The Pioneer Express
Oak Ridge High School
Friday, August 20, 2021
ORHS Community Member,

I take great pride in sharing that we have gotten the 2021-2022 school year off to a successful start. As this is my first year as your principal, it is exciting to be part of a community of great students, parents, and teachers at Oak Ridge High School!

The staff at Oak Ridge has high expectations for all of our students. We have even higher expectations of ourselves. This year, the Oak Ridge staff will continue to dedicate our focus on improving student learning for all students building on the fine efforts made by Principal Bellinger, our amazing educators, and the community over the past few years. 

To accomplish our learning goals, we know that parents and community members are key partners in educating our Pioneers. Therefore, we encourage parents and community members to volunteer at our school by becoming an ADDitions member at OCPS. This takes virtually no time to sign up on line. You can lend a hand when able and there are all kinds of ways you might be of service if for only an hour or two now and then. Another option is to join our School Advisory Council (SAC). SAC needs business people, community members, teachers, administrators, and students to accomplish all of our tasks for the year. The Oak Ridge SAC meets the first Tuesday of the month from 5:30 - 6:00 PM in the Media Center. Please get involved, we look forward to seeing you!

We appreciate your continued support as we move further into this first nine-week quarter. We invite you to schedule an appointment and visit Oak Ridge to be a part of our programs and activities, and to become a part of our school community if you have yet to do so. Please keep in mind that we will be hosting an Open House this quarter which will be a terrific opportunity to see the campus and meet our educators (details forthcoming).

In closing, I wish our varsity football team all the success vs. Lyman this evening as they play away on their field. We are all excited to see our fall sports teams underway and please take a close look at the bowling team information below. Bowling is also great sport and something I know many students have enjoyed in the past. Have a wonderful weekend!

In Pioneer Pride,

Mr. Ben Alvarado, Principal
Oak Ridge High School

Pictured very top: 2021-2022 gets off to a successful beginning! There were great things happening across campus this past week. For instance, we had teachers using SEL (Social Emotional Learning) strategies to get to know their students such as surveying students on their likes and dislikes. It was evident that the main focus over the first few days was building positive relationships. Teachers were also collaborating with each other, City Year started to visit classrooms, and our interventionists started working in classrooms.
Dates to Watch For
Friday, August 20
  • Varsity Football Pre-Season Game vs Lyman – Lyman High School – 7:00PM

Tuesday, August 24
  • Jostens – Graduation Supplies – A & B Lunches in the cafeteria

Friday, August 27
  • Oak Ridge vs Ocoee – Home Stadium – 7:00PM
Saturday, August 28
  • Cross Country Kowboy Invitational – Osceola High School – Time to be determined

Monday, September 6
  • Labor Day – School Holiday
After School Tutoring Starts Monday
Update to Lunch Assignments
Please see below for your lunch assignment during 5th period.

  • A-Lunch: 200, 600, 700, 800 and All portables
  • B-Lunch: 400 and 500
Student Laptop Issues
If students have laptop issues, please submit their concern to tinyurl.com/ORHSLapTop
Sign up for the The Pioneer Express-Community News Brief
If you know any families or community members that would like to read about the happenings at ORHS please let them know how to sign up using the link:
Find Your Bus
Class of 2022
Jostens will be on campus on Tuesday, August 24th during A & B lunches in the cafeteria. Visit the representatives to order al your graduation supplies.
Bowling Team
You can get 3 strikes, and you're not out! It's Not Too Late to Join the BOWLING team! Practice and tryouts are going on NOW. See Ms.Chandersingh in the Front Office for more information - and let the pins fall where they may!
Bell Schedule
OCPS 2021-2022 Calendar
College and Career
1) Oak Ridge College & Career Resource Center
Who Are We?
Gena Evans and Mercedes Gittens are the College & Career Specialists for Oak Ridge High school.

What Do We Do?
The CCRC is located in Building 800 Room 102 within the Guidance Department. All grade levels are strongly encouraged to visit and take advantage of the resources in the CCRC.

The goal of the College & Career Resource Center is to help students prepare for a smooth transition to post-secondary life, regardless of their vision. In order to accomplish this goal, we strive to educate students about the many options available to them and the path to make those dreams reality. College planning and visits, assisting with the application process, and supporting the search for scholarships and financial aid are some of the many ways the CCRC supports our Pioneers.

