Tri-M does the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge By Kaylyn Redway, 8th grade, Southern Oaks Middle The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has been a HUGE hit worldwide! So far the ALS foundation has received over $94.3 million dollars in donations compared to $2.7 million during the same time period last year. If you don’t know, ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. For more information on ALS, go to www.mda.org. “I think the Ice Bucket Challenge is important because we … Read More

Students Carlie Frizzle, left, and Elizabeth Stone in Todd Hibbard’s Advanced World History Class at Southern Oaks Middle School, sang the lyrics to the song “Walk Like an Egyptian” during a unit on Egyptian culture. The students found that the lyrics from the song use several of the key terms and phrases from their unit of study. The song allowed the students to infuse Social Studies with the musical arts, as well as language arts. Though not required to have a costume, these students “walked like an Egyptian,” going the extra mile to make the presentation even more special!

  Southern Oaks Middle School made an impressive showing at the district science fair in January 2023. The school sent 16 participants to the district science fair, but one student showed accomplishment that far exceeded the others. Ramses Antunez Rivers won first place in the category of environmental engineering. This extraordinary seventh-grade student also won the right to enter the Florida State STEM Fair in April in Orlando. In addition to winning the first-place prize, Ramses also won several special awards of which some had monetary value. The special awards included; the HCA Lawnwood Regional Medical Center Award and $50, … Read More

Students in Todd Hibbard’s sixth grade class at Southern Oaks Middle School recently completed their extra credit Sumerian clay tablets. Students submitted over 80 tablets. Pictured, from left, are Bernardo Desir, Dominic Adams, Logan Feldherr, Caden Ayers and John Lamplough, who are just a few of the students whose tablets are on display. Sumerian clay tablets were written in cuneiform and were used to keep track of records and trade many centuries ago. Cuneiform uses wedge shaped symbols to represent objects. Students get really involved when they get to mix art with history.  

Students in Kevin McInerney’s sixth grade class at Southern Oaks joined over 15 million students across the country and the world, to learn the rudimentary structure and syntax of computer coding in the recent national “Hour of Code” initiative. With backing from Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and scores of other donors, and with instruction by contributors from Chris Bosh to Mark Zuckerberg, code.org had a goal of having 10 million students begin to learn computer programming. Students used a drag-and-drop style interface to program their own version of an “Angry Birds” game. Pictured are students working on the project.

  Southern Oaks continues its monthly Hall of Fame ceremony. Students are inducted into the Hawk Hall of Fame. The award ceremony takes place every month during two student-packed lunches. Students cheer and applaud their classmates who are called center stage to receive a gift, snack, and award. The induction criteria are based on a monthly theme of a positive character trait. September’s Hall of Famers are awarded for being respectful. All students receive valuable month-long lessons on the theme of respect in their science or history classes. Teachers then select students that they have observed demonstrating the monthly theme. … Read More

On February 27th, sixth-grade students at Southern Oaks Middle School made their contribution to the school’s many Black History Month events. Students hosted a Black History Month wax museum impersonation experience unlike any other. Sixth graders were visibly transformed into Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Tina Turner, and even Beyonce from head to toe. One parent added she shopped for clothing and paraphernalia after studying the pictures of Rosa Parks. Parents and other classes had a walkthrough experience and were able to see and hear students performing their impressions of notable African Americans. For their Black History Month assignment in World … Read More

 Students in Kate Kennedy’s sixth grade World Cultures classes at Southern Oaks Middle School have been studying about the fascinating civilization of Ancient Egypt. Students were asked to choose a topic in which they were particularly interested in of the ancient culture and become SOMS “Egyptologists”. The assignment included  the opportunity for students to choose the medium by which to present the topic to the class. Some of the options were to create a homemade model, make a diorama, make an informative poster, or to create a PowerPoint slide show describing an aspect of ancient Egyptian life. For example a student could report on the building of the pyramids using a … Read More

  Southern Oaks Middle School Career and Technology Education (CTE) students accomplished a remarkable achievement by receiving a 100% pass rate on their ICT Cyber Security Essentials digital tools certification examination. For the school’s CTE teacher, Mr. Marvin Williamson, this is his third time receiving a one hundred percent pass rate in his four years as the school’s CTE instructor. Mr. Williamson noted that the accomplishment is significant, as the thirty students in his class only received three weeks of training for what normally takes four to five weeks. Furthermore, as a true middle school, and not a K-8, some … Read More

Southern Oaks Middle School started a Hawk Hall of Fame in September. Students are being awarded with a certificate each month at lunch in front of their peers for following SOAR and CLE expectations. Students are now excited to be recognized in next month’s Hawk Hall of Fame.

For National Bullying Prevention Month, Southern Oaks Middle School teachers wore blue to show solidarity against bullying.

