welcome

Honored guests, We made it! The ODYSSEY is 20!

David

RAGSDALE

I’m grateful to have collaborated with you, whether you were a student of the ODYSSEY or a member of our support system through the years. I wanted to invite you here this evening as we celebrate a legacy you helped create. I can honestly say this is a special program and the people who’ve been associated with it are some of the best folks I know.

Through the years, we’ve had a blast working at UGA football games, hosting silent auctions, attending local, regional and national conferences, and the production of quality magazines, broadcast features and web content. More importantly, though, we’ve provided an open public forum for student expression and an opportunity for young people to learn to lead. As the years go on, we continue to welcome new teammates and work diligently to continue to grow and evolve the ODYSSEY legacy and brand.

My hope is that this anniversary celebration will allow us to connect the various generations of ODYSSEY and to reflect on the times we shared. In addition to a time of reflection , this event allows space for gratitude. Without the supportive adults who have contributed to this program, I wouldn’t be able to continue doing what I love: engaging young people in community storytelling.

This event allows space to offer many thanks not only to the staffers who made up the ODYSSEY but to all parents/guardians who’ve helped to pitch in with snacks, lunches, dinners, car rides, hours at the University of Georgia football games, service as chaperones on trips and support for your kids’ journalistic endeavors. Additionally, this event allows me to show gratitude to our school administration for the time and transparency they’ve offered us through the years and to our supportive school district and Board of Education who empower us to do the work we started in 2003.

I hope you’re as excited as I am to celebrate this momentous occasion.

David A. Ragsdale, Founder and Adviser Odyssey Media Group