When Will We See Students?
The College & Career Resource Center will have walk in hours before/after school and during lunch. If a student needs to see us, it must be during an elective period with a pass from the teacher.

Communication Methods
The primary tool for communication from the College & Career Resource Center is through Canvas AND weekly updates from Remind and Instagram. The College & Career Resource Center will share information about college visits, scholarships, and extra-curricular & enrichment opportunities for students via our three communication platforms.

Canvas - Guidance-Oak Ridge High School
Instagram - ORHS_PostGradSquad

Remind
Class of 2022 students & parents, subscribe to our Senior CCRC texts: Text @pgsorhs22 to 81010
Class of 2023 students & parents, subscribe to our Junior CCRC texts: Text @pgsorhs23 to 81010
Class of 2024 students & parents, subscribe to our Sophomore CCRC texts: Text @pgsorhs24 to 81010
Class of 2025 students & parents, subscribe to our Freshman CCRC texts: Text @pgsorhs25 to 81010
2) SAT/ACT Test Dates:


To register, follow the links above and create a account on each site. From there you will be able to select a test date, submit payment*, and print your admission ticket.

* Students on free/reduced lunch are eligible to receive two fee waivers for each test at no charge. Please see your guidance counselor to obtain a waiver.

ACT/SAT practice and more:
3) Education Pays! Weekly earnings by educational attainment:
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (July 16, 2021) - Read full report
ORHS community footnote: These are median figures for full-time workers age 25 and older in the USA based upon 2021 second quarter findings. Differences between individuals with the same level of education are impacted by geography, years on the job, industry, individual firm, and other factors. However, the pattern in differences between weekly paychecks holds consistently year after year even through economic downturns. In the second quarter of this year those without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $620, compared with $793 for high school graduates (no college) and $1,438 for those holding at least a bachelor's degree.
4) OCPS Scholarship Bulletin
OCPS has recently released an updated version of the 2021-2022 Scholarship Bulletin. Please click here and take note of any deadline dates.
OCPS News
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Barbara Jenkins released another Community Update on August 4th. Please click here to watch the short video and see her script. Thank you!
Addition Financial Office on Campus
Training Day! The on-campus Addition Financial branch will be opening very soon! This branch is exclusively for our staff and students. Eleshia and Frank from @theadditionfi came down to train our new staff of student tellers. Our students will develop a better understanding of how financial institutions operate as well as gain real-world work experience!
We are proud to have Addition Financial as a valued Partner in Education. We also glad to see they that have earned another 5 Star (Superior - highest possible) rating from the Bauer Financial rating service. The Bauer ratings are independent and widely used in both the commercial banking and credit union industries.
Community Support
Huge shout out and thank you to our local Army Recruiters SSG O. Owusu (left) and SSG J. Brown (right) for their very generous school supply donation.
Friday's Motivational Moment!
THE TOP TEN HIGH-VALUE USES OF YOUR TIME

Things that advance your overall life purpose.

Things you have always wanted to do.

Things that others say can't be done.

Things that help you grow to your maximum potential.

Things that develop other people's ability to achieve and lead.

Things that multiply - rather than merely add - value to yourself and others.

Things that harness your creativity.

Things you can delegate to others.

Things that promote teamwork and synergy.

Things that are now or never opportunities.
Florida flag
Have a great weekend Pioneers!
Mr. Alvarado, Principal
Oak Ridge High School
Friday, August 20, 2021
Oak Ridge High School Senior Leadership Team
Principal: Benjamin Alvarado Benjamin.Alvarado@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Michele Browne michele.brown@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Luz Gonzalez Cartagena luz.gonzalezcartagena@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Johndrell Jones johndrell.jones@ocps.net
Assistant Principal: Nora Pachnik Nora.Pachnik@ocps.net
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Copyright Notice
Reproduction of this material, either written or electronically, including the general layout, graphics, analyses, and content topics without the express approval of Target Performance Systems, Inc., a Florida corporation, and OCPS - Oak Ridge High School is forbidden without written consent. Thank you for your support of the Orange County Public Schools and especially Oak Ridge High School. Please contact Mrs. Laurene Householder at laurene.householder@ocps.net with any questions related to the program.
Oak Ridge High School | Mr. Alvarado, Principal | 407.852.3200 | ORHS Website