For Literacy Week in January, Southern Oaks Middle School 6, 7, and 8th grade Reading Ambassadors visited Rivers Edge Elementary classrooms to provide story time and meaningful conversations about reading. Each day of Literacy Week a different grade level visited kindergarten and first graders. The Reading Ambassadors were nominated by their teachers for excellence in reading. Rivers Edge Elementary teachers were thrilled to have the students and commented on how well Southern Oaks students behaved and read with great enthusiasm. The Reading Ambassadors were later rewarded with a gift card and reading certificate in front of their peers during lunch. … Read More

On Saturday, April 13th, 2024, the Southern Oaks Robotics team participated in their first T.R.E.A.S.U.R.E. Air, Sea, Land competition at Treasure Coast High School. Students (Aja Edwards, Trey Johnson, Matthew Abrego, Jayden Campbell, Michael Rodriguez, Luis Henry, Myles Licciardi, Brent Topmiller, Bailey Oddo, and Joseph Annis) paired up with Westwood Robotics students (Priscilla Hossain, Emmett Mounts, and Ashton Cooks) to put their built Tetrix robots to the test! Students entered their submersible (underwater), air, and land drones in the competitions to navigate through augmented reality courses. They also entered their air drones in an above-the-field scavenger hunt that aimed to … Read More

Southern Oaks Middle School students students were mesmerized by the seriousness of tobacco use and what it can do to your body and brain in a recent presentation. Students were shown half of a human brain and a monkey brain from a tobacco user. The presenter was a former employee of the tobacco industry who shared many funny stories which kept the students interested, and have not stopped talking about it.

Pictured from left, Southern Oaks Middle School students Anthony Cannon, Mackenzie Troha, Gianna Gutierrez, Isabellah Hariharan and Eric Bejarano in Maureen Davis’s science classes are using their math, language and science skills in a lab project making toothpaste. The students create, color, flavor, and name their product, and create a jingle or slogan and prepare a short commercial to sell their product. Each member of the group was responsible for one of the tasks to be completed and they must collaboratively agree on each step. Several district representatives were on hand to observe and learn.

Southern Oaks Middle School sixth grade students recently received small group instruction for reading in preparation for the upcoming FCAT.  Southern Oaks media center’s Cathy Odom and Kim Johnson organized the event for the students.  Sixth grade students from Cathy Ciccarelli’s and Kevin McInerney’s classes participated in the rotation.  Students were placed in groups of five or six each day and traveled through four different classes on reading.  Kaitlyn Granger and Vincia Gavoni taught Author’s Purpose, Cathy Ciccarelli and Tiffany Barrett taught Text Features, Sara Denning and Jo Ann Conard taught Context Clues, and finally Jack Babcock and Kevin McInerney taught … Read More

We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students at the St. Lucie County Regional STEM Fair Award Ceremony! After several years, Southern Oaks Middle School made a strong return to the regionals, showcasing the dedication and ingenuity of our Hawk community. A special thank you to Mr. Glover for his unwavering support and guidance, which has provided our students with the opportunity to explore their interests and reach new heights. Congratulations to our award winners:• First Place (Regional): Taryn Dokmeci for “Is AI Smarter Than a 7th Grader” • Second Place (Regional): Alanna Mullins for “Stir Crazy” We would … Read More

Southern Oaks Middle School’s Afterschool Robotics/STEAM Program: Shaping Future Innovators  Southern Oaks Middle School has embarked on an exciting journey into the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) with its new after-school robotics program. This initiative, spearheaded by 7th grade science teacher Matthew Glover, aims to ignite students’ passion for technology and innovation by exposing them to cutting-edge fields such as 3D design, 3D printing, and robotics.  The program, which meets twice a week, offers students hands-on experience in designing and building robots that can operate on land, in the air, and underwater. This comprehensive approach ensures … Read More

Southern Oaks Middle School enters the field of STEAM and robotics in January. The school began its first STEAM and robotics club this year. Spearheaded by ESE teacher, Maria Benjamin, the afterschool club meets twice weekly and teaches high-tech design of robots and drones. Benjamin who has had a strong desire to start the club for years, finally decided that this was the year. According to Benjamin, the club seeks to create middle school “scientists who create, implement, and critique their own inventions in an educational after-school environment.” After prominent promotion around campus, the club began with great student interest. … Read More

Southern Oaks Middle School faculty and staff raised $546 for the Treasure Coast Food Bank, which will provide 3,822 meals across the Treasure Coast this Thanksgiving. The campaign was led by seventh grade science teacher Maureen Davis. Pictured is Assistant Principal Mary Beth Forsyth as she presents the monies raised to a Treasure Coast Food Bank representative.