Elementary Faculty
Chynna Avery
2-3 Lead Teacher
Drawing from her art education background, Chynna Avery infuses creativity into the learning experience in her classroom. She studied art education as a form of interdisciplinary, hands-on, project-based learning, which translates into meaningful education for her 2nd and 3rd graders. Each year, for example, Chynna’s class undertakes community service projects, including leading the Manna Food Drive contest. Her students organize themselves and other classes, research poverty in Western North Carolina, give presentations, and graph content results.
Chynna received her B.A.in Arts Education from Ohio State University. After 8 years exploring diverse directions in education, including working as a kindergarten teacher at The Goddard School in Columbus, Ohio, as the cultural arts teacher at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and the K-4 assistant teacher for The Little Red Schoolhouse in Manhattan, she found her home at Odyssey Community School.
Sara Shuster
2-3 Assistant Teacher
As the assistant 2-3 teacher at Odyssey, Sara Shuster’s natural curiosity and joyful spirit shine through in her work with her students. She hopes to foster an understanding and appreciation of the natural world through hands-on environmental education. Sara is continually inspired by her students and the integral model at Odyssey. While the Blue Ridge Mountains originally inspired Sara to move to Asheville, the people and community have made it feel like home.
Strongly invested in her community, Sara is part of the American Junior League and serves on the NC State Public Affairs Committee to advocate for children’s health awareness. She enjoys entertaining friends and family, live music, good food, and being outside.
A native of Ohio and a graduate of Ohio State University, Sara holds a B.S. In Environmental Education and a minor in Wildlife Biology. Prior to joining the Odyssey community, Sara has been a Wildlife Biologist, a Wedding and Community Special Events Planner, and Executive Director of a Navy Boys and Girls Club of America.
Edie McDowell
4th-5th Lead Teacher and K-8 Curriculum Specialist
With nearly seventeen years of teaching experience, in both private and public education, Edie McDowell masterfully executes two critical roles at Odyssey. In addition being the 4th-5th grade lead teacher, she is Odyssey’s K-8 Curriculum Specialist. Edie has helped start three other alternative private schools, but it is when she came to Odyssey that she began to realize her dream of creating an integral classroom within an integral community. Her passion is environmental history, and in her classroom, she enjoys facilitating learning in the awe-inspiring intersection between natural and cultural history. In her role as Curriculum Specialist, Edie works with the K-8 teachers to support their development of Integral educational methodology and practice, philosophy, and reflection.
Edie graduated from Mars Hill College with a B.A. in English, and she has completed all but her thesis towards an M.A. in English from Wake Forest University. She is currently working toward her Environmental Education certification from Brevard College and the Pisgah Forest Institute, as well as developing alternative curricular materials for the NC Department of Public Instruction, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Learn NC, a web-based educational resource for K-12 teachers.
Last summer, she was accepted into and attended the 2011 Teacher Institute on Crosscurrents of American Art: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries at the National Gallery of Art.
Edie’s hobbies include photography, running, dance, and weight training. In her spare time she writes children’s books, learns botanical illustration, and researches facts for another book to be set in Appalachia. Someday, she would love to travel.
Daniel Manget
4-5 Assistant Teacher
Daniel Manget, the assistant teacher for 4th and 5th grade, has found his home in Asheville and at Odyssey after wandering in the physical and educational wilderness. His true passion is connecting kids to nature, and he strongly believes that understanding the interconnectedness of life is crucial for developing a sense of compassion and for fostering a healthy mental, physical, and spiritual self. “If you teach children,” says Daniel, “they may remember for a test, but if you enable them to discover on their own, they will continue to discover for life.”
As a lifelong learner, Daniel is a self-taught musician who plays guitar, mandolin, and fiddle (sort of). His perfect day is spent hiking deep in the woods, identifying and photographing medicinal plants and wildflowers, and fly-fishing for Brook Trout with his self-tied flies. He also values the importance of physical health and has been a leader in Soccer and Ultimate Frisbee throughout most of his life. Daniel is excited about sharing his passions with the Odyssey community.
Daniel has a B.S. in Outdoor Education with an emphasis in Environmental Education and a minor in Biology from Georgia College and State University. He has taught Science and Environmental Ed. for Ga. State Parks, Trout Unlimited, High-Touch High-Tech, NC State Cooperative Extension, and The Health Adventure.