Oak Ridge Today

Schools: Counselors available at ORHS on Thursday, Friday after student’s death

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An Oak Ridge High School student passed away at home on Wednesday, March 4, and counselors will be available at the school on Thursday (as long as weather permits) and on Friday, officials said in a Thursday morning release.

“It is a sad day for Oak Ridge High School and the entire Oak Ridge community,” the Oak Ridge Schools’ release said. “The thoughts and prayers of the Oak Ridge High School and Oak Ridge Schools’ staff go out to the family. Please join us in keeping the family, friends, and the entire Oak Ridge High School family in your thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time.”

The counselors will be available at Oak Ridge High School to help students, parents, and friends deal with their thoughts and feelings associated with this loss, the release said.

ORHS Orchestra, KSO present joint ‘side-by-side’ concert on March 10

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ORHS Orchestra and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra

KSO Conductor Jim Fellenbaum conducts the ORHS and KSO orchestra members during a recent rehearsal in preparing for their March 10 concert. (Submitted photo)

 

The Oak Ridge High School Orchestra and Knoxville Symphony Orchestra will present a joint “side-by-side” concert on March 10 at 7 p.m. at the ORHS Auditorium.

The concert will feature three movements from Holst’s “St. Paul Suite,” the first movement of Mozart’s K525, movement one from Bach’s “Brandenburg Concerto No. 3,” and four movements from “Capriol Suite” by Peter Warlock. The KSO will also perform Movement Five from Grieg’s “Holberg Suite.”

Doug Phillips, ORHS Orchestra Director stated: “This joint concert allows ORHS Orchestra students to have professional musicians as their stand partner during rehearsals before the concert. The interactions are highly productive for motivating and inspiring students involved in the orchestra program.”

Education Foundation accepting applications for International Study Scholarship

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is accepting applications through Friday for the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Student Scholarship, offering students attending Oak Ridge public schools or recent graduates support for participating in international study programs.

Lawler, an Oak Ridge High School graduate who was the second student in Oak Ridge to participate in an American Field Service international exchange program, established the scholarship to offer students opportunities to gain tolerance and an understanding of people from other cultures through international study programs. Lawler, a retired marine biologist who died in 2013, had designated the Education Foundation to administer the scholarship endowment.

The deadline for submitting the application is Friday, March 6, 2015. Applications are available through the Foundation’s website at www.orpsef.org under the Lawler Scholarship tab, and should be returned to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, P.O. Box 117 MS-22, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Applicants may also call Jessica Steed, executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, at (865) 241-3667 or e-mail her at [email protected] to request an application. [Read more…]

Reminder: ORHS Masquers present ‘Oliver’ from March 6-8

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ORHS Masquers Oliver

Pictured above are Lucas Potter as Fagin, Toby Taylor as Oliver, and Matt Harder as the Artful Dodger in the ORHS Masquers production of “Oliver.” (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s drama program, will present the musical “Oliver” in four performances in March.

The performances are scheduled for Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m., at the Oak Ridge Performing Arts Center at ORHS.

Director Dana Wham, whose first performance as a young actor was in “Oliver,” has directed, choreographed, or acted in numerous adult and children productions throughout the region, and says this year’s musical is the biggest the school has produced during her time as director. [Read more…]

Saturday at Oak Ridge: Wildcats play Heritage, Bearden takes on Maryville

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The Region 2-AAA basketball tournament semifinals will be played in Oak Ridge this evening.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats will take on Heritage at 7:30 p.m. That game will be preceded by a match between Bearden and Maryville that starts at 6 p.m.

The games will be played at the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Arena. [Read more…]

ORHS Ensemble, JazzKats have 1940s concert, dance party with ORHPA Friday

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ORHS Ensemble with JazzKat Trumpeter

Submitted

The Secret is Out, and Swing is In! If you’re In the Mood, catch the Choo Choo Ch’Boogie.

Jump off at Tuxedo Junction, and we’ll Sing, Sing, Sing to Minnie the Moocher!

Grab your Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and put on your dancing shoes.

Join the Oak Ridge High School Ensemble and JazzKats on Friday, February 13, at 7 p.m. at the Historic Grove Theater for a program of “swingin’ tunes and hot dancing that is sure to please all the hepcats in town.”

It’s a fundraising 1940s concert and dance party. [Read more…]

ORHS athletic director recognized for distinguished service by TSSAA

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Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins

Mike Mullins, the athletic director at Oak Ridge High School, has been honored by the TSSAA for his distinguished service as an administrator.

