Oak Ridge Today

ORCSGirls joins attempt to set world record for number of girls coding

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Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. After reaching more than 500 girls in 2017, the organization is ready to do it again, covering topics from Python and virtual reality to information graphics, robots, cyber security, and much more. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls, or ORCSGirls, is on a mission to inspire girls in the community to explore the possibilities of technology and computer science. (Submitted photo)

 

Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls (ORCSGirls) is joining the TechGirlz code breakers event on March 30 to set the world record for the number of girls coding.

ORCSGirls will be running events on March 30 from noon to 3 p.m. at two locations: Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge and at the Blount County Public Library in Maryville. Both workshops will teach participating middle school girls the basics of website development, a press release said.

During the workshop, girls from around the country will be connected through video chat to set this world record. [Read more…]

Roane State’s Ralph Monday to host poetry reading March 13, Oak Ridge campus

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Ralph Monday

Ralph Monday

 

Roane State Community College English Professor Ralph Monday, who has had hundreds of his poems published in more than 100 journals, will hold a poetry reading on March 13 on the college’s Oak Ridge campus at 701 Briarcliff Avenue.

The event will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, in the City Room of the Coffey-McNally Building. The public is invited, a press release said.

Monday is originally from Clairfield, Tennessee, a small Appalachian town on the Kentucky border.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee, and obtained his doctorate from Northcentral University, the press release said.

Among his published works: a chapbook, “All American Girls and Other Poems,” was published in July 2014, and Aldrich Press published his book, “Empty Houses and American Renditions,” in May 2015. [Read more…]

Book sale at Roane State in Oak Ridge on Feb. 25-26

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Roane-State-Coffey-Library

The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo by RSCC)

 

The Coffey Library at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge campus will host its annual “Love Your Library” book sale on Monday, February 25, and Tuesday, February 26, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The sale will include fiction, non-fiction, hardback books, paperbacks, textbooks, cookbooks, foreign language, children’s books, craft books, and much more, a press release said. Only cash and checks will be accepted. Checks need to be payable to the Roane State Foundation. Prices range from $1-3. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents smartphone camera workshop Thursday

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Doug Edlund (Submitted photo)

Doug Edlund (Submitted photo)

 

Did you know that one of the best cameras you can own is in your smartphone? A program in Oak Ridge on Thursday titled “The Best Camera May Be the One in Your Pocket” is designed for people who have iPhones, Androids, and other smartphones, a press release said.

The class was rescheduled from January 29 to Thursday, February 7, because of weather. The class will be at Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Campus in the City Room from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, Doug Edlund, assistant director with UT Institute of Agriculture Marketing and Communications, will share his tips and tricks to get the most out of your smartphone photography, the press release said.

“From lighting to composition, Edlund shares his experiences to help you get the best results to make your digital photos stand out,” the release said. [Read more…]

ORICL provides scholarships for five Roane State students

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ORICL board president Priscilla McKenney, right, congratulates scholarship recipients Sara Nesbitt, left, and Jessica Osborn. Not pictured are additional ORICL scholarship recipients Candice Day, Gage Dotson, and Ivorie Hicks. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

ORICL board president Priscilla McKenney, right, congratulates scholarship recipients Sara Nesbitt, left, and Jessica Osborn. Not pictured are additional ORICL scholarship recipients Candice Day, Gage Dotson, and Ivorie Hicks. (Photo courtesy Roane State)

 

Five Roane State Community College students received scholarships through the Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning, or ORICL.

Roane State and ORICL have a partnership that spans two decades. Established in 1997, ORICL offers dozens of enrichment courses for its members in classrooms provided at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus.

In addition, ORICL has established multiple scholarships supported by its members.

  • The John Million Scholarship, supported by a $5,000 annual donation by ORICL members.
  • The ORICL Scholarship Endowment, established in 2002 in celebration of ORICL’s fifth anniversary.
  • The Bob Jones Memorial Scholarship, established through memorial donations received by the Roane State Foundation in honor of the longtime ORICL member Bob Jones, who passed away in 2012.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge firefighter named Roane State Paramedic Student of the Year

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Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins, left, and Dr. Todd Heffern with TEAMHealth, right, congratulate Brandon Payne of Oak Ridge, Roane State’s Paramedic Student of the Year. (Submitted photo)

Roane State paramedic program director David Blevins, left, and Dr. Todd Heffern with TEAMHealth, right, congratulate Brandon Payne of Oak Ridge, Roane State’s Paramedic Student of the Year. (Submitted photo)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

An Oak Ridge Fire Department captain has been elected by his peers as Roane State Community College’s Paramedic Student of the Year.

Brandon Payne, 40, an Oak Ridge firefighter since 2007, received the tribute during a luncheon last year that continues a longstanding tradition of honoring graduating paramedic students.

TEAMHealth, a hospital staffing firm based in Knoxville, sponsored the luncheon for paramedic students who were in the spring semester cohort.

