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Odyssey Community School

Odyssey Community School

Enrolling now! Odyssey School, an independent school, focusing on creativity and critical thinking.

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Here's the link to make your donation to Odyssey School!odysseycommunity.org/donate/ GIVING TUESDAY is tomorrow, November 28! ... See MoreSee Less
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🌟 It's #GivingTuesday! 🌟 Today, I am asking you to support our school for a purpose bigger than ourselves – to support the bright young minds at Odyssey School Asheville. 📚✨ Our mission to provide innovative, inclusive, and individualized education has never been more vital. With your support, we can ensure that every student has the tools to succeed, explore, and dream. 💡 Here's the impact of your generosity: Increased opportunity for students through scholarships. Access to technology and materials that support learning.Improving our facilities ensures that we maintain a safe and comfortable learning environment. Every contribution, big or small, opens up a world of possibilities for our students. 🌈🌍 🤝 Join us in this movement: Donate via the link. Donate to Odyssey School Asheville. Share this post and spread the word. Tag us in your stories with #odysseyschoolavl , and tell us why you believe in our School! Let's shape a future filled with curiosity, creativity, and community. 💖 Thank you for being a part of our journey. 🙏#OdysseySchoolAdventures #odysseyhighavl#OdysseySchool #odysseyschoolavl #greatschools #828isgreat#ashevillenc #givingtuesday #firstchoice#thankyouDr. Eric "Big E" Howard Head of School ... See MoreSee Less
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Friendsgiving at Odyssey🌟 Gratitude for Odyssey School Asheville 🌟Reflecting on my time at Odyssey School AVL, I am overwhelmed with a profound sense of gratitude. This incredible place has shaped my academic journey and left an indelible mark on my heart and soul. 📚💖🌿 The teachers at Odyssey are more than educators; they are mentors, guides, and friends. Thank you for igniting my curiosity and for nurturing my thirst for knowledge. 📝🧠🌎 Odyssey's commitment to experiential learning has broadened my horizons and allowed me to explore the world around me. Every moment has been a learning opportunity, from outdoor adventures to hands-on projects. 🌍🌄💪 The supportive community at Odyssey has taught me the importance of collaboration, empathy, and resilience. Together, we've overcome challenges and celebrated victories. 🤝❤️🎨 The arts have been vital to my journey here, allowing me to express myself creatively and find my unique voice. Thank you for fostering my artistic growth. 🎭🎨🌞 As I prepare to embark on the next chapter of my life, I carry the lessons, friendships, and memories from Odyssey School Asheville. I am truly grateful for this remarkable journey. 🚀🌈#odysseyschooladventures#odysseyhighavl #odysseyschool #828isgreat #greatschools #ashevillenc #gratitude #lifelessons #EducationJourney #Thanksgiving #thankful #Friendsgiving ... See MoreSee Less
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Celestial Soiree

Celestial Soiree 2019

Join Odyssey School parents and many others from the greater Asheville community as we celebrate spring together in a fundraiser and silent auction that is Out of this World! Heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, live entertainment, and more rounds out this galactic party.

Special thanks to The Collider for providing a beautiful, downtown sunset view!


Come See HS Drama Students in their Production of “The Odyssey”!

The Odyssey at Fractals Coffee Shop in Asheville

Are monsters real? Join us Sunday, Jan 20th at Fractal’s Coffee Shop in West Asheville for this original, modern adaptation of Homer’s epic tale of harrowing adventure. Experience what Odyssey High School students think are today’s “monsters” and glean from their wisdom on how to reckon with them.

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

Ancient Greek activities, student art exhibit and installation, interaction with Greek gods, satyrs, an oracle, Greek-inspired food available for purchase

7:00 – 8:00 pm

Performance!

This play is a fundraiser to launch a new initiative to create international service learning projects for high school students on Crete, Greece!

Heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors: Fractals, Hadaya, and our own radiant Jeannie Adair’s Adair Design! All ticket proceeds and 20% of food and beverage purchases go toward the Crete initiative.

Buy tickets online or see Alyssa in the Main Office.


Positively Stardust Party

Positively Stardust Party in Asheville

Give peace a chance, grab anything with fringe on it and join us for a groovy cocktail! This year’s Positively Odyssey party has time traveled to the stardust age of the 1970’s! Gals, leave the macrame at home. Get down with blue eye shadow, bells, leather or chiffon flutter. Guys, break out the silk butterfly collars and sunglasses–just because.

We will have a best dressed awards ceremony and DJ’ed music from art waves — Studio 54, CBGB’s all the way to Graceland. Come in high-heeled disco glam, hippie, soul, or punk– as party-goer, you bring the funk and charitable support to Odyssey.

Purchase your tickets for $15 until November 15th by clicking here!

$20 at the door.


Welcome Back to School!

