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On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, Five Oaks Middle School students partnered with The Generous Garden Project to benefit members of the Greenville community. Located behind the Wild Radish Health Store on Verdin Street in Greenville, the goal of The Generous Garden Project is to provide local food banks with nutritious, locally grown foods that are not always readily available to such organizations. Due to necessity, many food banks store foods that have a longer shelf-life, but that are more processed and preserved. Because of this, many individuals who rely on these food banks miss out on important nutrients that fresh produce provides. The Generous Garden seeks to eliminate that problem. Not only do volunteers maintain large gardens of food, but they do so organically.  Volunteers also visit local farms to glean produce that, while perfectly appropriate for immediate use, may not make it all the way through the packaging process and to market. Instead of these goods going to waste, they are given to local families in need.

The Middle School class spent several hours with volunteers from The Generous Garden Project, harvesting tomatoes, lettuce and okra, moving their chicken coop, feeding and watering their worm farm, and fertilizing their fields.  While they visited, Middle School students also got to see local volunteers from food banks arrive to pick up the produce they harvested. Students were able to see The Generous Garden’s future plans for an aquaponic greenhouse system that will allow them to grow crops and fish in a re-circulating, mutually beneficial system. The students were able to see how their own hard work that day benefitted the volunteers at The Generous Garden Project and the community at large.

If you or your family or any other group you may be involved with, are interested in helping The Generous Garden Project, take a look at their website at www.generousgarden.org. There you can donate funds, sponsor a garden bed, find ways to share your gardening materials or discover how to give of your time and help make your community a happier, healthier place.

Five Oaks Academy and friends raised over $1,400 to help the International organization Dining For Women to promote awareness for “The Fistula Foundation”.  The Foundation concentrates on educating people on the needs of the women who need treatment worldwide.  The organization supported by Oprah Winfrey tries to provide funding for treatment and prevention of fistula.

On September 20, women supporters of the organization gathered at the Five Oaks Academy campus for an evening of fellowship and collective giving.  Several vendors were present donating profits to Dining For Women.  The women watched a video made by the Fitula Foundation that highlighted women who were suffering in Ethiopia.  For every $450 raised, a woman can have surgery which will cure her for live from the condition.

Dining for Women began in Greenville in 2002 by Marsha Wallace.  The organization focuses on improving the lives of women and girls worldwide.  Dining For women concentrates on issues that will find solutions to problems facing women through education, healthcare, and economic development.  Since it’s conception in 2002, Dining For Women has grown with many chapters nationally and internationally.  The service group has been published in The New York Times, Women’s Day Magazine, and New Adventures in Philanthropy.

Bonnie Papajohn led the Dining For Women chapter meeting and gave the presentation on fistula repair.  Several Five Oaks Academy women expressed interest in creating their own chapter.  Please see more information at diningforwomen.org and fistulafoundation.org.

Five Oaks Academy’s 1st grade student Chase Hanning had the opportunity to be with his father during the Lower Elementary Doughnuts for Dads on September 22, 2011 through the use of Skype, a software application that allows users to make voice, video calls, and chats over the Internet.   Chase’s father, Craig, is currently in Afghanistan.

Craig has been in Afghanistan since August 2011 and has not had the opportunity to see Chase’s new classroom.  Chase was able to show his dad where his cubby was located and where he eats lunch everyday.  Chase then showed his father his latest math work, a thousand bead chain which stretched out across the classroom floor.    Craig was able meet the classroom pets guinea pig Ziggy and bearded dragon Puff!   Craig made sure to eat a giant chocolate doughnut, just like all the other dads.  Later in the morning, Chase’s friends all gathered together as they located Afghanistan on the classroom wall  map.

We are continually impressed with how technology allows us to communicate with people across the world and so glad that Craig was able to be a part of our school’s celebration.

Article written by Allessandre Ponzini, Eighth Grade Student

In October of last year Maya Roberts, a Seventh grade student at Five Oaks Academy, participated in a dance convention in Greenville, South Carolina called ‘Monsters of Hip-Hop’. Participants auditioned in groups initially, then competitors were eliminated in several different rounds until the final cut. Maya was named as one of the two final dancers remaining and she won a scholarship to a dance studio in North Hollywood, California. This summer she redeemed the scholarship worth a full week of as many classes as she wanted to take at the Millennium Dance Complex.  Several famous performers such as Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake have practiced at this studio. Every afternoon and for several hours a day, Maya attended dance classes.

At most studios, dancers pay for a semester of lessons, but at Millennium they pay for each class separately. Since Maya had a scholarship, the classes she took were at no cost to her. There were classes available for children, but Maya found these classes less challenging and was allowed to take the adult classes.  Maya said the trip was a great experience and she is glad she was able to have that opportunity.

