The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board will host the first Art in the Park, and it will feature local artists, interactive art displays and crafts, face painting, refreshments, and local musician performances.
Art in the Park is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Alvin K. Bissell Park Amphitheater Pavilion.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board is hosting a “Breakfast with Santa†on Saturday, December 7. The event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
The cost for the breakfast is $7 per participant ages 3 and up. Activities will include a kid-friendly breakfast buffet, Christmas crafts, and photos with Santa.Â
Reservations are required as spots for the event are limited, a press release said. Digital photos will be available online for free, but participants may opt to pay $5 for a 4×6 photo at the event.
[Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, in partnership with the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department and Allies for Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson, will host a free Movie Night in the Park event tonight (Friday, October 11).
The event will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park beginning at 7 p.m. The movie shown will be Disney’s “The Haunted Mansion†(rated PG) from 2003 starring Eddie Murphy. Free popcorn and drinks will be available while supplies last, a press release said.
[Read more…]
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.â€
[Read more…]The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board is planning a job fair for teenagers on Wednesday, September 12. It’s scheduled from 1:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the Oak Ridge High School Café.
The event will introduce students to possible job opportunities and provide them with information on resume writing and interviewing skills. The event will also serve as an excellent opportunity for vendors to meet potential employees, a press release said.
Vendors that have already signed up include: Big Ed’s Pizza, Kroger, ASAP, RecruitWise, the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge, and the City of Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department. Additional vendors are expected. [Read more…]
Every year, hundreds of Oak Ridge students enjoy the free Graduation Celebration at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, a safe, all-night party on graduation night. This year’s party is May 31. Those who donate $250 by May 1 will be listed on the annual T-shirt given to grads and volunteers. To donate, register a student, or volunteer, visit www.GraduationCelebration.org.
Graduation Celebration, a free all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, will host its 21st annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center from 10 p.m. May 31 until 5 a.m. June 1.
About 85 percent of the graduating class attends each year, and close to 5,000 Oak Ridge students have enjoyed this tradition since 1997, a press release said. The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board picks the theme each year, and this year it’s “Old Hollywood.†The Civic Center will be decorated in black, gold, and red, with plenty of glitter to go around, said event chairperson Debbie Magill.
“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,†Magill said. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Oak Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), and the citizens and businesses of our city.â€
All of the city’s high school graduates, including those from Oak Ridge High School, homeschool, or private schools are invited to the free event, the press release said. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, which has purchased new items at a local retailer with funds raised at board events, made a special delivery at the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, dropping off an estimated $1,200 worth of toys just in time for Christmas. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)
On Wednesday, the City of Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board made a special delivery at the Holiday Bureau of Anderson County, dropping off an estimated $1,200 worth of toys just in time for Christmas.
The YAB, made up of 16 Oak Ridge High School students, purchased new items at a local retailer with funds raised at other board events, a press release said. Items purchased include toys for all ages, as well as bicycles, clothing, and sports equipment. The items will soon be distributed to low-income families in Oak Ridge and Anderson County for the holidays, the press release said.
“This generation of young people want to make a real difference in the world and I’m proud to be able to work with them,†YAB City Staff Liaison Matt Reedy said. “YAB members voted unanimously to give back to kids who are less fortunate. Most of the money supporting this project was raised by students at the Children’s Halloween Party, a city event at which they also volunteer.â€
After delivering and helping sort through the donated items at the Holiday Bureau’s warehouse on Emory Valley Road, the students took a tour of the facility to learn more about the nonprofit’s mission and other ways they can help. [Read more…]
By David Bowman
First time visitors to the Oak Ridge High School tennis courts are discovering a unique public facility that accommodates three distinct racquet sports. Blue lines were added to Courts #1-6 as part of an Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board project. The blue lines combine with the white lines to divide the six regulation courts into 24 smaller courts. These smaller courts meet United States Tennis Association specifications for conducting sanctioned Ages 10 & Under tennis tournaments. Smaller tennis nets were provided at the tournaments, the players ages 10 and under used special low compression balls and smaller racquets. Combined with the smaller court size, age-appropriate equipment has been proven to help young children experience success at a faster rate.
The City of Oak Ridge painted red lines onto Courts #11-14 this past summer. These new boundaries define the court surface needed for the sport of pickleball. As a teaching professional, I’ve found pickleball is great cross training for teaching tennis technique to my students. In Oak Ridge, more than 170 players participate in a pickleball program sponsored by the Oak Ridge Senior Center.
During the past few years, I’ve conducted an “Olympics†style event for my tennis students. Its purpose was to test players’ tennis skills in fun ways to win prizes. The event this year is open to the public, with pickleball and youth tennis instruction added to the medal competition. It will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, October 28 at the Oak Ridge High School facility. [Read more…]
Three graduates from 2015 celebrate at Graduation Celebration. This year’s event is June 2. (File photo courtesy Matt Reedy/City of Oak Ridge)
Graduation Celebration, a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge, will host its 19th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. June 2 until 5 a.m. June 3. It is seeking volunteers and donations to help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night, a press release said.
“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,†said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.â€
All of the city’s high school graduates‚ whether from Oak Ridge High School, local home schools, or private schools—are invited to the free event. The party features activities such as inflatables, bingo, Sumo wrestling, SCUBA in the Civic Center pool, face painting, board games, and the annual “balloon drop.†More than $13,000 in prizes and scholarships are given every year in what has become an annual favorite event among the city’s youth. [Read more…]
Pictured above from left to right in front are Brent Robinson, Lucas Dunning, and Lewis Wang; in the second row are Jas Jakowski, Hannah Wilder, Audrey Bufton, Shichen Zhang, Ashley Riedy, Lauren Collier, Sam Sepulveda, Candace Pang, Shreyank Patel, Curtis Rookard; and in back are Hannah Oran, Kolton Reedy, Kevin Reedy, Alexis Palau, Kristina Reed, Macy Barclay, Joel Turner, Christian Thompson, Peter Magill, Rebecca Kolling, and Stella Powell. (Submitted photo)
The Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board members recently voted to spend time and money Christmas shopping at Kmart for area children through Mission of Hope.
The board raises funds at various events throughout the year to make this possible. In total, the board spent more than $1,500 on gifts.
“The YAB would like to encourage other student groups and families to consider holiday projects that help those in need, while also reminding everyone to shop in Oak Ridge this holiday season!” a press release said. [Read more…]
File photo/2014
The annual Battle of the Teen Bands is this evening (Friday, April 24).
It’s been organized by Y-12 Federal Credit Union and the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board.
The Battle of the Bands is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. today at the Oak Ridge Civic Center Pavilion. The rain venue will be the Paradox Teen Center in Oak Ridge.
Prizes are studio time (a $1,000 value), $300, and $150.
Graduation Celebration 2014
Graduation Celebration—a free, all-night party for high school graduates in Oak Ridge—will host its 18th annual event at the Oak Ridge Civic Center, from 10 p.m. Thursday, May 28, until 5 a.m. Friday, May 29. It is seeking sponsorships and volunteer help with this community-wide effort to keep youth safe on graduation night.
“We are so glad to be able to offer this wonderful event to our graduates,†said Debbie Magill, chairperson of the event. “It shows our youth that the City of Oak Ridge cares about them and is proud of their accomplishments. We could not put on this event without the generous support of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board, and the citizens and businesses of our city.†[Read more…]
