A publication for The Odyssey School Community SPRING 2013 Executive Function Skills at Odyssey: Providing a Road Map for Daily Living SPECIAL DOUBLE ISSUE: 2011 and 2012 Events • New Faculty • Alumni News The Odyssey School THE ODYSSEY SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT The Odyssey School provides an excellent education to children five years old through middle school who have been diagnosed with dyslexia and other language learning differences. Odyssey offers an educational program using proven teaching methods, small group instruction, and daily tutoring for individual skill building. Our program is designed to help children reach their full potential by challenging them intellectually while building the self-advocacy skills needed to meet the academic challenges of both high school and post-secondary education. Our Four Pillars of Kindness, Honesty, Respect and Hard Work are the foundation on which The Odyssey School is built. PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT Taken from Homer’s account of Ulysses’ heroic Odyssey understands that a good education journey from the Trojan War, our name represents is forged from a partnership between the parents, the challenging personal journey that each child the school and the child. We believe that within must undertake in his or her individual road to the context of such a partnership each of these success. It represents our conviction that through promising children is able to learn. We provide a encouragement, mentoring, and a healthy sense diverse range of multisensory methods of reading of community, our children can learn, excel, and instruction that are proven by current research to develop the personal character that often blossoms be effective in teaching dyslexic students. We are from adversity. committed to maintaining a low student/teacher The Odyssey School employs a whole child ratio, which allows our children to develop the educational program aimed at teaching students academic competence that is so imperative and to how to utilize their strengths to compensate for grow personally in their understanding of dyslexia their weaknesses. We recognize that our students and its impact on their lives. are often gifted in other areas, and do not fit easily into traditional educational categories. The Odyssey School 3257 Bridle Ridge Lane, Stevenson, MD, 21153 410-580-5551 www.theodysseyschool.org THE ODYSSEY WAY: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION – A ROAD MAP FOR DAILY LIVING Managing the challenges of school and the ordinary tasks of daily life can be daunting for many students. Odyssey’s curriculum and programs offer strategies and tools to support each student’s pathway to success. page 6 From the Board Chair 2 DRAMA GOLF 2011 GOLF 2012 Favorites Alice in This very popular Raising funds for From the Head of School 3 Wonderland, Jr. and outing was held in Odyssey’s tutoring Annie, Jr. please the honor of the late program, the 2012 Welcome to Odyssey 4 crowds at Spring drama Patrick J. B. Donnelly. outing was a great productions in 2011 PAGE 16 success. PAGE 18 Alumni News 25 and 2012. PAGE 12 Passages 31 GRADUATION 2011 FOUNDERS’ AWARD 2011 GRADUATION 2012 Graduates share Odyssey Gordon Jones is honored Traditional ceremonies memories and receive for his leadership and mark the beginning of diplomas. PAGE 20 commitment to Odyssey. life after Odyssey. PAGE 22 PAGE 23 FROM THE CHAIR “What begins here changes everything.” 2012-2013 BOARD OF TRUSTEES This sentence, which is on the masthead of our Christopher A. Pope website, serves as a reminder to our faculty and Chair our trustees of the importance of our efforts every Robert H. Geis, Esq. day. It speaks to the promise we make. As partners Vice-Chair with our parents, we provide our students with the best academic environment to help them learn not just Suzanne S. Needle, M. Ed. subject matter, but the skill sets of problem solving Secretary and advocacy which will be invaluable in their lives. Patrick C. Crain Delivering an Odyssey education is complex by Treasurer nature. Our student-faculty ratio is a fraction of Martha H. Sweeney Christopher A. Pope other independent schools. Our tutoring program, Head of School Chair, Board of Trustees integrated into the daily schedule, provides a level of targeted attention that is unavailable outside of Odyssey. Our Middle School One-to-One Tablet PC program, which benefits student Roger J. Bennett learning and independence, is seamlessly woven into our curriculum. Our faculty’s W. Bradley Bennett ongoing efforts and professional development allow us to stay at the forefront of Sana Naylor Brooks educational strategies targeting our students. W. Boulton Dixon As you will see throughout this issue of Pillars, the coordination of delivering such Martin J. Eby an empowering education is quite a task. I marvel at our faculty and staff and their Elizabeth Linehan ability to coordinate curriculum across the school while teaching to each student’s individual strengths and needs. They are indeed a remarkable and dedicated group. Charles H. Miller Despite the ongoing challenges of the economy, the Odyssey community of Rebecca H. Penniman faculty, parents, trustees and friends continued its tradition of outstanding support. James J. Railey Odyssey was established on the foundation of our Four Pillars of Kindness, Honesty, Suzanne R. Riedel Hard Work and Respect. Parents, friends and faculty, modeling those characteristics Abigail E. Smith for our students and working in concert have created a school that has, in fewer than J. Timothy Voelkel 20 years, become an invaluable resource to our community. We are deeply grateful of Christopher G. Wunder their ongoing generosity and support. 