At the dismissal bell later this afternoon we will have already completed the last full school week of January 2022. Next Tuesday begins the new month of February along with Black History Month. Please remember that three important OCPS special events are occurring in the next few days: 1) OCPS Virtual Parent Academy will be hosted tomorrow morning to include an excellent guest speaker (Jan. 29); 2) OCPS Top Talent applications are due on Monday (Jan. 31); and finally 3) the OCPS Magnet Program application deadline is Feb. 15. All three of these represent unique opportunities offered by OCPS that most school districts cannot offer, so we hope that our Pioneers and their families will take advantage of these events where appropriate. 

As we always enjoy sharing, this issue contains just a few of our many recent Pioneer success stories along with other information helpful to our community. Thank you very much for reading and please stay warm this weekend as the cold front will be here soon!

Mr. Alvarado

Principal

Oak Ridge High School

Pictured very top: Congratulations to our Boys Varsity Basketball team! East Metro Conference Champs! They played Winter Park for a 90-60 win over the Wildcats – way to go Pioneers!

* For questions or additional information please contact the Foundation for Orange County Public Schools at 407-317-3261 or email us at: Toptalent@ocps.net.

NHS under the leadership of their Sponsor, Michelle Gomez, volunteered at Shingle Creek Elementary for their annual field day. NHS prides themselves on giving back to the community and participating in community service projects. We are building relationships with our feeder schools!

A huge shout out to our SRO’s Master Deputy Richard Febo (left) and Deputy Andrew Polo (right) for keeping our campus safe. We thank you and appreciate all that you do.

Congratulations to our Hospitality and Tourism competition team, lead by Ms. Vanessa Zameza, who took 2nd place in the hospitality marketing event at the 2022 Orange County Hospitality & Tourism Competition. #pioneerpride #thisisoakridge

Vanassa’s favorite hobbies are singing and dancing. When she's not singing and dancing, she's volunteering at a nursing home or participating in Auxiliary, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Student Government Association, and the JA Student Advisory Council. She stays busy!

In October, she was crowned Ms. Oak Ridge High School! When asked what winning this academic pageant meant to her, she said, "Being crowned Ms. Oak Ridge High School means a lot to me. I see myself as the representative of the school. The one to set examples and to be there, to be a voice for the student body."

Vanassa wants to become a cardiologist because of her interest in how the heart works and helping people. On her way to becoming a cardiologist, she plans on majoring in chemistry.

Addition Financial @theadditionfi had a competition for all High School Branches. The goal was to get 100 new accounts by December 10th. Our branch surpassed the goal and ended the year with 120 accounts, the HIGHEST of all the high school branches. Our on campus branch is exclusive for students and staff. Congratulations - job well done!

Congratulations to the Senior Class of 2022 for 208 college acceptances and $3,302,328 in scholarships. We are off and rising to the top!!!!!! Stay tuned for updates… #proudtobeapioneer

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

Pioneers - apply to every scholarship opportunity you qualify for. Find a full list of scholarships from OCPS here.

* Due January 31, 2022 – onePULSE Foundation Legacy Scholarship - $10,000. Any person is welcome to apply. To apply click here: https://onepulse.communityforce.com/Login.aspx

* Due February 1, 2022 – Society of Manufacturing Engineers - $10,000 scholarships. Must be enrolling in an accredited college or university, minimum 2.0 GPA. To apply click here: https://scholarships.smeef.org/applications/

* Due February 1, 2022 – Support Our Scholars - $10,000 scholarship. Must be female, first generation student. To apply click here: https://supportourscholars.org/scholar/

* Due February 7, 2022 – McDonald’s HACER Scholarship Program - $100,000 (30 awards). Must be a high school senior with a minimum 2.8 GPA, have at least one parent of Hispanic heritage. To apply click here: https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/community/hacer.html

