Welcome back Pioneers! I hope that everyone enjoyed their spring break and got in some quality time with friends and family.

At the end of 7th period today, we will have already finished up the first week of the 2020-2021 4th quarter. We now only have eight weeks of school remaining and are about to enter the annual "testing season." We have included in this issue a detailed calendar of the upcoming spring assessments along with the AP testing calendar. I ask that all of our Pioneers and their families take a close look at the calendars as these are among the most important dates of the whole school year. We want every student to be well prepared and rested as the exam days approach.

Please remember to access quarter 3 report cards on Skyward as soon as possible. Have a great weekend and thank you for reading this latest issue of The Pioneer Express!

Ms. Bellinger

Proud Principal

Oak Ridge High School

Zumiyah has big goals and a plan to achieve them! After graduation, she plans on attending the Virginia Military Institute to pursue a career in the military and later continue on the medical school to become a pediatric surgeon.

"I like that the #JAAcademy has provided us with many opportunities to become successful and have us go out of our comfort zones to explore new things." Zumiyah stays active by participating in weightlifting, flag football, track-and-field, JROTC, and marching band. She is also a member of the JA Academy Mentor Program and volunteers for the OCPS Parent Academy. She enjoys the way she can build relationships and become a leader through her extracurricular activities. In her free time Zumiyah likes to play outside with her brothers, practice her trumpet, or watch Netflix.

A huge thank you to Lockheed Martin for providing Mr. West’s Principles of Engineering students the opportunity to participate in the special virtual mentoring sessions. The students listened to seven employees and their path to become an engineer - high school courses, applying for colleges, college courses, social networking, and applying with Lockheed Martin. The employees also shared a day in the life of a Lockheed Martin engineer (electrical, mechanical, systems, computer, and aerospace).

It was enlightening to see the daily routines of several engineers, and it was impressive to see the candor of the participants as they described their experiences related to becoming engineers. This was an amazing opportunity for our students! THANK YOU!!!

This schedule is based on the availability of the Amway Center during the NBA playoffs or Solar Bears games, and safety conditions due to COVID-19.

In the event graduations cannot take place at the Amway Center, alternative locations will be determined.

Safety precautions will include, but are not limited to, the mandatory wearing of face masks, social distancing, limited ticketing (exact number per graduate to be determined), strict arrival, departure and stage procedures.

All guidelines and protocols are being developed in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County and the Amway Center.

We are proud to share a story in the Orlando Sentinel featuring our very own principal, Jennifer Bellinger. The story highlights how educators adapt. Click here to read the article.

FAFSA Help Session Link: https://forms.gle/5kBjBPiW4k8JK1bU9

Helpful Scholarship Link: OCPS Scholarship Link

FSA ID: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/fsaid

FAFSA Application: https://fafsa.gov/

CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

Making sense of the map: There are 67 counties in Florida and the map shows the percentages of residents that have a 4-year degree or higher between the period of 2015-2019. Our Pioneers should know that the percentage of Orange County residents in the college educated group has risen from 30.6% to 34.6% in only a few years (2010-2014 vs. 2015-2019).

Our Pioneers should also know that the median income for the holder of a bachelor's degree in Florida was $47,440 (adjusted to 2019 dollars), while high school graduates earned $27,854, according to the 2015-2019 American Community Survey.

Sources: patch.com; U.S. Census Bureau

Lockheed Martin STEM Scholarship- $10,000 for Senior student majoring in engineering or computer science at a four-year university. Must demonstrate financial need and come from underrepresented/ underserved communities. Recipients may renew the scholarship up to three times for a total potential value of $40,000. Deadline to apply is 4/1/21.

Congratulations to our 2019 Oak Ridge HS alumni brother, Adel Bebe, for becoming a member of the Infamous Iota Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated at Florida State University. Continue to move Onward and Upward!!!

Three key events impacted the deaf community that occurred in American history: On April 15th, 1817 the first public school, American School for the Deaf was opened. On April 8th, 1864 Gallaudet University – the world’s first institution devoted to advanced education for the deaf and hard of hearing – was officially founded, and more than 100 years later on March 13th, 1988 Gallaudet University nominated I. King Jordan as their first deaf President.

Deaf History Month appears to have started on March 13th, 1996 when two deaf employees working at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. started teaching their colleagues sign language. This occurrence progressed into a week of deaf awareness created by the library. Quickly after that, deaf awareness week evolved into a month-long period devoted to promoting a greater understanding of the deaf community. In 1996, the National Association of the Deaf proposed the week become a full month, and officially in 1997, the first annual, nation-wide National Deaf History Month was in effect. In 2006, the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Associate of the Deaf officially announced that March 13th to April 15th is National Deaf History Month.

Ways in which we can spread awareness and celebrate Deaf History Month are by reaching out to companies and governments to encourage them to fulfill their legal obligations to the deaf population, support deaf businesses, donate to deaf-based charities, volunteer with deaf organizations, and encourage, advocate, and promote deaf people as one-of-a-kind.

Source: Rose Hearing Aid Centers; Read full list of 20 professions

1. Airline Ground Staff. Jet engines emit sound as loud as 140 dB (decibels)

2. Construction Workers. Between the bulldozers, jackhammers, and trucks backing up, peak noise levels can reach 120 dB.

3. Miners. Another profession which uses jackhammers.

4. Carpenters. Nail guns create 110-130 dB of noise depending on how cramped the quarters are that one is working in. Consistent sawing of materials can chip away at your hearing with many industrial machines running at 70 dB or more in volume.

5. Lumberjacks. Chainsaws used by lumberjacks run at an ear-splitting 120 dB. The thicker the tree, the larger the chainsaw you need to cut it down.

6. DJ’s & Musicians. Loud venues, amplifiers, and the undying spirit of rock and roll – which was always meant to be played loudly – all contribute to make this one of the most dangerous professions to work in. Even classical musicians are not immune; standing onstage in the musical pit exposes the ear to 115 dB.

7. Nightclub Workers. Bartenders, wait staff, and security personnel listen to the loud tunes during their working hours, night after night.

8. Railway Workers. Performing maintenance work of trains and tracks could be at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss, since they are exposed to noise levels of 75–90 dB with peak exposures of 130–140 dB when trains pass by.

9. Farmers. Loud machinery such as tractors, combines, and rotary cutters are listened to on a daily basis. These machines can run as loud as 105 dB.

10. Race Car Drivers. Many would actually place this job at position number one. Sounds can reach 135 dB in NASCAR, Formula 1 and NHRA racing events. Drivers wear hearing protection and special headsets, but fans standing too close to the action are at risk of hearing loss as well.

The US Treasury recently allocated $8.6 million in federal funds to help City of Orlando residents in need of rental assistance. City staff is currently reviewing the program guidelines and exploring how the program might be administered to help city residents in need. Program specifics will be considered and approved by City Council. Updates will be posted here on when the program will be open for residents to make an application for rental assistance.

Inspirational thoughts on success for our Pioneers as we enter the last nine weeks of 2020-2021:

We can push ourselves further. We always have more to give.

Success is falling nine times and getting up 10.

The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.

Hard work spotlights the character of all people. Some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.

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 | Ms. Bellinger, Principal | 407.852.3200 | ORHS Website