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Friday, May 31, 2013

FO Science Olympiad Visits DC: Day 2 Adventures

DC Day 2 started bright and early with alarms going off at 6:30 am. We all showered last night so we could be nice and clean for sweet dreams. This enabled us to get moving more quickly this morning. The Embassy Suites Hotels laid out a fabulous breakfast buffet for everyone staying in the hotel. We took full advantage of all that was offered. Our choices ranged from the everyday cereal and bagels to an omelet bar, pancakes, French toast, bacon, potatoes and eggs.
Our first stop of the day was the monuments and memorials that stem from the Washington Monument. First up was a statue of John Paul Jones who captained several ships during the American Revolution and thus became a celebrated hero showing that one could succeed through personal achievement and a little hard work, and was not relegated to what one is born into. Next up was the World War II memorial where we saw how the memorial was built to show the states that fought in the Pacific as well as the ones that fought in the Atlantic. The Jefferson memorial was quite a walk, so we stopped to gaze at it from afar before morning on to the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool. As we were walking by the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial we were talking with the kids about how Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech from the steps of the memorial. Our final memorial stop was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial where we began with the Statue of the Three Soldiers and then walked by the most well-known portion which is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Out of respect for those lost or fallen, we walked through this portion in silence.
Here are our students posing for a picture in front of the Washington Monument.
World War II Memorial

A view of the Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This is the view MLK Jr. would have had as he gave his speech.

Lincoln Memorial


Next up on our Day 2 adventure was the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Upon arrival we began by exploring the space portion of the museum. Then we took a brief break to take in a movie entitled “Dynamic Earth” in the Albert Einstein Planetarium where we learned about the currents of ocean and wind as well as hurricanes and volcanoes. When the movie was over we made a brief stop to peruse the museum gift shop before we headed out.
We are ready to see the movie!

After this we made a stop at the Cannon House Office Building to visit Representative Gingrey’s office. While there we dropped off letters that the kids wrote to Representative Gingrey explaining how much they enjoy receiving the Backpack Blessings from Mt. Bethel UMC. The Backpack Blessings have been going on for the past two years providing nearly 200 backpacks full of snacks and food for students to eat during the weekends. Mt. Bethel UMC is working on getting its Backpack Blessings established as a non-profit organization and is hoping for a bit of help from Representative Gingrey.

A letter that John wrote to Representative Gingrey expressing how much he liked receiving a Backpack Blessings backpack from Mt. Bethel UMC.
A group photo outside of Representative Gingrey’s office in the Cannon House Office Building.
Leaving Representative Gingrey's office after dropping off our letters and a backpack from Mt. Bethel UMC.

While we were not able to meet Congressman Gingrey because the House was not in session, we were given passes to enter the House Chambers. After checking our bags at a security checkpoint, we headed to the House Chambers. A kind police officer explained several key points of interest to us. The seals of each state resembled bottle caps and were located on the ceiling of the chamber. Famous law makers such as Sulieman, Moses and Justinian were carved in the crown molding. We also learned that every other row of seats on the House floor contained a box with a green button, a red button, an orange button and a black slot. When Representatives cast a vote, they slide their ID into the black slot and then push a button. The green means yes, the red no and the orange is present which means that the Representative abstained from voting.  Directly across from the Chamber viewing area were four fabric panels that are a bit darker than the other panels. This is because behind the panels are LED screens that show each Representatives name in alphabetical order along with their corresponding vote. Sadly we were not allowed to have cellphones, cameras and other electronic devices with us so there are no pictures of the House Chambers.
The National Archives was next up on our itinerary for Day 2. There was quite a long wait to get in so we entertained ourselves by playing the “Signs” game. The weather during our trip has been quite hot, so were thankful to enter the cool air conditioning of the National Archives. Once inside we headed up to see the US Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. This was perhaps one of my favorite parts thus far as I am related to Robert Morris who signed the Declaration of Independence. It was a bit hard to read the signatures on the Declaration of Independence, but I was able to see the light scrawl of Morris’ signature.
We jogged catty-corner across the street from the Archives to go to the Natural History Museum. After going through security we had a little surprise for the kids. A family friend of mine is a Secret Service Agent and he met us at the museum. We stepped into a corner of the museum’s lobby where the kids got to ask questions about what a Secret Service Agent does, how you become an Agent, and so much more.

                          A snapshot our surprise meet and greet with a Secret Service Agent.
     A group photo with our surprise guest! The kids loved meeting a real-life Secret Service Agent!

