The Odyssey Times

Middle School Camps Out

By Zara Eshaghian

On the 22nd of May, at 7:50 a.m., Odyssey’s middle school departed on a three day retreat at YMCA Camp Surf. They spent their days on Imperial Beach near the border of Tijuana and San Diego. After tireless fundraising and an obstreperous bus ride, the kids and middle school teachers arrived.

An introduction to the camp was a necessity before the kids rushed urgently to their cabins. The cabins consisted of about 7 to 12 kids and were mixed with both 7th and 8th graders. The male cabin counselors were Mr. Denny, Mr. Ricotta, and Mr. Ben along with a couple parent volunteers. The female cabin counselors were Ms. Desmond, Ms. My Linh, Ms. Brooke and two students’ mothers

The camp was filled with activities ranging from volleyball to a rock wall. There was soccer on the beach and even some very talented archers emerged. Many of the middle schoolers spent their spare time waiting in line for the camp store to buy candy, while others played basketball outside the mess hall.

Of course being on the beach meant lots of swimming and middle school had a total of about four hours on the beach. The water was ice cold and the waves were unexpectedly strong but nearly everyone got their feet wet despite the stingray warning. The fun never stopped. Mr. Denny led walks at nearly 6 a.m. every morning and on the first night all 100 students went on a walk to the nearby pier just as the sun was setting. The clouds were lit up by the sun, creating a beautiful scene for us to enjoy, and the huge waves lapping at the base of the pier created the perfect seal spotting environment. A campfired followed including many run-on ghost stories.

Campfires and skits finished off both restless nights and the bus ride home was sleepy, if nothing else.

Charity Marketplace 2019

By Sanye Davis and Grace McDaniel

Charity Market Place is a cultivating event that brings all of Altadena together. This experience takes place on June 8th from 11 a.m to 2:00 p.m. It brings multitudes of joy to kids and adults and it’s a great time to be had.

Ms. Denise has been participating in Charity Marketplace for 15 years, she’s one of the originals! She enjoys watching her students come together and serve the community as one. In the past she has made popsicles, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and musical instruments. Her favorite and best-seller is the popsicles. She has been donating the $800 dollars that she makes on average to the Wildlife Learning Center. They’ve been donating to this charity for about 15 years. Their products are usually $1 but they still make lots of money. Ms. Denise is a huge fan of Charity Market Place and she can’t wait until this year’s gathering.

Ms. Dawn has been a proud teacher and participant in Charity Marketplace for a little over eight years. Her students did research and made opinion essays on which charity they most wanted to donate to. The settled on United Hope for Animals, an all-volunteer organization that helps homeless animals get adopted by taking pictures and videos of them She is working with her students to make keychains, coasters, and small charms out of beads. In the beginning days they filled more than two trays of gadgets. Even though that is plenty, they strive to make more.

If you get the chance we strongly suggest coming out for a great time!

Peaceful Protest

By Frances Muller

Recently, a few people at Odyssey have started a strike due to climate change. Every Friday, for the first half hour of school they have been standing in front of the school holding signs in a peaceful protest. In an interview, one of the protesters said, “I think that our hope is that maybe our school will do a presentation about climate change,” said Beckett Atkinson, 7th grade. “And we also want parents to think about their carbon footprint.” Beckett, along with his sister Maya, 4th grade, and Braird Kunde-Kalmus, 7th grade initiated the idea of the protest.

They’re not the only ones. As it turns out, kids all over the world are striking on Fridays to bring attention to climate change. They are mainly concentrated in the United States and Europe, but protests are scattered almost everywhere around the globe. The strikers in other places have taken the strike farther than those at Odyssey. They also seem ready to achieve different things. For instance, some protesters assemble in front of the town hall for a full day, while the few people at OCS are in front of the school for only half an hour.

You may be wondering if this is affecting their schoolwork. The answer to that question is a slightly complicated one. Those at Odyssey are mostly 7th graders, meaning they will only miss PE one of the three times each week that they have it. People around the world though are missing the full day. Their logic is, who needs an education when they might not have a future to prepare for?

Although it’s a small gesture, it seems that it has the potential to affect a lot of change both inside and out of Odyssey.