Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge, other schools closed due to weather Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Accumulating snow is expected to begin along the plateau in the morning hours and progress eastward through the day. Roads may become snow-covered and slick soon after the beginning of snow, with temperatures below freezing on Tuesday afternoon and evening, Jan. 16, 2018. (Image by National Weather Service in Morristown)

Accumulating snow is expected to begin along the plateau in the morning hours and progress eastward through the day. Roads may become snow-covered and slick soon after the beginning of snow, with temperatures below freezing on Tuesday afternoon and evening, Jan. 16, 2018. (Image by National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Oak Ridge Schools and other local school systems will be closed due to winter weather, possibly including a few inches of snow, on Tuesday.

The other districts that will be closed include Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County.

The National Weather Service in Morristown said an arctic cold front will move across the Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians Tuesday, bringing frigid temperatures and snow that will accumulate.

“Snowfall of one to three inches is expected Tuesday into early Tuesday night,” the National Weather Service said. “Please stay tuned to the latest forecast for further updates.” [Read more…]

NASA recognizes Robertsville Middle School’s satellite work on website home page

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students. (Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

Robertsville Middle School students participating in the NASA Project-Based Learning course visit Marshall to present their CubeSat project to a panel of engineers. Marshall developed curriculum and trained teachers for the elective course while Marshall engineers served as mentors to the students.
(Photo credit: NASA/Oak Ridge Schools)

 

NASA has recognized the satellite work of Robertsville Middle School on the home page of its website. The project is part of an effort by NASA to encourage learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM.

The partnership that was recognized involves Robertsville Middle School and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and work on a small one-unit cube satellite, or 1U CubeSat.

Patrick Hull, technical assistant for the Structural and Mechanical Design Branch of the Engineering Directorate at Marshall, helped with this collaboration, which is in the community where he grew up. He partnered with Robertsville Middle School STEM teacher Todd Livesay. They created a project that had students design and 3-D print a small one-unit cube satellite, or 1U CubeSat.

Once completed, the students presented their project at Marshall in front of Hull and a panel of fellow engineers.

For the 2017 class mission, students chose a cause that is near to their hearts, NASA said. In 2016, wildfires ravaged communities in Gatlinburg, in the mountains about 1.5 hours southeast of Oak Ridge, taking the lives of 14 residents and leaving more than 2,500 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. To help Gatlinburg and other communities affected by the wildfires, the Robertsville students set out to develop a CubeSat capable of deploying a camera and radio in space to observe and communicate the regrowth pattern of vegetation after a widespread fire. This information can be used to help communities regrow after destruction, NASA said. [Read more…]

Roads icy: Oak Ridge Schools, Roane State closed today

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

A tractor-trailer jack-knifed on Interstate 40 West at mile marker 349 in Roane County. That roadway is closed, the Tennessee Department of Transportation said. I-40 East at MM 349 has one lane open. Roads are very icy in this area, TDOT said Monday morning, Jan. 8, 2018. The Oak Ridge/Gallaher Road exit is Exit 356. (Photo courtesy TDOT)

 

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

Oak Ridge Schools are closed today as a layer of ice coated the ground in Oak Ridge, making roads and sidewalks slippery.

The schools had originally planned to open two hours late.

Other local school systems are also closed today (Monday, January 8) as the forecast had called for freezing rain or a wintry mix of precipitation around school arrival time this morning. Among the other school systems closed are Anderson County, Clinton, and Roane County. Roane State Community College is closed today as well (see here for more information). [Read more…]

Updated: Oak Ridge government, schools delayed; Anderson County Schools closed

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

Light ice accumulations are possible late tonight and into Monday, Jan. 8, 2018. The main problems are expected to be patches of ice on roads. During the day Monday, temperatures will warm, and the precipitation should eventually turn to all rain. (Image courtesy National Weather Service in Morristown)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 8:45 p.m.

Light icing and freezing rain are possible tonight (Sunday, January 7), and Oak Ridge government offices will open two hours late on Monday, Oak Ridge Schools will start two hours late, and Anderson County Schools will be closed.

Oak Ridge Schools said the two-hour delay is weather-related.

Anderson County Schools Director Tim Parrott said the county school closure is due to the predicted forecast of ice and the safety of students and staff. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools the first in Tennessee to earn AdvancED STEM district-wide certification

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in Tennessee—and only the second entire district in the world—to earn district-wide STEM certification from AdvancED, officials said Friday. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The picture above includes administrators from Oak Ridge Schools and Oak Ridge High School. (Photo by Oak Ridge Schools)

Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in Tennessee—and only the second entire district in the world—to earn district-wide STEM certification from AdvancED, officials said Friday. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The picture above includes administrators from Oak Ridge Schools and Oak Ridge High School. (Photo by Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Oak Ridge Schools is the first district in Tennessee—and only the second entire district in the world—to earn district-wide STEM certification from AdvancED, officials said Friday. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Oak Ridge High School received STEM certification from AdvancED on Friday, making the Oak Ridge school district the first entire district in the state to be STEM-certified by AdvancED, a press release said.