“It was challenging,” Payne said of the three-semester program to obtain certification as a paramedic. “There was a lot of information in a short amount of time.” [Read more…]

ORICL announces winter/spring classes for 2019

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Oak Ridge Institute for Continued Learning has opened online registration for its winter/spring term. A total of 82 classes and 7 trips are being offered for the winter/spring term running from February 4 through April 26, 2019, a press release said.

For those unfamiliar with ORICL, it is a not-for-profit organization offering classes, field trips, and other opportunities for area residents of all backgrounds and educational levels. ORICL is sponsored by Roane State Community College and located at the Oak Ridge campus of RSCC. ORICL is administered by a board of directors elected by the members and has two part-time paid employees. RSCC provides classrooms, an office, and administrative support. ORICL’s motto is “Enriching Lives Through Continued Learning.” There are no tests.

In order to attend classes, one must join ORICL as a dues-paying member. [Read more…]

Roane State campuses will be closed Dec. 18-Jan.1 for holidays

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Roane State Community College campuses will be closed Tuesday, December 18 through Tuesday, January 1 for the holidays.

The college will reopen Wednesday, January 2, and spring classes will begin on Monday, January 14.

Registration and other self-service options are available through the Roane State website at www.roanestate.edu.

For more information, visit www.roanestate.edu or call 1-866-GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).

Cybersecurity expert to lecture at Roane State in Oak Ridge on Oct. 19

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Adam Keown, cybersecurity expert for the Tennessee Valley Authority, will speak on Friday, October 19, at 10 a.m. at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

Keown’s talk, “Enterprise Cybersecurity: Organization, Job Roles, and Information Security,” will be held in Room 104 of the Goff building. Anyone is welcome to attend, a press release said.

Keown has been a program manager in the TVA Cybersecurity Risk Management team since 2016. In his role, he is responsible for understanding cybersecurity risk at TVA and communicating risk issues to leadership and TVA business units, the press release said. [Read more…]

Halloween spectacular ‘Kindred Spirits’ is Oct. 27 at Roane State’s Roane County campus

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Pictured is a scene from the 2017 version of "Kindred Spirits," which drew crowds of about 350 to each of its two performances. This year’s “Kindred Spirits” production, with performances at 1 and 3 p.m., will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in the O’Brien Theatre on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

Pictured is a scene from the 2017 version of “Kindred Spirits,” which drew crowds of about 350 to each of its two performances. This year’s “Kindred Spirits” production, with performances at 1 and 3 p.m., will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, in the O’Brien Theatre on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

It’s an extravaganza for the Halloween season that features a cast of 130 singers, dancers, musicians, and actors, and it’s growing in popularity.

It’s the annual “Kindred Spirits” production, with performances at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 27, in the O’Brien Theatre on Roane State Community College’s main campus at 276 Patton Lane in Harriman. Admission is $5.

“It’s one of the highlights of our year,” said Professor Brenda Luggie, Roane State’s choral director. “The music students absolutely love it.”

The hour-long, family-friendly show features Roane State music students, actors from Midway High School’s Drama Club, and about 100 dancers of all ages from Arts in Motion, with studios in Rockwood and Kingston. [Read more…]

Street Painting Festival at Jackson Square will include Ed Westcott Challenge

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The annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, is fun for artists of all ages. This year’s festival, which raises funds for Roane State Community College scholarships, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 13, at historic Jackson Square. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

The annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, is fun for artists of all ages. This year’s festival, which raises funds for Roane State Community College scholarships, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 13, at historic Jackson Square. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

In celebration of Oak Ridge’s 75th anniversary, the 19th annual Oak Ridge Street Painting Festival will have two “firsts.”

The October 13 event will be held in historic Jackson Square, and it will offer the first-ever Ed Westcott Challenge for artists interested in chalking a creative interpretation of a famous photograph by Manhattan Project photographer Ed Westcott.

The festival will, as always, offer prizes for artists in each category. But this year, artists in any category can win an all-ages, all-categories bonus prize as part of the Ed Westcott Challenge, a press release said.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge and a fundraiser for Roane State Community College scholarships, the annual art extravaganza will be held on Saturday, October 13, at historic Jackson Square. Chalking will begin at 8 a.m. Categories are available for all ages, teams, and families. Artist participation is free, the press release said. [Read more…]

Calling all artists! Register for Street Painting Festival at Jackson Square

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The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s annual Street Painting Festival will, for the first time, be held at Jackson Square on Oct. 13, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s annual Street Painting Festival will, for the first time, be held at Jackson Square on Oct. 13, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The Rotary Club of Oak Ridge’s annual Street Painting Festival will, for the first time, be held at Jackson Square.

The festival gives artists of all ages an opportunity to showcase their talent and have fun, a press release said. Plus, the event raises funds that provide scholarships to Roane State Community College students who otherwise could not afford to attend college. More than $200,000 have been raised since the first festival in 2000, the press release said.

The festival will be held on Saturday, October 13. Chalking of sidewalk squares at Jackson Square will begin at 8 a.m. Categories are available for all ages, teams, and families. Artist registration is free, and chalk and other supplies will be provided, the press release said. [Read more…]