Oak Ridge Today

Glenwood Elementary wins $10,000 for teaching kids how to code

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Oak Ridge Schools LogoAll 368 students at Glenwood Elementary will participate in one of the largest CODE education events in history. The Hour of Code will be held December 8-14, and Glenwood Elementary is the only school chosen in Tennessee to receive $10,000 from Code.org to buy technology for bringing these critical skills to students.

Google, Microsoft, Apple, President Obama, Bill Gates, Shakira, and Ashton Kutcher have all backed the Hour of Code, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said. More than 100 partners are coming together to support this global movement. So far, 47 million students have tried the Hour of Code. The Hour of Code movement is aiming for 100 million students.

On Tuesday, December 9, at 2:30 p.m. Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Christopher Marczak will present the $10,000 prize and speak on the importance of bringing computer science into the schools. [Read more…]

Students illustrate children’s book, help raise awareness of homelessness

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Student Art for Homelessness Book

TORCH, a local nonprofit that works with homeless families and low-income people, hosted its second annual art show during National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week from November 17-23.

Anderson County art students (grades seven-12) were invited to submit PIT Poster Contest entries, while younger students (grades kindergarten-six) were invited to submit illustrations for a children’s book, “The Home for Carley.”

The PIT Count is an annual, nationally mandated count of the homeless by county over a 24-hour period in the month of January. TORCH directs the PIT Count for Anderson County each year. [Read more…]

Family Resource director to discuss ‘Breaking the Cycle of Violence’

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Jo Bruce

Jo Bruce

Jo Bruce, director of the Family Resource Center at Oak Ridge Schools, will discuss “Breaking the Cycle of Violence” during a Monday morning forum in Oak Ridge.

The community forum starts at 11 a.m. Monday, October 6, in the fellowship Hall of Grace Covenant Church, Trinity Center, at 320 Robertsville Road. It’s presented by the Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge.

Bruce has held the director’s position at the Resource Center since its inception, a press release said. The local center, housed in Willow Brook Elementary School, is one of the original family resource centers established by the state of Tennessee in the fall of 1993.

In a summary of her presentation, Bruce said she will discuss the services she provides to families and students of the Oak Ridge school system in an effort to build trust and resilience. [Read more…]

Willow Brook Elementary announces new lunch, breakfast program

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Willow Brook Elementary

Willow Brook Elementary School is pictured above in May 2012. (File photo)

Willow Brook Elementary School has announced a new breakfast and lunch program.

The school is implementing a new option available to select schools in Tennessee that participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, an Oak Ridge Schools press release said. It is called the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, and it starts this school year. This is the same program that has allowed breakfast to be offered to all students at no cost.

In a CEP school, all students receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of family income. Willow Brook is currently the only school in the Oak Ridge School District that meets the qualifications for the Community Eligibility Provision, the press release said. [Read more…]

Number of students affected by bus route changes down to 1,300

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Keys Fillauer and Chris Marczak at Girls Inc.

Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer, left, and Oak Ridge Schools Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak say a Wednesday change in how mileage is calculated could reduce the number of students affected by a new “parent responsibility zone” for transportation from 1,800 to 1,300. Marczak says his family is also affected by the expanded zone, where bus service is not provided.

 

The Wednesday change in how bus service is mapped could help about 500 students, reducing the number of children affected by expanded zones where parents will have to provide transportation to schools from 1,800 to 1,300, officials said.

Those students would have been in the expanded 1.5-mile “parent responsibility zone,” where bus service is not provided and parents have to arrange transportation. The expanded parent responsibility zone, which is also sometimes called a PRZ or walk zone, was approved by school officials in June.

Oak Ridge school officials announced Wednesday that they were changing how the 1.5 miles is calculated, switching from a 1.5-mile radius measured by air (also known as “as the crow flies”) to actual walking distance. That means the expanded no-bus service zone will now affect fewer families. Parents called the change a small but positive step.

Even with the modification, though, parents continue to have concerns. The protests kicked into high gear last week, and some parents expressed concerns during a Wednesday evening meeting at Girls Inc. Among the concerns were children who have to cross busy roadways or pass by the homes of registered sex offenders.

“We are paying property taxes, and our children’s safety should come first,” parent Beverly Heun said. “Our transportation should not have been cut.” [Read more…]

Willow Brook starts school year on Thursday

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Willow Brook Elementary

Willow Brook Elementary School is pictured above in May 2012. (File photo)

Willow Brook Elementary will start its 2014‐15 school year on Thursday, July 17.

School hours on Thursday, July 17, and Friday, July 18 will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The regular school schedule will begin on Monday, July 21, for students in grades 1‐4.

Kindergarten students will remain on an early dismissal schedule for Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22. There will be no school for kindergarten students on Wednesday, July 23, but they will begin a regular school schedule on Thursday, July 24.

Food and transportation services will begin on Thursday, July 17.

Bus stops and routes are set according to enrollment as of July 4, 2014. New bus routes have been established due to an increase in the walk zone. Please review these routes when making transportation plans for your student(s) as bus transportation will not be available to students living within the 1.5-mile walk zone. [Read more…]

Parents protest expanded 1.5-mile walk zone for students

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Oak Ridge School Buses at the Central Services Complex

Parents are protesting a June 23 decision to expand the walk zone for students to 1.5 miles to help reduce a $1.25 million budget deficit. The expanded walk zones mean that bus service won’t be offered to students who live within 1.5 miles of Oak Ridge schools.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:20 a.m. July 12.