2 Spring 2013 The Odyssey School Pillars is published by The FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Odyssey School for alumni, parents and friends. Martha H. Sweeney Head of School Dear Friends and Families of Christopher A. Pope Board Chair The Odyssey School, Roger J. Bennett, Esq. Chair-Development Committee The Odyssey School is in its nineteenth year Patricia D. Palm, CFRE of providing excellence in education to very Editor, Director of Development capable students with dyslexia and related and Advancement language learning differences. Over the years, we Rachel H. Tranter have delighted in the School being recognized as an Advancement Assistant outstanding research based program in which students meet success through specialized instruction, character Contributors: education, self-advocacy and the exploration of their Martha Nesbitt special talents and interests. Jenny Penn At the core of what makes Odyssey, Odyssey is the Marcia Peterson enthusiasm and commitment of a dynamic faculty Marty Sweeney Marty Sweeney of lifelong learners. Dedicated to the understanding Head of School Photographers: that the work we do with our students requires Sarah Bare considerable expertise, professional development opportunities are abundant Pam Bilger here on campus year in and year out. Most recently, the focus of professional Mary Brunst development efforts has been on ways to increasingly deliver meaningful classroom Dorothy Hampton activities that grow executive function skills. From math instruction that emphasizes Steve McDaniel logic and problem solving to reading strategies that foster active evaluation of text Rachel Tranter comprehension, our students are learning how to better plan, organize, self-monitor Printing: J.H. Furst Company and to think critically. As you read more about the importance of executive function Design: Jen Smith, skills in this issue of Pillars magazine, I believe you too will appreciate how they Network Media Partners, Inc. impact virtually every aspect of our lives. Graphic Designer: I hope that you enjoy this double issue of Pillars which has been produced after Darby Lassiter, dl designs the magazine’s redesign. You can look back at many events and accomplishments of Cover Art: Katie Heine, the past year or so. We have watched our graduates go on to thrive at competitive Odyssey student mainstream schools by applying the skills, self-awareness and our Four Pillars of The Odyssey School does not Kindness, Honesty, Respect and Hard Work to their new endeavors. In today’s fast discriminate on the basis of race, changing world, The Odyssey School continues to be a School where success takes color, gender, disability, or national place one student at a time. and ethnic origin in administration of What begins here changes everything! the educational policies, scholarship, athletic, and other School- administered programs. Please note: Parents of The Odyssey School students should be advised that the School may use photographs of students from time to time in various School publications. Parents who do not wish their child’s photograph to be used should notify the School if they have not already done so. What begins here changes everything. Spring 2013 3 WELCOME TO ODYSSEY Sarah Bare – Peggy Beidelman – Ellen Ehrenreich – Jason Gordon – Middle School Art Language/Tutor Tutor Language/Tutor Substitute teaching, Peggy has a BA in English A cum laude graduate of Jason holds a BA assistance with Odyssey’s from Northern Illinois Smith College where she in English, a BA in annual drama production University and an MS in majored in education and Philosophy and an MFA in and the School’s entry in Speech and Language child study, Ellen comes Creative Writing, all from the Kinetic Sculpture Race Pathology from Loyola to Odyssey from her the University of Maryland plus four summers with University, Maryland. Her private tutoring practice College Park. He has also Camp Windward have additional trainings include following 9 years at The received training in Phono- made Sarah a familiar Phono-Graphix® and Friendship School where Graphix®, Project Access face to many in our EmPOWER™. She brings she was Assistant Director and Orton Gillingham. community. She holds experience in developing of Tutoring. She brings Before coming to Odyssey, a BFA from Maryland learning programs in a creativity, teaching and he taught at the Phillips Institute College of Art variety of locations and mentoring skills and School and at Jemicy.