* Due February 7, 2022 – Oakland Presbyterian Scholarship - $30,000. Must demonstrate need, maintain a 2.5 unweighted GPA, demonstrate active participation in school, church, community, and volunteer activities. To apply click here: https://oaklandpres.breezechms.com/form/f15bdf

* Due February 14^th – Atkins Pathway to Success Scholarship – award varies. To be eligible for the scholarship a student must be: first generation, female student, a Florida resident applying to a 4 year public, in-state university, submit the FAFSA and Florida Financial Aid Application, and have applied to two other external scholarships. To apply click here: https://www.atkinsef.org/application

* Due February 15, 2022 – Future of STEM Scholars Initiative – award varies. To be eligible for the scholarship a student must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the US, minimum 3.0 unweighted GPA, demonstrate financial need, pursuing a degree in the STEM field, attending a HBCU for the entirety of their college education. To apply click here: https://futureofstemscholars.org/FOSSI/apply#panels-pane-custom-custom--4

* Due February 23, 2022 – Dream U.S. – Up to $16,500 for an associate degree and up to $33,000 for a bachelor’s degree at a partner college. Some scholars may be eligible for an additional stipend of up to $4,000 for books, supplies, and transportation. To apply click here: https://www.thedream.us/scholarships/national-scholarship/

* Due February 28, 2022 – Addition Financial Scholarship - $10,000 scholarship. Must be an Addition Financial account holder or joint holder. Stop by the bank on campus to make an account. To apply click here: https://foundation.additionfi.com/scholarships/high-school?hsLang=en

* Due March 1, 2022 - EEqual Scholarship Awards Program - $8,000 - Student must be experiencing poverty or homelessness and be on track for graduation. Undocumented students CAN apply! Go to: https://eequal.org/scholarships/ 

To register, follow the link above and create a account. 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.

Brainfuse offers free online tutoring through the Orange County Library System to ALL students in Orange County Public Schools. FREE live tutors are available every day from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Please click here for more details and how to access.

Using Brainfuse, students can connect with a qualified tutor for expert help in a variety of subjects:

9th Grade:

● English Language Arts

● Math

● Math: Algebra I

● Math: Geometry

● Science

● Science: Biology

● Social Studies

● Social Studies: Global History

● Writing

● Spanish

10th Grade:  

● English Language Arts

● Math

● Math: Algebra I

● Math: Geometry

● Math: Algebra II

● Science

● Science: Biology

● Science: Chemistry

● Social Studies

● Social Studies: Global History

● Writing

● Spanish

11-12 Grades

● English Language Arts

● Geometry

● Math

● Math: Trigonometry

● Math: Algebra I

● Math: Geometry

● Math: Algebra II

● Math: Pre-Calculus

● Math: Calculus

● Science

● Science: Biology

● Science: Chemistry

● Science: Physics

● Social Studies

● Social Studies: Global History

● Social Studies: U.S..HIstory

● Writing

● Spanish

College Level (AP/Dual Enrollment)

● Algebra

● Biology

● Calculus I

● Chemistry

● Geometry

● History

● Physics

● Pre-Calculus

● Trigonometry

● Writing

● Spanish

ALL students can also access :

● Accuplacer (Math, Reading and Writing)

● FREE ACT Tutoring

● FREE ASVAB Tutoring

● FREE SAT Tutoring

● FREE FAFSA Assistance

Continuing Reminder - After School Tutoring

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.

Continuing Reminder - Schoolwide Tardy Policy

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.

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:

1) Weekly paychecks ranked by level of education:

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (just released Jan. 19, 2022) - Read the full report

2) Skills that companies are focusing on developing:

Source: McKinsey & Company - Read full article 

3) Black History Month 2022 begins Tuesday, Feb. 1:

Source: ASALH Read full article

* The theme for 2022 focuses on the importance of Black Health and Wellness. This theme acknowledges the legacy of not only Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, but also other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. The 2022 theme considers activities, rituals and initiatives that Black communities have done to be well. (Past Black History Month themes by year.)

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