“Oak Ridge High School is also the first comprehensive high school in the state to earn this distinction as an entire school, as opposed (to) certifying a single STEM program area,” the press release said.

The release said that AdvancED implements a research-based framework and criteria for the awareness, continuous improvement, and assessment of the quality, rigor, and substance of STEM educational programs. [Read more…]

Presentation on opioid drug epidemic Wednesday evening at RMS

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Chasing the Dragon Flyer Nov 29 2017

There will be a presentation on the opioid drug epidemic this evening at Robertsville Middle School.

The presentation is hosted by the offices of Safe Schools and Coordinated School Health. They are inviting the Oak Ridge community and friends of Oak Ridge Schools to the presentation, which is this evening (Wednesday, November 29) in the Robertsville Middle School Auditorium.

The evening will include a screening of the film “Chasing the Dragon,” a press release said. Following the film, the group will engage in a panel discussion with former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Neil Morgenstern as well as representatives from Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, Ridgeview Behavioral Health, and ASAP of Anderson County.

The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday to provide those who attend an opportunity to visit with area mental health, drug prevention, treatment, and recovery agencies. The program will start promptly at 6 p.m. [Read more…]

Accepting state grant for Blankenship Field means it must be open to public

Posted at
By 1 Comment

Blankenship Field Overall Plan

An overall view of the proposed renovation of Blankenship Field and Jack Armstrong Stadium. (File image from April 2015)

 

Accepting a state grant of $480,000 for Blankenship Field, primarily for synthetic turf, means that the facilities must be open to the public.

But there could be exceptions for previously scheduled events that are coordinated through the Oak Ridge school system.

Keeping the facilities open is part of an operational agreement with Oak Ridge Schools that was amended in a 7-0 vote by Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, November 13.

“The important thing is that it’s just not locked up,” Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson told City Council during that meeting. Residents have to be able to use the property.

Watson said there will be a bathroom available, and the facilities will be open sunrise to sunset. There could be field rentals, Watson said. [Read more…]

Adams, RMS principal, moving to job in Hamilton County

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Garfield Adams

Garfield Adams

Garfield Adams, Robertsville Middle School principal, has accepted a position with the Hamilton County Department of Education as the exceptional education director.

Adams will continue in his role as RMS principal until December 31, a press release said.

Effective January 1, 2018, Tonya Childress will serve as the interim principal of Robertsville Middle School, and David Scott will serve as interim administrative assistant, the press release said.

Childress has both doctor of education and educational specialist degrees from Lincoln Memorial University. She received both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in technology education, the press release said. Childress has served as the vice principal of Robertsville since July 2017. [Read more…]

Great American Eclipse in Oak Ridge Schools

Posted at
By 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…]

Oak Ridge High School holds annual September 11 memorial

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge firefighters are pictured above at the 9/11 memorial at Oak Ridge High School on Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

Oak Ridge firefighters are pictured above at the 9/11 memorial at Oak Ridge High School on Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo courtesy Oak Ridge Schools)

 

Submitted

As is emblazoned in many of our memories, September 11, 2001, was the day that 19 militants associated with al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against several targets in the United States. Beginning at 9:03 a.m., two planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third airplane flew into the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people died in these attacks.

To ensure Oak Ridge residents remember the impact of this day in history, Ken Senter, Advanced Placement US History teacher, arranged for remnants of the Twin Towers and a block of granite from Ground Zero to serve as a memorial at Oak Ridge High School. The display resides at the north entrance to the school on Providence Road. Each September 11, beginning exactly at 9:03 a.m., students at Oak Ridge High School gather at this site for a tribute to the lives of victims and first responders, both living and lost. For the past decade-and-a-half, our students have shared their own memories of the day’s events. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools ACT scores exceed state goals

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge Schools have announced that students are again performing well above the state average on the ACT in all areas.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the overall average composite was a 22.8. Oak Ridge students particularly excel in English on the ACT exam, at which Oak Ridge students score about 20 percent higher than the state average, a press release said.

In addition, more than 65 percent of Oak Ridge students score at or above a 21 on their average composite, as compared to the state average of 42 percent. [Read more…]

Education Foundation director at Lunch with the League on Tuesday

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Jessica Steed

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…]