By Emmi, FOA Middle School Student
On Sunday, March 25, 2012, Five Oaks Academy Middle School students departed from the Amtrak Station in downtown Greenville on a journey to the nation’s capitol, Washington D.C.
They arrived at Union Station in the early morning on Monday and started their trip by visiting the National Aquarium. Here they saw sea creatures from every ocean on Earth. After this first stop, the students made their way to the National Zoo to see animals from various parts of the world, including the panda from China and the cheetah from Africa. That night the students experienced a monument night tour, where they saw the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, and more.
The next morning, the students began their day at the National Spy Museum, where they learned about the most legendary spies of all time and even took on a secret identity for the day. Following that, the middle school continued to the Smithsonian. They began at the National Air and Space Museum where they saw fighter jets from world wars, rode simulators, and some students even chose to see the Einstein Planetarium. That evening, the middle school students dined at Bistro Bistro, where they enjoyed a selected menu that included a delicious chocolate cake or crème brule for dessert.
On their last day, the students visited the National Holocaust Museum, where they learned of devastating stories and shocking human experiences. Later on, they continued the Smithsonian by visiting the Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, and the American Art Museum, where they saw the featured exhibit; The Art of Video Games. That night the middle school returned to Greenville by train and they will always remember their exciting experience at the nation’s capitol.
Cathy Meng Robinson, violinist with the 
“It is fun to cook with the teachers. It’s kind of hard to plan. You know they like the food when everyone says, ‘It’s an awesome meal’.” – Walker
“It was fun and interesting. It was really yummy.” – Maddie
“It is fun to go shopping and to experience cooking with other people that you normally would not have an opportunity to work with.” – Kaitlyn
“I Like to cook. It was fun! We made eggrolls, veggie fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken.” – Carson
Five Oaks Academy was awarded a $500 All-Star Health Award for our organic gardening program. All-Health Team was so pleased that we utilize our garden for food preparations, feeding our classroom animals, and for the infusion of oils used in our classroom cooking that they offered to film a commercial on our campus. Twenty-five students were provided with All-Health t-shirts, water bottles, and pencils and were able to show the cameras many different things our students do organically every day.
Five Oaks Academy is pleased to host Kathryn Kvols, author of “Redirecting Children’s Behavior” and national presenter on childhood behavior, on 
A “catalyst for creating healthy relationships” is the best way to describe Kathryn Kvols. A dynamic and entertaining international speaker, Kathryn has worked with thousands of teachers, nurses, counselors, childcare workers and parents, presenting keynote addresses, workshops, and classes. Kathryn presents fresh new ways of looking at age-old problems. Seeing with these new eyes, her audience is inspired to make amazing shifts toward loving action. These loving actions are creating more satisfying relationships at home, in school and in the workplace. She is adept at creating safe learning environments through her heart-felt speaking style, her sense of humor, and insightful observations. Her workshops are interactive and her audiences walk away with practical tools they can implement immediately.