After our Q&A with the Secret Service Agent, the kids went on to explore the Natural History Museum. Here are some fun pictures of our adventures:

For dinner we went back to the National Mall at the corner of 7th and Madison. While we waited for the pizza to be delivered we alternated between playing tag and lounging around enjoying the gorgeous weather. From our location in the National Mall we were able to enjoy the music from an outdoor concert at National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden while devouring pizza from We The Pizza.
Finishing up our dinner in the National Mall.
Once our stomachs were stuffed we boarded the metro to head back to our hotel. The kids easily fell into what is becoming a routine to them of writing in their journals, taking turns in the shower and writing postcards to mail to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts.
We have another full day of DC sights tomorrow so it’s off to bed for a good night’s rest!
Check back in tomorrow to see our Day 3 DC adventures!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Science Olympaid Visits DC: Day 1

Thanks to the generosity of colleagues, friends and family as well as several community partners we were able to bring this trip to fruition. Thirteen students were able to embark on this amazing trip. Not only did students help with fundraisers we held at school, but each student contributed to the total cost as well as took ownership of the trip. This ownership was enacted through researching the various sites to see in Washington, DC and then planning the itinerary. As were walking from place to place today, John said to me “You know my dad told me I am very lucky to be able to go on this trip? He said this is a once in a lifetime experience and you know he is right. I’ve never been out of Georgia before. Today was my first time in an airport.”
Here I will attempt to convey our adventures of Day One in Washington, DC. Most of us, teachers and students alike, were so excited that we got very little sleep. Alarms went off as early as 4 a.m. today so that we could do last minute packing and eat breakfast before meeting up at the school at 5:45 a.m. Once everyone arrived at school, we headed to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport to catch our flight to Washington, DC.

We made it through security at the airport without a hitch. Only the adults had to remove their shoes as we passed through security because kids age 12 and under are allowed to keep on their shoes. Once we made it to our terminal and subsequent gate, we went in shifts to grab some hot breakfast from Chick-fil-A. While all of the adults have previously flown, this trip to Washington, DC was the first time for most of our students to leave the state as well as their first time flying.

Hanging at the Atlanta airport … so excited to fly!

Is it time to board our plane yet?

Our flight into DC was on time. We had a great experience working with AirTran. Not only were they very helpful and accommodating of our school group, but they enabled us to smoothly check in, board in an earlier section so that we could get the group settled. The service aboard the flight was impeccable. As we were deplaning, the flight attendances complimented our group on their good behavior.

After deplaning we wound our way through the airport to the metro station so that we could head to the hotel. We had originally planned to drop our luggage at the hotel and head out, but when we arrived at the Embassy Suites Hotel, we found that our rooms were ready. This enabled us to put our luggage in our rooms, take a quick bathroom break and regroup before we headed out to see the sites. The hotel rooms are beautiful and have great have great views of DC from the windows. It is conveniently local by the metro station and has a complimentary, healthy breakfast.  

The Smithsonian National Zoo was our first official stop in DC. Like many of the sites in DC, the Zoo was free. They were excited to see the giant pandas, Asian elephants, and a spectacular peacock. They loved the zoo and spent so much time there that our pedometers showed we walked around five miles!
Here is the entire FO crew at the pedestrian entrance to the Smithsonian National Zoo!



Checking out the birds …


This is how we kept cool at the Smithsonian National Zoo by standing under the mists. It felt GREAT in the 90 degree weather!

Lunch snuck up on us quickly, so we stopped as planned at the Panda Overlook Café at the Smithsonain National Zoo. The kids were excited because lunch is the one meal a day that they can have soda. However, we were pleasantly surprised that many of the kids opted for bottled water, PowerAde or to just simply use the water they carried in their reusable water bottles.
Everyone has a budget of $10 to spend for lunch and dinner each day. Students are responsible for ordering and paying for their lunches and dinners.

Our second official stop of the day was the National Muesum of American History. Mr. Roper talked to the kids about the Emancipation Proclamation which is the document that freed slaves in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Then we discussed the sit-ins that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. Perhaps the most inspiring part of the exhibit was the actual Woolworth counter where a group of African Americans held a sit in, which aided in the fight for desegregation. We then checked out an exhibition about the First Ladies and their fashion. The display included dresses from Jackie Kennedy and Mary Todd Lincoln. It was interesting to see how both the wardrobes and roles of the first ladies have changed throughout history. In addition to this, we learned about the history of the Star Spangled Banner and had the chance to see the flag that flew over Fort McHenry in 1814 during the War of 1812. This was the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, which was originated as a poem. We learned that it was put to the tune of a British pub song in the late 1800s after Scott Key passed away.

