Oak Ridge Today

ORHS selected for Sprint 1 Million Project, providing free internet to students for homework completion

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Oak Ridge Schools bus

Oak Ridge High School is participating in the Sprint 1 Million Project program. Through that project, the high school will receive free internet devices and service to help students complete their schoolwork from home, a press release said.

“Sprint’s mission with this project is to provide free wireless devices and service to one million students who are in need of reliable internet service,” the press release said. “The 1 Million Project is the largest corporate initiative in U.S. history to bridge the digital divide and help close the ‘homework gap’ for students lacking home internet access.”

The press release said Sprint plans to welcome approximately 200,000 eligible high school students into the program each year for five years, offering them devices and connectivity for up to four years while in high school. Oak Ridge High School is now a part of this five-year program.

“For the 2017-2018 school year, we will receive 300 devices,” the press release said. “We will continue to communicate with Sprint annually to determine the device quantities needed for the following program years.” [Read more…]

ORHS JazzKats, Band play final concert of the school year on Thursday

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The Oak Ridge High School JazzKats, along with the entire Band, will play their final concert of the school year on Thursday.

The concert is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25, in the ORHS Performing Arts Center Auditorium.

“The JazzKats will kick off the show with the Concert and Symphonic Bands following,” a press release said. “Come enjoy our free concert and help us send our seniors off on their next adventure!”

You can see a short video clip from the last concert, “Come out Swingin’” by Larry Neeck, here.

Seven ORHS students among thousands at national scholastic chess championships

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Edward Moran

Oak Ridge High School freshman Edward Moran, left, bears down to win his last-round match against a senior from Maryland to clinch second place. (Submitted photo)

 

There were 1,585 high school category entrants among the 5,578 students from across the country competing in the 2017 USChess SuperNationals tournament, which was held May 12-14 at the Opryland Convention Center in Nashville. ORHS juniors Bronson Burdick, Andrew Chan, and Carson McGhee, as well as freshmen Justin Blanchard, Edward (“Bear”) Moran, Logan Ogle, and Mack Patrick were among them, joined by former world champion Garry Kasparov, who made the ceremonial first move.

The school’s top score was Bear Moran’s 6.5 of a possible 7 in the U800 category, which was a clear second overall behind only a junior from Florida who had the only perfect score of the 220 players in that division. The ORHS players overall had a winning percentage of more than 55 percentage against the top competition in the United States.

Each year, there are national competitions for elementary (K-6), junior high (K-9), and high school (K-12). Every four years, these championships are combined in one venue as “SuperNationals.” The organizers stated this was the largest chess tournament in history in terms of participants. [Read more…]

ORHS student wins National Merit Scholarship

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Oak Ridge High School student Lara S. Blokland has won a National Merit Scholarship. The scholarship winners were announced this week by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Blokland is one of two area students to win a National Merit Battelle Scholarship. The other is Nalin H. Varma of Farragut High School.

Blokland’s probable career field is physics, a press release said, and Varma could study chemical engineering.

This week’s announcement was the first announcement of National Merit Scholars in 2017 by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, or NMSC. NMSC will name recipients of National Merit $2,500 Scholarships on May 10 and winners of college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards on June 7 and July 17. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge students compete in Southern Appalachian Science, Engineering Fair

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Ryan Armstrong earned second place for his project titled “Quantifying the Evolution of Gas from Li-ion Battery Materials” under the mentorship of Gabriel Veith of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with a $750 scholarship and trophy, Ryan will travel to Los Angeles, California in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair. (Submitted photo)

Ryan Armstrong earned second place for his project titled “Quantifying the Evolution of Gas from Li-ion Battery Materials” under the mentorship of Gabriel Veith of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with a $750 scholarship and trophy, Ryan will travel to Los Angeles, California, in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair. (Submitted photo)

 

Seven research students from Oak Ridge High School competed in the 66th Annual Southern Appalachian Science and Engineering Fair hosted at the University of Tennessee. The competition was held March 27-30 with the awards ceremony on Thursday evening. There were 55 Senior Division projects in competition, a press release said.

Five of the students were part of the Math, Science, and Computer Science Thesis course at ORHS that is advised by Tammy Carneim and Jessica Williams. The remaining two did their research independently with the help of teachers Deni Sobek and Sharon Thomas.

