Odyssey Academy 21^st Century High School Opening in Fall 2013

GALVESTON, TX – January 25, 2013 – Odyssey Academy announces the launch of the Odyssey Academy 21^st Century High School scheduled to open in fall 2013. The expansion represents the second public high school choice for students and the first public charter high school option on Galveston Island.

For much of the past 60 years the traditional American high school experience has been focused on the development of students who show a predisposition toward attending college, leaving many students who don’t fit that particular mold to fall into risk categories that have plagued our high school system. One million students annually do not graduate on time and only 75% of high school students earn a diploma. Those statistics worsen in communities considered at-risk.

“Through offering an innovative, technology-rich blended learning model in a small, safe, student-centered environment the leaders, teachers, and community members of Odyssey Academy believe we can ‘be the change’ needed to help ensure every student graduates high school and is capable of continuing their education in a collegiate environment,” says Jennifer Goodman, Superintendent of Odyssey Academy.

High school students at the OA 21^st Century High School will participate in a blended model of education that utilizes the face-to-face instruction of an OA teacher along with online based curriculum and course content available 24-hours a day. This approach to teaching and learning gives students more access to the information they are being asked to learn, allows more flexibility to individualized instruction through pace, content, and assignments, and helps teachers ensure students are prepared for a successful college and/or career pathway.

The community of Odyssey Academy believes that every student can learn and works continuously to ensure students build the skills, knowledge, and character traits necessary to become productive and successful citizens in today’s world. For more information on the Odyssey Academy 21^st Century High School visit the school’s website at http://www.odyssey-academy.com or call 409-750-9289.

About Odyssey Academy

Odyssey Academy, established in 1999, is an open enrollment public charter school located on the island of Galveston, Texas. The school currently serves students aged pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the Galveston County area. Ninth grade will be added in the 2013-2014 school year.

The mission of Odyssey Academy is to provide the best learning experience in Galveston County by building a community around our core values and intentionally focusing on math, science, and technology education in order to develop the critical thinking and problem solving skills necessary to build and use knowledge. By providing this experience we hope to ensure students build the skills, knowledge, and character traits necessary to enable them to become productive and successful citizens.

Wow! What an incredible school year we are having! Our students and staff are gearing up for what is destined to be the best spring semester ever at Odyssey. As we move into the spring, our administrative staff is prepared to announce some exciting news for the Odyssey Academy community.

We will be opening up the Odyssey Academy 21st Century High School! We strongly believe it is time to empower our students and families at the high school level by offering 9^th grade for the 2013-2014 school year. We invite all families, especially 8^th grade families, to attend an informational meeting:

When: January 23^rd, 2013
Where: Odyssey Academy Café
Time: 5:30-6:30pm

This meeting will explain our mission and vision for the new high school program.  In addition, we will talk through course offerings, graduation requirements, student requirements, enrolment timeline, and master plan.

We are very excited about the opportunities that this program will provide for our students and families. Please join us to learn more about how OA will continue to provide the best educational experience for your high school student.