Odyssey thrives as charter school

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004 | 9:51 a.m.

Both Odyssey Charter High School and Clark County Team Academy offer online classes. Both schools cater to students who for one reason or another didn't get what they needed from the district's regular schools.

But that's where the similarities appear to end.

While Team Academy appeared on the brink of closure Tuesday, Odyssey -- along with its elementary school program -- was thriving. About to start its sixth year of operations, Odyssey has 1,400 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade. And the school has just moved to spacious, custom-designed new headquarters, a far cry from the portable office trailers the school had used since 1999.

Craig Butz, executive director of Odyssey, said he's happy to talk with any Team Academy students and their families who want to know more about his school's program. Unlike Team Academy, Odyssey's high schoolers meet on a weekly basis for group classes. The elementary and middle school students have home visits with their teachers.

"As many of them that want to come here we could probably take," Butz said Tuesday as he led a tour of Odyssey's new home on Jones Boulevard one block north of Sahara Avenue.

The new offices -- more than 15,000 square feet -- include classrooms, computer labs and a resource center for students who want to drop in during the week for extra help. The school has also invested in some new technology, including video cameras that allow teachers to record themselves giving lessons and then post the footage online for students to access from home.

In order to attend Odyssey, students must have a home computer and access to the Internet. Using federal grant money and local donations, the school has been able to provide computers to more than 200 families.

Odyssey has had some struggles with student achievement. Both the elementary and secondary schools are on the state's "needs improvement" list after failing to show "adequate yearly progress" for two consecutive years on standardized tests.

Butz said the new school year will include a renewed focus on student study skills. Students work one-on-one and in small groups with learning strategists.

"We're going to teach our kids how to be better students and make sure they're prepared for the rigor of working at home," Butz said.