Parents concerned about student safety are protesting a recent decision by Oak Ridge Schools to expand the student walk zone to 1.5 miles.

In the past two days, they’ve started a petition and Facebook group to oppose the June 23 decision, and they’ve organized a protest, rally, and walks through the expanded walk zones at several schools.

“We’re serious about this,” said Daniel Morgan, who has two sons at Linden Elementary School and a daughter who starts at Robertsville Middle School this fall. “The citizens are concerned about the safety of the children.”

The expanded walk zones mean that bus service will no longer be available to students who live within 1.5 miles of Oak Ridge schools. The change could affect 1,800 students. The new bus stops have been posted on the Oak Ridge Schools website. [Read more…]

Alternative Program administrator named principal at Willow Brook

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Willow Brook Elementary

Willow Brook Elementary School is pictured above in May 2012. (File photo)

The administrator of the Alternative Program at Oak Ridge Schools has been named principal of Willow Brook Elementary School, officials said Wednesday.

Sherrie Fairchild-Keyes will become Willow Brook principal effective July 1. The appointment was announced Wednesday morning by Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers. Fairchild-Keyes was selected by an interview team made up of Willow Brook teachers and parents and Assistant Superintendent Chris Marczak, a press release said.

Fairchild-Keyes will replace the outgoing principal, Lisa Light, who took a position with Knox County Schools as the principal of Gap Creek Elementary. [Read more…]

More red-light, speeding violations since cameras disabled, Redflex says

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Red-light Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue

Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. said an eastbound traffic camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue/Lafayette Drive had the third-highest rise in detected speeding violations, a 243 percent increase in the number of drivers traveling at 46 mph or more, after the cameras were disabled April 21. Pictured above is the westbound camera.

 

The Arizona company that operated traffic cameras in Oak Ridge for five years said reckless driving has increased significantly, average speeds have risen, and there has been an increase in red-light running and speeding violations since the systems were disabled April 21.

The two biggest increases in speeding violations were in school zones on eastbound and westbound Robertsville Road near Willow Brook Elementary School, camera vendor Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. said in a report that could be discussed during a Traffic Safety Advisory Board meeting on Tuesday. The average number of school zone violations jumped from a little more than two per day in the 14 days before the cameras were disabled to 10 or 11 per day afterward.

A school zone violation occurs when a driver is detected traveling at 21 mph or more in a 15 mph school zone.

Meanwhile, detections of red-light violations, which can lead to the most serious accidents, increased from an average of 20 per day at four locations in the three weeks before the cameras were disabled to up to 28 per day in the fourth week afterward, Redflex said. [Read more…]

Redflex prepared to discuss options on traffic camera contract

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Traffic Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike

The traffic camera for the westbound lanes of Oak Ridge Turnpike in front of Oak Ridge High School is pictured above. More than half of the speeding violations issued in 2013 were for vehicles driving west here.

Note: This story was last updated at 4:17 p.m. March 24.

Oak Ridge City Council could consider extending the controversial traffic camera contract on Monday, but not without some changes. Among the proposed changes are mobile units, different camera locations, and a new revenue split between the city and the camera vendor, Redflex Traffic Systems Inc., of Phoenix, Ariz.

On Thursday, Redflex said it is negotiating these and other issues with Oak Ridge officials.

“Redflex is very proud of our five-year public safety partnership with the City of Oak Ridge,” said Jody Ryan, Redflex communications director. “We are prepared to discuss various options to ensure the city’s traffic safety camera program is comprehensive and provides the highest public safety value.”

Council has been presented two options to consider during a special Monday night meeting. One would extend the five-year contract for two years with the changes. A second would end the program when the current agreement expires April 21. [Read more…]

Council considers ending, extending traffic cameras on Monday

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Red-light Camera at Oak Ridge Turnpike and New York Avenue

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider extending or ending the traffic camera contract.

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider extending a controversial traffic camera contract for two years, or ending it.

The Council postponed a vote earlier this month. It will now be considered during a special 7 p.m. meeting on Monday.

The current five-year contract with Redflex Traffic Systems Inc. of Arizona expires April 21. If it’s not extended, the city staff has asked Council to consider installing a traffic signal in front of the Oak Ridge High School on Oak Ridge Turnpike.

The high school stoplight would have to be approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. It could cost $150,000 to $200,000 and take nine months to install. [Read more…]

Reminder: Second Oak Ridge school calendar survey this evening

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Christopher J. Marczak

Christopher J. Marczak

Parents of students in the Oak Ridge school system will be called this evening for a second opinion poll on a proposed change to the system’s calendar for academic year 2015-2016.

At 6 p.m. today (Thursday), parents will receive a call through the automated Skyward system asking if they want to convert to a “balanced” calendar for all schools or keep the traditional calendar currently used by all but two of the schools in the system. Teachers and other school staff members will be called at 7 p.m. asking for their preferences.

Option No. 1 will be the balanced schedule, which has nine weeks of instruction beginning the first week of August, with two-week breaks in the fall, winter, and spring, and seven to eight weeks off during the summer. [Read more…]