Skylar Brown has attended Five Oaks Academy since the school doors opened in 2003.  She is currently in 6th grade.  Every Friday,  Skylar organizes our Friday Pizza Lunch Program for both students and faculty.  Skylar’s duties include: surveying various pizza restaurants for the best value, processing all student and faculty orders, telephoning in orders, calculating a tip, writing a check from the pizza fund, and delivering pizzas to each classroom. Sklyar will be working with different co-managers from her 6th grade class throughout the academic year. “I am glad I have this job out of all the jobs on campus. I was nervous about getting everything right the very first time I called in an order but it’s getting easier,” says Skylar.

Upper Elementary student Kaitlyn Meade competed in the 10th Annual Tri to Cure Triathlon on August 13, 2011 as part of her Upper Elementary Summer Community Service Project. Kaitlyn’s efforts and determination awarded her first place female in the 9-10 year old age division and fourth place overall out of 254 participants. In addition to her athletic feats, Kaitlyn raised $1,110 for the American Diabetes Association Camp Independence.

Tri to Cure is an annual non profit youth triathlon held at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. The event includes a 100 meter swim, 2.5 mile bike ride and ½ mile run. Tri to Cure was founded by Jennifer Bennett in 2001, after her son was diagnosed with diabetes. Over the past ten years the event has provided thousands of children a fun-filled athletic experience while allowing participants to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children with diabetes.

The money raised during the event goes to the American Diabetes Association Camp Independence, a summer camp in Greenville, South Carolina. The camp is designed to give children with diabetes a traditional camp experience while meeting their unique medical needs. While at camp, participants are educated about diabetes, learn care and advocacy strategies, and have the opportunity to bond with other children with diabetes. The camp also provides excellent medical resources, including nurses and endocrinologists.

Thomas Lea, Second Grade Student at Five Oaks Academy, held a Toy Sale on Saturday, August 20, 2011 and raised $318.40.  Friends, family and neighbors of Thomas joined him at this event. There was delicious food, fun, and toys.  It was a huge success!

The proceeds from this sale were donated to Wells of Love, the service learning program of Amman Imman.  Amman Imman is dedicated to empowering the world’s most under-served and vulnerable indigenous populations by addressing their most essential needs.  Serving as a conduit between these populations and the rest of the world, Amman Imman raises awareness and engages individuals of all ages to take action.   Since 2006, Amman Imman has been supplying permanent sources of water in the Azawak of West Africa to save and improve the lives of the people living there.  Amman Imman has funded three wells, however, the Azawak needs many more wells and your students can be leaders in this grassroots cause. Please visit  www.wellsoflove.com  for additional information and resources.

Thomas said, “I learned that sometimes it is easy to make a big difference!” Five Oaks Academy is continually impressed and inspired by the initiative and enthusiasm of our students. Their compassion toward others is extremely admirable. We are so proud of all of our students!

Five Oaks Academy welcomed one of our newest members of the Five Oaks Academy faculty, Matt Lehman, back from a summer training experience in Ohio. Matt Lehman officially joined our school community this spring, and is working alongside Emily Gagne in mentoring our adolescent middle school students. Matt became acquainted with the middle school students before summer vacation through mentoring in lessons and work, attending and helping with graduation, and participating in the construction of the garden house.

Matt spent the summer engrossed in the Orientation to Adolescence Studies in Cleveland, Ohio through the North American Montessori Teacher Association (NAMTA) training. His studies included a two-week stay at the Hershey Montessori Farm School as well as four weeks of course study at Montessori High School at University Circle in affiliation with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

While the whole experience was memorable, the learning opportunities at the farm school resonate with Matt the most. As a Farm School, the children are responsible for all tasks, duties, and chores that keep a working farm running. The farm is home to cows, pigs, and chickens; the students are responsible for all daily chores and maintenance including collecting eggs, feeding animals, and cleaning stalls. The Hershey Montessori Farm School at the Huntsburg Campus serves adolescents ages 12 to 15 years. The Huntsburg Campus has a working farm, residential house, program barns, bio-shelter, and classroom buildings. The program also includes a boarding option for families who wish for their children to reside on campus. Matt is eager to develop new experiences for the Middle School students from lessons and experiences he gained over the summer.

Will Baur, graduate of Five Oaks Academy’s Middle School Program and founding student at Five Oaks Academy, Inc., attended Duke’s Regional Summer Program at Appalachian State University.  Duke offers a variety of summer programs for students who qualify in their Duke Talent Identification Program (T.I.P).

Students qualify in the 7th grade if recommended by MAP results, to take the SAT and/or ACT.

The summer camp focus is on different types of study and qualifying students attend workshops paired with their academic excellence.

Will attended “America and the World: Challenges and Opportunities” for a three week study.  Upon leaving the course, Duke Professors wrote:  “Will was a good addition to the classroom.  He was well respected by his instructors and peers and contributed to a supportive learning environment for all.  When Will participated in debates/discussions, he captured many important points that were being overlooked.  He was very analytically driven, and processed information with great  depth.  He typically brought a voice of objectivity, which was greatly appreciated.  In his final project, he showed good creative writing ability and gave analysis with policy recommendations.  It is clear that Will has a real excitement for learning new things and being challenged in an opportunity to grow intellectually.”