By Kathryn Alexander, Daniel Amador, Luke Fisher, Moriah Mitchell, and Zoomy Muhammad
The end of the school year has arrived and the staff of OTJ would like to send off with an article about what we all loved this year at ODE
As the end of the school year draws closer and the beginning of summer draws near, the students of ODE reflect back on their year. It’s been a crazy one, from new teachers, to new classes, to the lockdown and adapting to changes, the students of ODE have had a memorable year. We here at OTJ decided to ask all of the students of the OTJ class about their year and what they’re going to miss most. We’ve compiled their submissions into one article so that we may remember this year for many more years to come.
“My highlight from ODE this year had to be our Theater class’ sword fighting workshop. Our teacher, Linnea Carrera, brought in a friend of hers who specializes in sword fighting and stage combat to give us all an introduction to the art form. We learned some basic moves, techniques, and terminology and then got to put what we learned into practice. The workshop was fun and engaging. Everyone was excited to learn and the environment was very encouraging since we were all trying something out of our comfort-zones. I’ll miss my classmates and teachers this summer. Finally, I want to thank all of the teachers and staff that make ODE happen every week, we appreciate you and wish that we had a proper goodbye before the school year ended!”
-Kathryn Alexander, Sophomore
“This was my first year in upper school, and I loved it! The new level of classes, the challenge, the interactions, (the grades,) it all made for a great year! I loved starting every Friday with fun, educational exercise in Gym Class, and ending it with warm hot chocolate and tea in Literature Class! When we couldn’t physically go to ODE, I missed my friends, the interactions, and the classes. I hope we will be able to go to ODE next school year!”
-Daniel Amador, Bridge
“Great. The class was neat and we got food.”
-Luke Fisher, Bridge
“This year, I have to say, it has been quite an exciting and amazing year. I experienced a lot of new things, and this was also my first year of high school. However, there is one thing that made my year very special. This was also my first year at ODE, and it has been one of my most memorable years yet. All of the kids and teachers were extremely kind and I had the best time in all my classes. Let’s go back to when I first visited ODE in the spring of 2019. I remember feeling very awkward walking around the building not knowing anyone. But it was not long before two girls came up to me and introduced themselves and offered to help me if I needed it! We chatted for a little bit and then they showed me around ODE! I will never forget that. They were so welcoming, and later in the fall, I learned that a welcoming attitude is not foreign in the ODE community. When I arrived for my first class in the fall, a group of kids was chatting in the study hall. I introduced myself, and they asked me what classes I was taking. I soon learned we all had similar schedules! We then chatted and laughed, and by the end of the first day, I felt like I had become best friends with all of them. Our friendships clicked immediately, and I don’t think there has ever been a day where I haven’t laughed at ODE. Classes at ODE are the best. They are so informing and I have really learned a lot this year about Journalism, Biology, Theater, and Spanish. The teachers were also extremely welcoming and I loved each of their classes. I thoroughly enjoyed the work and class time. In every class, I found I always learned something new. Every teacher was so knowledgeable on their specific subject. Journalism was a class I enjoyed immensely. It was a topic I had never been introduced to before and I loved making our website, typing articles, and taking pictures for our yearbook! I felt very passionate in that class and we all worked hard to make our website and our yearbook a success. I learned so much about reporting and journalism that I had never known! Over the summer, I will especially miss study hall with my friends and learning new things in our classes. Even though our year was cut short, I am so thankful for the exciting and wonderful year I’ve had. I have made amazing friends this year and I can’t wait to see everyone in the fall!”
-Moriah Mitchell, Freshman
“Out of all of my years at ODE, this will be the one I remember the most fondly. I can’t name just one reason, because it was a combination of a lot of things that made this year so memorable for me. For one, I was able to teach my own class which sounds crazy enough as it is. My passion for journalism has grown immensely and now I’m considering it as a career path, so thank you Mrs. Ginter for giving me a potential path to take in life. I’m definitely going to miss Journalism class the most. I’ve had so much fun leading the Journalism class and writing articles with everyone. And despite how hectic the yearbook committee was, I loved every second of it. I’ve realized my love of working with people and managing a team through my experiences in both Journalism and making the yearbook. I’ll deeply miss everyone in the class. They’ve brightened up my year in ways I never could’ve imagined and hopefully I brightened theirs as well.”
-Zoomy Muhammad, Sophomore
We hope you had a great year too, and we can’t wait to see you all next school year!