The TSSAA, or Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, administers junior and senior high school sports. A story in the Winter 2015 issue of TSSAA News said Mullins is finishing his ninth year as athletic director at ORHS and his 29th year in interscholastic athletics and education.

[Read more…]

BOE: Fix lead paint now, prepare for new Preschool by 2016-2017

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Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council

The Oak Ridge Board of Education, seated at right, and City Council, left, are pictured above during a Jan. 15 work session on the Oak Ridge Schools’ Preschool, among other agenda items.

 

Finding a new preschool might not happen as quickly as some would like, but the city’s school board on Monday recommended a few first steps that could have children in a new building by the 2016-2017 school year.

The main concern now: Fix the lead-based paint on the decades-old home of the Preschool on New York Avenue. That repair could cost an estimated $150,000. A remediation plan could be submitted to federal officials and Anderson County education officials by March 4.

There had been some hope that a new home for preschool students might be found as early as this August. [Read more…]

ORHS: Four state winners, one national winner in computing awards for young women

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NCWIT Awards to Oak Ridge High School

Pictured above from left to right are Olivia Bookout, Patricia Edou, Serena French, and Keith Jackson. Indigo Jackson is not pictured. (Submitted photo)

 

Four Oak Ridge High School students won state honors, and one student was a national winner—the first from East Tennessee—in computing awards given to young women in 2015.

The Award for Aspirations in Computing by the National Center for Women and Technology honors young women at the high-school level for their computing-related achievements and interests, a press release said. Awardees are selected for their computing and IT aptitude, leadership ability, academic history, and plans for post-secondary education.

The four ORHS students were among 11 state winners from Tennessee. The Oak Ridge students are Olivia Bookout, Patricia Edou, Serena French, and Indigo Jackson. [Read more…]

Council, School Board to discuss Preschool, Administration Building today

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Oak Ridge Preschool and School Administration Building

Oak Ridge school officials have previously considered four options to replace or renovated the Oak Ridge Schools Preschool and Robert J. Smallridge School Administration Building on New York Avenue. Officials say the building needs to be renovated or vacated for the Head Start program to receive funding in the 2015-2016 school year.

 

The Oak Ridge City Council and Board of Education have a joint meeting this evening (Thursday, January 15) to discuss the Preschool and School Administration Building, a 70-year-old building that officials have been hoping to replace for years.

In December, the City Council and BOE toured a building on Mitchell Road that could be a new home for the Preschool. It’s one of several proposed options that have been recently discussed. Others include repairing the existing building on New York Avenue or building a new facility. Officials have largely ruled out splitting up the Preschool and hosting students in classrooms at the city’s elementary schools.

Education officials say the Preschool has to be renovated or vacated by next year in order for the school system to continue to receive federal Head Start funding. [Read more…]

Guest column: Glad she went on schools’ tour, encourages others to go

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Art and Science Class

The microscope pictured above was in a combined class taught by art teacher Jim Dodson and science teacher John Beard at Jefferson Middle School. (Photos courtesy Mary Layton)

 

By Mary Layton

On Tuesday, December 16, I went on the inaugural Oak Ridge School’s Community Tour.

We met at the American Museum of Science and Energy bright and early at 8 am. We were divided into two groups. The Einstein Group was hosted by Tracey Beckendorf-Edou, and the Curie Group had as its leader Chris Marczak.

We began with a short history of Oak Ridge given by Ken Mayes. We were reminded of the important role our city played in World War II.

Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, welcomed us to the tour. He told us about the Keys to College and Career Readiness. These goals were developed by interviewing and surveying Oak Ridge students, parents, staff, and community in late 2013. The goal of the keys is to prepare students to go to college, obtain industry certification in a skill, or receive military preparation by graduation. Borchers told us that our tour would show us how they were working to obtain these goals. [Read more…]

BOE, City Council to tour possible new preschool building

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161 Mitchell Road

The Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council will tour this building at 161 Mitchell Road on Thursday afternoon. It’s a possible new home for the Oak Ridge Preschool.

 

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

The Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council will tour a building on Mitchell Road on Thursday afternoon that could be a new home for the Preschool.

Built as a temporary building, the current Preschool on New York Avenue is 70 years old and in need of repairs.

A new School Administration Building and Preschool has been on the city’s wish list for years. But now education officials say the Preschool has to be renovated or vacated by next year in order for the school system to continue to receive federal Head Start funding.

They’ve recommended a long-term lease for the Preschool, with an option to purchase. Oak Ridge Schools has also recommended buying the Chamber of Commerce building for a new School Administration Building and remodeling the G Building at Oak Ridge High School to accommodate administration support services, a “better defined” Alternative School program, and the ROTC program. [Read more…]