District Remodels For Odyssey Seventh Grade

District 81 will be remodeling a third classroom this summer for the Odyssey program.

About two-thirds of current Odyssey sixth-graders will move on to the gifted program’s new seventh-grade class next fall. They’ll be joined by several students new to the Odyssey program.

A survey of Odyssey parents showed about half were interested in a seventh-grade program.

Johnson said the program needed at least 25 interested families to expand. It got 28.

School board members voted to expand Odyssey to seventh grade at their April 22 meeting.

The district looked at several possible locations for the seventh-grade program.

Officials considered putting it in a North Side middle school but found the Libby Center to be more cost-effective.

The seventh-grade curriculum will be handled much like the current fifth and sixth-grade classes, said Libby Center Director Deborah Johnson.

The district’s regular curriculum will be accelerated for the program, allowing extra time for enrichment lessons and individualized projects. Students will have physical education and art classes through a roving teacher.

The music class will be focused on music appreciation rather than band or strings. Students will study music composition and technology.

The district will look next year at adding an eighth-grade unit.

“I would anticipate we’ll go through a similar process next year, seeing if there’s enough interest,” said Johnson.

Initially, a district gifted education task force proposed an Odyssey program that would continue through high school. Johnson said she now anticipates the program will only go through eighth grade.

“The high schools already offer advanced placement classes,” she said, “so these kids would be fulfilled in the high schools.”

Also next year, Odyssey fifth- and sixth-graders will be combined into two multiage classrooms.

“They essentially will have two teachers,” said Johnson. “It will allow a good mix of ages and abilities.”