‘We Get To Use Our Brains’ Odyssey Program An Outlet For Gifted Young Learners

There’s one whispered sentence no fifth-grader wants to hear: “That’s the smart kid.”

Jamie Redman, now in the sixth grade, heard it over and over whenever she aced a test or raised her hand with the answer. And every week when she’d leave Jefferson Elementary for a day at Tessera, one of the district’s gifted programs.

This year, Redman left the smart kid label - and the whispers - behind. She’s one of 53 district kids in a year-old full-time gifted program where she says it’s finally OK to be brainy.

“The only thing I’m missing out on here is I’m not being picked on for my grades,” she said with a laugh.

The Odyssey program, housed at the Libby Center on East First Avenue, began last fall after a gifted education task force recommended a fifth- and sixth-grade program. Students must be tested for and qualify for Tessera to apply to Odyssey.

The district brought in two teachers - Brenda Millay-Mai for fifth grade and Mike Cantlon for sixth - with several years’ experience teaching gifted kids. Millay-Mai taught gifted education in Renton. Cantlon is a former Tessera teacher.

The pair use an accelerated version of the district’s core curriculum, leaving more time for kids to dive into particular interests.

Students work at their own pace. For some, that means finishing the grade-level math book by the end of the year. Others have already waded knee-deep into linear equations and graphing, areas typically touched on in middle-school algebra classes.

Students are allowed much more independent study time than in a traditional classroom up to a few hours a day. If something they study sparks an interest - anything from castles to quilting to Japanese calligraphy - they’re encouraged to design an individual project to explore the subject.

They evaluate themselves at semester’s end, assigning themselves grades and meeting with the teacher.

“My old school was boring because it was easy,” said fifth-grader Orion Buske, who came to Odyssey from Finch Elementary. “Here, we get to use our brains.”

By most accounts, the program is a hit.

Initially, nearly half the parents surveyed before the program began said no thanks to Odyssey. Now, it’s near capacity and will continue next year, expanding to include a seventh-grade class.

All three grades next year will be filled, with 28 kids in each.

“I’m extremely happy with the program,” said Bridget Geiger, a South Side mom whose daughter, Katie, is in sixth grade.

“Before, she didn’t hate school, but she was bored a lot of the time. They’d hand her a spelling list, and she’d already know all the words.”

Libby Center Director Deborah Johnson said Odyssey’s success is carving out a niche for some gifted kids.

“These kids are so unique that they did not fit in (at) the home school, for the most part,” she said.

“Sometimes it’s not cool to be smart. Here at Odyssey, they’re the norm.”

But others worried about the wisdom of such a program. Last year, some parents and school board member Christie Querna voiced concerns about taking the best students out of regular classrooms.

Others pointed to the provide-your-own-transportation policy as a sure deterrent for poorer families.

“We have to make sure we don’t have a second-class class,” Querna cautioned last year, referring to students who remain in regular classrooms.

Now, she says the first year went well.

“It seems to me, since there was interest expressed to continue into seventh grade, that proves it was successful,” she said.

As in any other district magnet program, families are responsible for getting their students to and from the Libby Center every day. Johnson admits this puts some working families at a disadvantage.

While the program is open to students from all district elementaries, the majority of students attending are from middle or higher-income homes, Johnson said.

A handful of students bicycle or take the city bus to school. One family even rented a van to transport their children.

Most are from the South Hill or the closer North Side schools.

“My guess is (transportation) could be a factor in that,” Johnson said. “I would hate to see that, but realistically, it probably does affect attendance.”

“It’s been a difficult issue with a lot of different parents,” said Liz Pike, a North Side parent who car-pools with three other parents. “But it’s no different from any other magnet program.

“Transportation will always be a limiting factor for some families.”

Other concerns have cropped up as well. In a midyear evaluation for sixth-graders, several parents wondered about giving elementary kids so much freedom.

“I question if they get enough done during the school day,” one parent wrote. “There is too much free time when they are supposedly studying but actually socializing.”

Another parent wrote, “I have volunteered and observed a general disorder and students wasting time every time I’ve been there.”

Overall, though, 15 parents taking part in the evaluation said they were very satisfied with Odyssey, and the other four said they were satisfied.

One of the biggest concerns, said Johnson, was a new pressure on students suddenly sharing a classroom with the top 3 percent of district students.

“When they came to Odyssey, they were with 28 kids as smart as, if not smarter, than them,” said Johnson. “Some kids put a lot of pressure on themselves to be the best of the best.”

To prevent that, sixth-grade teacher Cantlon said he watches for signs of stress and regularly sits students down for a chat.

“We have to let the perfectionist kids know it’s OK not to be perfect,” he said.

Even so, Patty Shastany’s daughter, Lela, left Odyssey halfway through the year.

“It was a tough decision,” said Shastany. “She just seemed pretty overwhelmed.”

Lela is now in the APPLE program for gifted students at Logan Elementary, where there are about 10 fewer kids in her class and more one-on-one attention, Shastany said.

All but one fifth-grade student will return to Odyssey next year, Johnson said. About one-third of Odyssey sixth-graders will leave the program next year, opting for their home middle school.

Many say they want to take part in electives not offered at Odyssey. Others say they want a bigger social setting.

“This place is fun, but I don’t really want to be in a secluded environment,” said John Riggs, who will attend seventh grade at Sacajawea next year. “This place has plenty to offer academically but not much socially.”

Redman will also head to Sacajawea, where it will be easier to participate in sports. Odyssey students now have to hustle back to their home schools to participate in extracurricular activities.

But the majority of students have chosen to continue at Odyssey.

For Peter Zysk, a fifth-grader from Hamblen, there’s no question about it.

“Kids here are like, ‘We’re all gifted. Big deal,”’ he said. “I like that.”