Ryan Armstrong earned second place for his project titled “Quantifying the Evolution of Gas from Li-ion Battery Materials” under the mentorship of Gabriel Veith of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Along with a $750 scholarship and trophy, Armstrong will travel to Los Angeles, California, in May to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Jasleen Narula earned fourth place and $100 for her project titled “Rapid High-Throughput Toxicity Screening of East Tennessee Water Samples Using Autobioluminescent Yeast Assay” under the mentorship of Steven Ripp. [Read more…]

See the 2017 ORHS track and field schedule

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Here is the 2017 Oak Ridge High School track and field schedule. The first meet is Saturday at Hardin Valley. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High School team advances to National Science Bowl

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An Oak Ridge High School team won first place in the 2017 Tennessee Science Bowl. Pictured above from left to right with their trophy are, front row, Coach Sharon Thomas, Henry Shen, and Wilson Huang; and back row, Stephen Qu, Joe Andress, and Adi Sujithkumar. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

An Oak Ridge High School team won first place in the 2017 Tennessee Science Bowl. Pictured above from left to right with their trophy are, front row, Coach Sharon Thomas, Henry Shen, and Wilson Huang; and back row, Stephen Qu, Joe Andress, and Adi Sujithkumar. (Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Energy)

 

After months of dogged determination to expand their knowledge of math and science, hone their competition skills, and function as a seamless unit, 60 high school teams from across the state of Tennessee gathered this past weekend to challenge their knowledge in broad science disciplines including chemistry, biology, physics, and energy to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy annual Tennessee Science Bowl.

Although fiercely competitive, only one school emerged the winner. That was Oak Ridge High School, which placed first and received an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C. The National Science Bowl will be held April 27-May 1. The ORHS team also received a $1,000 cash prize and a first-place trophy.

The Tennessee Science Bowl is the nation’s third-largest regional competition. Held at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, the regional bowl prepares students to compete nationally with other exceptional students from schools across the country, a DOE press release said. [Read more…]

Six senior athletes honored during National Signing Day at ORHS

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Surrounded by family members and school officials, Oak Ridge senior wide receiver Tee Higgins signs to play football at Clemson University at Oak Ridge High School on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Six senior athletes at Oak Ridge High School were honored during National Signing Day at Oak Ridge High School on Wednesday.

The six athletes, their sports, and the schools they will attend are:

  • Jake Etheridge—cross country, University of Tennessee in Chattanooga;
  • Alex Sherles—vollebyall, East Tennessee State University;
  • David Dunn—rowing, Stanford University;
  • Leah Scudder—soccer, Erskine College;
  • Kyndall Clark—football, Gardner-Webb University; and
  • Tee Higgins—football, Clemson University.

National Signing Day is the first day that high school seniors can sign a binding letter of intent with NCAA schools, ORHS Athletic Director Mike Mullins said. [Read more…]

Photos: ORHS Fusion Orchestra on ‘Blue Plate Special’ radio show on WDVX

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The Oak Ridge High School Fusion Orchestra performs on the “Blue Plate Special” on WDVX 89.9 FM at the Grove Theater in Oak Ridge on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Fusion Orchestra performed on the “Blue Plate Special” radio show on WDVX FM 89.9 on Friday. Here are photos from the show.

The groundbreaking fusion orchestra is now in its second year at ORHS, and it is the brainchild of ORHS Orchestra Director Doug Phillips, a press release said. According to Phillips, the class is a result of his doctoral studies during the past seven years at one of the top music universities in the world: Boston University.

“The class is a unique way to teach orchestra students for several reasons,” Phillips said. “First, in a traditional orchestra, all of the students are guided by notes on a paper that tell them exactly what to do and when to do it, how loud to play it, when to stop, etc., while the teacher acts as an overseer and dictates of all activities. [Read more…]

ORHS Fusion Orchestra will perform on ‘Blue Plate Special’ on WDVX on Friday

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The Oak Ridge High School Fusion Orchestra will perform on the “Blue Plate Special” on WDVX FM 89.9 on Friday.

The show is scheduled from 12-1 p.m. Friday, February 3, at the Grove Theater at 123 Randolph Road in Oak Ridge. It’s free.

The groundbreaking fusion orchestra is now in its second year at ORHS, and it is the brainchild of ORHS Orchestra Director Doug Phillips, a press release said. According to Phillips, the class is a result of his doctoral studies during the past seven years at one of the top music universities in the world: Boston University. [Read more…]

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

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Navy Junior ROTC

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…]

‘End of the road’: Etheridge resigns after 13 years as head coach, six state titles

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Pictured above are Oak Ridge cross country coach Allen Etheridge, center, and assistant coaches Ed Wright, left, and Tom Sauer at the Class AAA cross country meet at Percy Warner Park in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was updated at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 7.

Allen Etheridge has resigned as cross country coach at Oak Ridge High School after 13 years as head coach and six state titles.

His resignation is effective today (Friday, January 6). Etheridge was an assistant cross country coach for five years before he became head coach.

“I just have the sense that with cross country this was the end of the road,” Etheridge said. “I don’t know that I could bring anything new to the table.”

Besides the six state titles, Etheridge’s teams have won five runner-ups, three third places, one individual state championship, and 15 regional titles. The state championships were in 2005, 2006, and 2007 for the boys, and 2007, 2009, and 2010 for the girls. The individual state champion was John Sharpe in 2009.

The boys’ team finished second in the state meet in 2015 and third in 2016. The team won the Region 2-AAA meet for the third year in a row in October. [Read more…]