Thursday, September 22 was the official start to the fall season and after the last bell today, we are already down to just nine school days remaining in this first quarter. Please remember that there is no school for students on Friday, October 7. 

With both consumer prices and interest rates continuing to rise, I hope all of our Pioneer families will take advantage of our fall sports as a great entertainment value for the dollar. As you will see in the calendar below, our Pioneers are in competition both at home and away this coming week. If you are looking for something fun to do with friends and family one evening, come on out and cheer on your Pioneers. The games are always a lot of fun and our student-athletes really appreciate your support.

Thank you for reading this latest edition and enjoy your weekend!

Mr. Alvarado

Principal

Pictured very top: Congratulations to our swim team! Our swim team did an OUTSTANDING job against Freedom High School. 

School is closed for students!

Stay tuned for activities and celebrations!

This is your opportunity to be in the yearbook! Pre-order today to save $10.00 on CADY.COM/PORTRAITS

OUR ‘23 YEARBOOKS ARE NOW ON SALE⭐️ You have until the end of this first quarter when prices go up!!

Each of these videos is only 1 to 2 minutes long:

Pioneer footnote: Dr. Vazquez, our new superintendent of schools, carefully prepares these very short videos each Monday to quickly touch upon a few immediate topics of concern to the district or to our Oak Ridge families. They are worth a look - please view when you get a moment. Thank you.

Shout-Out to Mr. Ivey! He does a fantastic job at engaging his students in history content and his questioning techniques maintain engagement and relevance. He also holds class competitions to reduce the number of tardies. Whichever class has the least number of tardies, gets a prize.

It’s a 13-7 W for the green and gold!!! The PIONEERS defeated the Lake Buena Vista Vipers!

There will be tryouts from October 3rd to 11th. If you are interested, please scan the Q-code and fill out the form.

Lola is the president of National Honor Society and National English Honors Society. In addition, she is also the Vice President of Science National Honors Society, and is a member of the Senior Student Council. She knows that her experience with juggling a large workload will benefit her in the long run - especially when it comes to meeting deadlines. After graduating high school, Lola hopes to double major in Computer Science and Finance. Outside of academics, Lola has a strong passion for digital art. In fact, she uses Instagram as a source to network her artistic capabilities!

Get involved while learning for the future if possibly interested in a sports related career! We are currently looking for Athletic Trainers! This opportunity is for grades 9th-11th only, for more information please see Ms. Lennon.

Congratulations to our Pioneer readers who had the second highest number of logged minutes for summer reading of all the high schools in the Southeast Learning Community!

Check out this link for information college scholarships available specifically to minority students: https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/student-life/scholarships-minority-students/

Entries in the Illustrators of the Future Contest are judged only by professional artists. Three prizes of $500 (a total of $1500) are awarded each quarter. From the twelve quarterly winners each year the judges select a grand prize winner to receive the L. Ron Hubbard Golden Brush Award and an additional $5000 cash prize.

The annual “Best Colleges” rankings from U.S. News & World Report was released on Monday, September 12. Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks the country’s colleges and universities based on student outcomes, faculty qualifications and more.

* These are the rankings OCPS uses when determining Super Scholars for each year's senior class

Reminder for our Pioneers: These U.S. News & World Report rankings are for informational purposes only as part of a larger college selection process. There are other factors that certainly come into play when evaluating the choice of a college or university. This is an area Mrs. Gittens and our College and Career Resource Center can help all Oak Ridge students with.

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15, 2022 through October 15, 2022. Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis are hosting the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration and have invited all Florida students to participate in the variety of contests. The theme for this year’s essay and art contests is “Celebrating the Achievements of Hispanic Floridians.”

1) Student Art Contest Hispanic Heritage Month Art Contest is open to all Kindergarten through third-grade students in Florida. Each student will submit original, two-dimensional artwork based on this year's theme. Four statewide winners will be selected, and each winner will receive a $100 art supplies gift card and a 1-year pass to Florida state parks.

2) Student Essay Contest Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest is open to all fourth through twelfth-grade students in Florida. Each student will submit one essay no longer than 500 words based on this year’s theme. Six winners will be selected: two elementary school students (grades 4–5), two middle school students (grades 6–8), and two high school students (grades 9–12). Each winner will receive a 2–Year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and a $100 gift card for school supplies.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Read full article

Sign-up today to volunteer and become a Partner in Education. Click on the link to get started: https://ocps.samaritan.com/custom/503/volunteer_home

If you need further information please contact our Coordinator, Laurene Householder at laurene.householder@ocps.net - she will be more than happy to assist you!

Reference sheet for online OCPS forms including Health Services

Kevin Hart On Taking Action

The best tip I could give you is to be active. So many people talk about what they want to do and they just love words. Put actions behind your words. Don't be a talker. Be a doer.

Kobe Bryant On Effort

Hard work outweighs talent — every time.

John Travolta On Responsibility

It's easier to be responsible for the decisions that you've made yourself than for the ones that other people have made for you.

Henry Ford On Failure

Failure is only an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

Oliver Wendell Holmes On Learning

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.

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