A reception will be held in the auditorium lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. (snacks will be served), and the lecture starts at 6 p.m. in the auditorium, the press release said.

“The talk will be of interest to students and the general public,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Education Foundation to award over $100K in grants in April ceremony

Posted at 1:43 pm March 27, 2018
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $104,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $104,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, a press release said.

Chuck Carringer, who has previously worked for Oak Ridge Schools and is now president of Chuck Carringer Executive Coaching, which provides leadership and management development services, will be the featured speaker at the April ceremony, the press release said. His talk will be titled “Teachers Making a Difference.”

The ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4 p.m. April 25. Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony, the press release said. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District.

Here are the 2018 grant recipients: [Read more…]

Education Foundation has book project to celebrate 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools

Posted at 9:13 am February 15, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning to publish a commemorative book to mark the 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools, complete with color photos, stories, and memories as told by teachers and alumni from each class from 1944 to 2018. The book’s cover art is by Jim Dodson. (Submitted image)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning a special book project to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Schools.

The book will be a collection of memories as told by teachers and alumni across all classes from 1944-2018. The Foundation has identified people to serve as anchor authors for each of the 75 classes, a press release said. Anchor authors have the option to share their memories, and they will help collect memories from classmates. Each class will submit two to three pages for publication in the book.

“This is a timely project to still be able to tell first-hand stories from the early beginnings and to cross-pollinate and historically savor and preserve the collected experiences from the first 75 years,” said Benita Albert, Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation board member. Albert, a retired math teacher, has found it to be very rewarding interviewing alumni and researching stories from the earliest years, the press release said. [Read more…]

Education Foundation director at Lunch with the League on Tuesday

Posted at 6:49 pm October 1, 2017
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Jessica Steed

Jessica Steed, executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, will be the guest speaker at Lunch with the League on Tuesday, October 3.

Steed will discuss the Critical Difference (the Foundation’s teacher grant program) and the special book project to celebrate the schools’ 75th anniversary, a press release said.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Education Foundation book project will celebrate 75th anniversary of Oak Ridge Schools

Posted at 7:52 pm June 7, 2017
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation has a kick-off meeting with Anchor Authors in April 2017. Pictured above is Jessica Steed, standing, and ORPSEF Board Member Benita Albert. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is planning a special book project to celebrate the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Oak Ridge Schools. The book will be a collection of memories as told by teachers and alumni across all classes from 1944-2018. The Foundation has identified people to serve as anchor authors for each of the 75 classes. Anchor authors have the option to share their memories, and they will help collect memories from classmates. Each class will submit two to three pages for publication in the book.

Albert, a retired math teacher, has found the project to be very rewarding while interviewing alumni and researching stories from the earliest years, a press release said.

The Foundation’s Board approved the special project at its March board meeting. A kickoff meeting was hosted by the Foundation for all anchor authors in April. A few stories have already been submitted and many others are in the works. It is anticipated that the book will be about 250 pages long. In an effort to conserve any unpublished stories, the Foundation will offer a virtual archive where those stories can be accessed. [Read more…]

Education Foundation awarded more than $90,000 in grants in April

Posted at 11:36 am May 16, 2017
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation board members who were present with a big check at an grant awards ceremony at Oak Ridge High School on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. (Photo courtesy ORPSEF)

In the final year of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation awarded more than $90,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers. The grants were awarded during a ceremony at Oak Ridge High School on Wednesday, April 26.

Shirley Raines, president emeritus of the University of Memphis, was the featured speaker. Her talk was titled “Dreamers, Thinkers, Doers.” During her talk, Raines exhibited great appreciation and provided inspiration for teachers, a press release said.

“She asked teachers to think of the person who moved them to pursue their dreams, to be innovative thinkers, and to share their success stories which result from their grant awards in order to encourage their peers,” the release said.

The April 26 ceremony was open to the public with demonstrations of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation on display.

The 2017 grant recipients were: [Read more…]

Education Foundation to award more than $90,000 in grants in April 26 ceremony

Posted at 12:32 pm April 4, 2017
By Jessica Steed Leave a Comment

A photo from a grant award last year for a 3D printer for Robertsville Middle School. (Submitted photo)

In the final year of its “Making the Critical Difference” campaign, the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation will award more than $90,000 in grants to Oak Ridge teachers at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 26, a press release said.

Shirley Raines, president emeritus of the University of Memphis, will be the featured speaker, the press release said. She will give a talk titled, “Dreamers, Thinkers, Doers.”

The grants ceremony is open to the public, and it will be held in the Oak Ridge High School cafeteria beginning at 4 p.m. April 26.

Demonstrations and displays of some of the projects and technology funded by the Foundation will be given after the formal ceremony, the press release said. Light refreshments will be provided courtesy of Oak Ridge Utility District.

The 2017 grant recipients are as follows: [Read more…]

Navy Junior ROTC program to start at ORHS in 2017-2018

Posted at 12:41 pm January 20, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge High School will begin offering a Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, program in the 2017-2018 school year.

ORHS has been trying to start a Junior ROTC program since 2014. It’s expected to lead to more students attaining the seventh key in the school system’s Seven Keys to College and Career Reediness. (The seventh key says all students will participate in dual enrollment, advanced placement coursework, industry certification, or military preparation by graduation.)

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation and CNS—the contractor that operates and manages the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge and Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas—have donated $15,000 to help with start-up costs of the Navy JROTC. An announcement of that $15,000 donation called the Navy Junior ROTC program the Naval National Defense Cadet Corp program. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools receives $15K grant to implement Naval National Defense Cadet Corp

Posted at 10:43 pm December 19, 2016
By Holly Cross Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools Naval National Defense Cadet Corp Check

Oak Ridge Schools recently received a $15,000 check to implement a new Naval National Defense Cadet Corp program at Oak Ridge High School.
The check was presented by Jessica Steed, third from right, executive director of Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, or ORPSEF, and Kristin Waldschlager and Gene Sievers, both of CNS Y-12. Also pictured, at left, is Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Schools recently received a $15,000 check to implement a new Naval National Defense Cadet Corp program at Oak Ridge High School.

The check was presented by Jessica Steed, executive director of Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, or ORPSEF, and Kristin Waldschlager and Gene Sievers, both of CNS Y-12.

The check was presented at a December 9 meeting of the Oak Ridge Schools Advisory Board. [Read more…]