Entering the American History Museum …
Here are the students after we went through the Star Spangled Banner exhibit. Photography was prohibited in much of the museum so we have very few pictures of the inside of the museum.


Here is Mr. Roper teaching about the sit-ins that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. This is an actual counter that was used during the Greensboro lunch counter student sit-in.

We had intended to visit several memorials near the National Mall after the National Museum of American History, but we spent more time than anticipated at the Zoo and Museum. Therefore, we postponed the memorials until tomorrow morning in favor of feeding the hungry masses.
For dinner we headed to the Union Station Food Court where everyone had the chance to choose from a variety of food vendors. Everything from Subway and Burger King to sushi and Taco Bell was represented within the food court.
Upon arriving back at the hotel the students began to call their parents to fill them in on the happenings of the day. During the trip we have the rule that the group members need to be “unplugged” so that they can enjoy the sights, sounds and people around them while visiting DC. After the phone calls home, they rotated through showers and spent time writing in their journals. The journaling has provided the kids with an opportunity to reflect upon their DC experiences.
We are looking forward to visiting The Air and Space Museum and all of the major memorials tomorrow.
Many thanks to all of you who have helped make this trip possible! Parents, thank you all for sharing your children with us!
Until tomorrow…

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Three Days of Synergy Results in a 7 Habits Tree

The entire staff at Fair Oaks has spent the past year being trained in the 7 Habits and beginning to implement them within our school. Since our school name derives from the oak tree, we thought it only fitting that we use an oak tree as a teaching tool and visual representation of the habits. This is the story of how staff members utilized Habit 6, synergize, to bring to life a 7 Habits tree on our school’s campus.


Day 1

We are always looking for ways to recycle and repurpose materials. We had a vision of the 7 Habits tree grabbing students’ attention with colorful signs that appear almost like on a tree fort.  Therefore we decided to repurpose some wood pallets that were donated to us. It took some serious synergy to break apart the pallets. Protective eye gear was worn as we employed crowbars to break down the pallets.


Once the boards were disassembled, we utilized hammers to knock out the remaining nails.


Our next step was to use sealer to prepare the wood. We made sure to seal both the front and back of each piece of wood as well as the sides. Rollers were able to quickly get this job done. While the sealant was drying, we utilized a Cricket to cut out the letters to spell out each of the habits. We used thick pieces of cardstock for the letters.

Once the letters spelling each habit were cut out, we used small tubes of painter’s tape to affix the letters to the sealed pieces of wood. We choose to not line up the letters in a straight line; rather, we decided to put the letter on a bit haphazardly so that they looked a bit more like a child might write them. Next, we spray painted the tops and sides of each piece of wood. When we applied the spray paint, we found that it was important to make sure we were spraying directly down on top of the letters we had affixed to the wood so that we could outline the letters that spelled out the habits.


Day 2

With the signs naming each habit complete, we wanted to tie in the sayings that correspond to each habit. For example, Habit 3, Put First Things First, corresponds with the catch phrase Think First, Then Play.

We chose to use 3 large pots and 4 smaller pots. The pots were then created in much the same way we made the signs. First we applied sealer on the whole outside as well as several inches inside each pot. While the sealer on the pots was drying, we again used the Cricket to cut out the letters to each catch phrase.

Once the sealer was dry, we utilized painter’s tape to affix the catch phrases to each pot. Next, we used the same spray paint we made the habits signs with to paint each pot. We made sure that each catch phrase was done in the color that coordinated with the habits signs we made on a previous day.

Day 3

The third day was all about the installation of the signs and the planting and arranging of the pots. Prior to installing the habits signs on the oak tree we had to trim a few branches. We ended up using an axe to cut the branches, but in hindsight a branch cutter would have made the tree trimming a bit easier. Once the branches were removed or cut back, we then began by installing the first three habits. We affixed those three habits to two pieces of wood that we painted brown. Then we dug two shallow holes, sunk the brown pieces of wood in them and proceed to pound the dirt back in around the base so that the first three habits stood upright. When you step back, it appears as if the first three habits are actually in the ground, much like they are in the Franklin Covey representation of the 7 Habits tree.


Our next step was to affix the other five habit signs to the oak tree.


While our 7 Habits oak tree is looking quite nice, we have a few more finishing touches we want to add. One addition will include repurposing plastic bottles to make a Chihuley sculpture reminiscent of the sun which will be hung from the oak tree. The other is creating a sign that simply says “The 7 Habits” which will be hung above the habits signs on the oak tree. This will enable visitors to our school who may not be familiar with the 7 Habits to recognize them and understand what is being shown on our oak tree.