Sept. 9 - 15, 2016
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Oak Ridge Elementary earns an A+ Sept. 10 OAK RIDGE – The fireworks were taken hostage by the storms that rolled in during the last evening of this year’s RidgeFest, so the Town of Oak Ridge and the Merchants of Oak Ridge decided to give it a second try – and this time the weather forecast looks a lot more promising. An evening of fun is planned for RidgeFest Reload on Saturday, Sept. 10, beginning at 6 p.m. at Oak Ridge Town Park on Lisa Drive. Enjoy the music of the Shagging Maggie band at 6 p.m., along with food, inflatables, a rock climbing wall, face painting and other activities for kids. The Tyler Millard Band will take the stage at 7:45 p.m. and play before the fireworks display at about 8:30 p.m., as well as afterward.
Growth Index of 8.54 among the highest in state by JESSICA WATERS NW GUILFORD – Oak Ridge Elementary School garnered state recognition and honors this past week, earning not only an A+ grade in the statewide public school ratings, but securing a Growth Index score of 8.56; only 51 out of the nearly 3,000 schools in the state earned a higher score. Oak Ridge Elementary Principal
Denise Francisco held an impromptu staff meeting on the afternoon of Sept. 1, keeping news of the exemplary school rating under wraps until she announced the achievement to the gathered staff and faculty members. “This is an opportunity to celebrate the hard work and dedication of every single staff member at Oak Ridge Elementary,” she told the Northwest Observer following the staff meeting. “Growth is something we’ve talked about every single day with every single kid for the past couple years, and this is a totally new high (score) for this school; we’ve met Growth (bench-
marks) before, but to exceed growth is something we’ve been aiming for and something we’re so proud of.” A significant portion of the credit for the school’s high score and A+ grade rests with the school’s teachers and staff, Francisco stated, praising the expertise and dedication Oak Ridge Elementary’s faculty members. “Our teachers are experts – many of them hold National Board certification, many of them hold master’s or advanced degrees, and they bring that expertise to the profession they
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Town, Kanoy Properties reach agreement by PATTI STOKES
IN THIS ISSUE
Primoris Pipeline Services will vacate Fogleman Road property by Sept. 30
News in Brief ..............................................3 Your Questions ..........................................4 Oak Ridge Town Council .........................6 Pokemon Go, summers past ...................8 High School Sports .................................10 NWHS vs. Northern photos ..................... 11 Crime/Incident Report ...........................18 Community Calendar ............................20 Facebook Comments ............................24 Grins & Gripes .........................................24 Classifieds ...............................................27 Index of Advertisers ............................... 31 NWO on the Go! .....................................32
Photo by Patti Stokes/NWO | An industrial staging site on Fogleman Road in Oak Ridge will be vacated by Sept. 30. Site owner Kanoy Properties has agreed it will not store, assemble or transport materials for gas pipelines on or adjacent to the property for a period of 10 years, or until or unless the Town of Oak Ridge agrees to rezone the property for industrial activity, whichever comes first.
Bring your lawn chairs and come out for the evening! More info at merchantsofoakridge.com.
OAK RIDGE – Billy Kanoy, owner of Kanoy Properties, recently agreed to terminate his lease of property on Fogleman Road. Kanoy does not admit,
however, to being in violation of Oak Ridge’s zoning ordinances as the Town has claimed since industrial-level activity first began at the site this summer.
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