Welcome back Pioneers and Happy New Year to our wonderful Oak Ridge community! I hope 2022 is off to a great start for you and that you enjoyed your time at home with a break from school.

As for this first school week of 2022, I know many of you are worried about the COVID numbers going up in our county. Know that we will continue to do everything we can to keep our students and staff safe. I encourage you to continue to send your student to school with masks and hand sanitizer. If they are showing any signs of sickness, please keep them home. I will continue to update you if anything changes as we start this new school year.

As we start 2022 and the third quarter of school, it’s a great time to talk about setting some goals or making resolutions for this new year. Setting New Year’s resolutions is a common practice around the world. Many people will set these goals for themselves, but few will actually follow through with them - (Discover Happy Habits):

As you ponder your goals for 2022 and especially this second semester, start first by reviewing those areas from both school and life where you enjoyed real progress last year. One of the most difficult challenges any successful sports coach, business leader, or even a politician will tell you is their ability to repeat a major victory again. Don't coast into the new year riding on past successes — take note of what you did to accomplish your "win" last year and make plans to repeat it while raising the bar for yourself a little bit. This is an excellent starting point before tackling brand new goals for 2022.  

Again, welcome back and have a wonderful weekend!

Mr. Alvarado

Principal

Oak Ridge High School

Pictured very top: National Honor Society. Thank you to our @oakridge.nhs who celebrated our custodial team with an appreciation luncheon. We appreciate you!!!

Friday, January 7

Saturday, January 8

Sunday, January 9

Monday, January 10

Tuesday, January 11

Wednesday, January 12

Thursday, January 13

Friday, January 14

Saturday, January 15

Monday, January 17

Tuesday, January 18

Wednesday, January 19

Thursday, January 20

Friday, January 21

1) Commissioner Uribe’s Repack Your Backpack Event (this Saturday)

This is a great opportunity to refill your backpack with school supplies for the second semester!

As a result of the significant increase in positivity rate, and in an effort to protect our workforce, the district has determined that all adults including employees, visitors and vendors, will be required to wear a face mask in OCPS buildings and vehicles through the month of January.

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Buy early and save!

Josten's will be on campus Thursday, January 13 and Friday, January 14 to accept orders for your cap & gowns. They will be located in the cafeteria during both A & B lunches.

So proud of our AFJROTC who participated in Wreaths Across America at Greenwood Cemetery 💚💛 #thisisoakridge

On Dec 15th, the Girls Weightlifting team competed in the Metro Championships. They finished in 3rd place. Samantha Charles became a 3x Metro Champion after dominating the competition with a 410lbs total with a 255lbs Bench, and a 155lbs Clean and Jerk. Samantha is also a 2x District and 1x Regional Champion, and Bronze Medal Winner at States last year! Kalani Wolfgramm dropped a weight class after winning the 129lbs Metro Championship last year, and won the 119lbs weight class. Amindi Celestin and Anne Jo Henry both finished in 2nd place missing first by 5lbs.

We will be competing in the District on 1/20/22 at East River High School.

SILVER DIVISION CHAMPIONS! Congratulations to our @oakridgegirlsbasketball team who took home the silver division championship in the Florida Prospects Tournament! 💚💛 #pioneerpride #thisisoakridge

Our School Advisory Council meetings are held at 5:30 PM, on the second Thursday of each month in the school’s Media Center.

Dates for the upcoming meetings are:

The School Advisory Council supports the principal in developing the school’s budget as well as providing input on the annual School Improvement Plan.

Students who arrive AFTER 7:45AM will need to go through Ms. Echevarria in the attendance office to receive a pass to class.

Tardy passes during the day are no longer written. Students need to report directly to class where their teacher will mark them tardy in Skyward.

Congratulations to the Senior Class of 2022 for 188 college acceptances and $2,444,196 in scholarships. We are off and rising to the top!!!!!! Stay tuned for updates…  #proudtobeapioneer

This list was compiled on Sunday, January 2.

The College & Career Specialists have scheduled FAFSA Nights to better serve our students. The proposed dates are listed below. Time for each event will be 5:00-8:00PM and will take place in the cafeteria. Dates are subject to change and events will also be announced monthly. We hope to see you there!

So far, the number of Oak Ridge seniors having completed their FAFSA paperwork is up +42.9% from the same time 1 year ago:

Source: Florida College Access Network - All Florida schools' data through Dec. 23

SAT Test Date- March 12, 2022

ACT Test Date- February 12, 2022

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.

Congratulations to our #pioneerofthemonth Mr. Descartes. Thank you for all you do to keep our students connected by taking care of the technology needs!

Joshua plans to focus on working towards his career goals and Digital Audio Production, once he graduates, and hopes to have multiple internships while majoring in Sociology. After returning to face-to-face learning this year, Joshua said he is "really glad about the new people I've met and the experiences I've had so far this Senior year."

When he isn't participating in National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, and Oak Ridge Friends, Joshua spends his free time skating, playing guitar, and learning music.

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:

Setting New Year's resolutions is a time honored tradition, but we know that success rates taper off rather quickly. (please see Principal Alvarado's message at the very top of this edition). Unfortunately, so much is predicated on them that by the time Jan. 31 rolls around, many people give up. Better luck next year.

Remember that any change in life requires momentum and the determination to build on it. But fresh starts — especially the expectations we apply to New Year's — are endued with a kind of officiality that can make them intimidating. Moreover, many people believe that everything has to in perfect order before they begin to make a change and that by itself can prevent things from getting done.

To solve this situation, consider thinking along the lines of small starts each week like driving down a road and passing mileposts. As the weeks go by, you are building momentum to your New Year's resolution and increasing the odds of success. This is called the "Week Game" and it simply requires you to each Saturday look back on what you did over the past seven days. I was on time for school this many days. I did this much reading for pleasure. I exercised this many times. I practiced so many hours. I saved or earned this much money. You decide on your stats, but they should correlate with your resolutions.

If you tackle your New Year's resolutions this way you recommit to the goal over and over all year building up speed. It will give you more energy and purpose and when things come up that might pull you off track (and they will), you will not get discouraged or snowed under — you won't give up because you have a fresh "mini start" just ahead.

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