Band Performing at Holistic School

As summer rolls to a close, teachers and administration are busy preparing for the new school year. This week, our Faculty Orientation began! Your teachers are creating beautiful spaces, planning, stand-up paddle boarding, and learning how to be better teachers together.

This year in particular, faculty are learning new strategies for teaching math and undergoing resiliency training (in PreK)! Teachers also write professional goals, choose Action Projects (which can vary between research or reflection, group or independent study), collaborate on curriculum planning, and jump start the growth and joy of our learning community.

We are so excited to share pizza and swim together at the Community Pool Party, August 24th. Soon we will circle around the sword and the stone, celebrate Founders Day, and get back to school!


Save the Date for Elders Day!

Elders Day at a Private School

Our annual Elders Day celebration continues this Oct. 26th!

Please invite your child’s grandparent(s), other relative, or close family friend to this sweet celebration of intergenerational wisdom, play, and connection.


Community Pool & Pizza Parties!

Community Pool at a Holistic School

Our Annual Community Pool & Pizza Party is a great way to welcome back old friends, meet new friends, enjoy our swimming pool, and get ready for the first day of school! Some time will be just for play, and we will also spend some time together in our classroom communities so you feel all ready for that first day back.

Please check out our newsletter for class party times (there are two parties this year!) and for the RSVP link.

Can’t wait to see you!


OCDC Performance of “Somebody / Nobody”

Odyssey Creative Drama Collective

The Odyssey Creative Drama Collective are hard at work rehearsing the upcoming comedic play, Somebody/Nobody by Jane Martin. Come see the final product on Friday, April 27 at 7:30, Saturday, April 28 at 1:30 and 7:30 and also Sunday, April 29 at 2:30!

An intimate play setting has been created in Odyssey’s lower level, so seating is limited. Reservations are highly suggested. Please contact Melanie Wester for reservations!

This show is recommended for middle school ages and up.

Tickets are $12.00 for ages 22 and over, and $10.00 for ages 21 and under.


Civic Engagement: Student Protests

Students Protesting Gun Violence in Asheville

Student organizers, Bella Wells-Fried, 10th, and Kaiya Nilsson, 9th, led Odyssey 4th-12th grade students and area schools Hangar Hall and French Broad Academy, in a march from campus to Pack Square on Friday, April 20th. There they met with students from Asheville High, Asheville Middle, and Carolina Day School to gather in a peaceful protest for gun law reform.

When presented with the request to participate in this nationwide walk out, faculty and administration guided students through this learning experience in civic engagement. Students learned how to acquire permits for protest, wrote and distributed press releases, researched legislation, researched and brainstormed messaging for protest signs, and prepared for public speaking. They also sent a representative to our faculty meeting to receive feedback about how younger students, parents, and teachers will experience this day – incorporating empathy into the design-thinking process. One student’s Independent Research Project on the history of protest music this past fall prepared him well for his contribution that day.

Odyssey’s administration and faculty also spent class and meeting time preparing students to explore their viewpoints from multiple perspectives and aimed to create a safe space for differences in values and beliefs. Students who chose not to protest worked on studying legislation that inspired them and other strategies of civic engagement in democracy.

News Coverage of Asheville’s Student Protest

Asheville Citizen-Times

Mountain Xpress

WLOS

Asheville Student Walk Out


Virtual Design at Odyssey

Better Than Unicorns Virtual Reality Logo

We are excited to welcome local virtual reality firm Better Than Unicorns to our campus this month!

4th-12th Grade students will get an introduction to virtual design tools like Tilt Brush, a program that allows students to paint with fire, snow, smoke, and other incredible materials. Another program, developed for architectural design, will allow students to build and construct. This first demonstration aims to prepare students to engage real creativity and solutions in virtual spaces.

As virtual reality technology advances so does its potential application. In education, having a virtual reality resource means there are practically limitless methods for instruction. Better Than Unicorns, a firm which specializes in such immersive experiences, is offering students at Odyssey School a chance to explore art and design beyond any physical limitations.


Positively Odyssey

Tickets are now on sale! We hope you can join us for this fun event for Odyssey grown-ups!

You can RSVP for child care here and you can purchase tickets here!

 

 


Autumn Faire – Saturday, October 28th

This is one of Odyssey’s biggest celebrations of the year, as we create a fun carnival-like event out on our tennis courts, complete with bounce houses and pie throwing! Autumn Faire is open to the public – all family and friends are invited!

Each class creates a booth – which students, teachers, and family volunteers help run – with activities or homemade wares for sale, in addition to local vendors. This is a great time to start holiday shopping, to come and support classroom fundraisers, to throw a pie at our pie-throwing booth, and to be a judge in our annual Chili Cook-Off.

When: Saturday, October 28th from 11 am – 2 pm
Where: On Odyssey’s Tennis Courts
Who’s Invited: Everybody!
Do we need to RSVP? Nope, not for attendance. However, if you’re interested in volunteering, please let your classroom teacher know.