Odyssey

Odyssey Fine Arts Festival

Odyssey is a biennial fine arts festival where all Stevenson students have the opportunity to enjoy two days of performances and workshops featuring more than 200 artists in dance, music, performing, visual, and media arts. At Odyssey, students are inspired, entertained, and encouraged to explore how the arts connect with their lives, academics, and career paths. The next Odyssey Festival is scheduled to take place Feb. 8 and 9, 2022.

Student Logo Design Competition

The Fine Arts Department held a student competition for the 2022 Odyssey logo design. The winner received a prize of $150.00 and will have their logo featured on all promotional materials for Odyssey 2022. Submissions were due by 5:00 p.m. on March 31, 2021.

Download the creative brief and submission guidelines.

2022 Workshop/Performance Submissions

The Fine Arts Department is now welcoming course submissions and recommendations for the 2022 Odyssey Festival. Odyssey workshops are 50-minute sessions which must include a creative project, artistic skill building exercise or interactive elements that engage students viscerally in the artistic topic. Teachers/groups generally lead at least two sessions of their workshop, per day. At this time, the following groups are especially encouraged to submit workshops:

• SHS Staff/Faculty
• SHS Alumni
• SHS Clubs (sponsored by a faculty/staff member)
• SHS Students (in collaboration with a faculty member)

Please fill out the Odyssey Artist Form to express your interest in teaching OR recommend an artist for the festival. The Spring submission window ends April 16.

Contacts

• For general inquiries or visiting artist information, please contact Odyssey Coordinator Amanda Long at along@d125.org.
• To get involved with Odyssey Club, students may email Odyssey Club Sponsor Ms. Lima at slima@d125.org.

Frequently Asked Questions About Odyssey

How is the day structured?
Utilizing a modified late arrival schedule, buses will begin their routes at 9:05 a.m. on both days of Odyssey. This is approximately 15 minutes earlier than the usual late arrival day schedule. 

The day begins at 10:15 a.m. and ends at 3:25 p.m.. At 10:15 a.m., students will attend their Odyssey “homeroom” which is their normal second period (Semester 2) class where they will receive their schedule for the day. Each day consists of five 50-minute class periods, including a 50-minute lunch. Some classes are double periods and take two hours.

On the two days of Odyssey, there are no study halls, guided study or mentor classes. Students will not have access to the ILC and the campus is closed.

What is the schedule for Odyssey?

What kinds of classes are there?
There are two different kinds of classes offered during Odyssey: performance/presentation classes and participation classes. During performance/presentation classes, students will be in the audience for musical groups, comedy shows, dance performances or they will listen to a guest speaker in a lecture format. In participation classes, students will be drawing, dancing, acting, and singing.

What will I see? What will I do?
There is something for everyone during Odyssey - from chalk artists, to African dance, to poetry slam, or jazz music. In art classes, students will draw, paint, make jewelry, work on a potter’s wheel or learn calligraphy. Students can drum in rhythm workshops, strum in guitar classes, or experience conducting. Students may watch an improvisational comedy performance or take an improvisational workshop. Students may try stage combat, theatre games, or poetry. Some students will meet spoken word artists or participate in Stevenson’s Odyssey iPad band.

How do I register?

Students use Infinite Campus for the online registration process.

As part of the Odyssey registration process, students select buckets, rather than individual class offerings. These buckets include a group of similar classes for specific art forms, and grouping together performance/presentations or hands-on experiences. Registering for buckets will increase the likelihood that students are placed in an Odyssey class of interests, while also ensuring every student experiences a wider range of Odyssey offerings. When registering, students need to select 12 buckets that include four performance/presentations and eight participation buckets.

Unlike requesting classes during the school year, the scheduling of Odyssey classes is made after the program of artists, classes, and performances has been developed. As a result, students’ class requests serve more as a guide for scheduling. The registration committee will fill your two-day schedule appropriately. If a student is the adventurous type, and would rather live with the element of surprise, we will be happy to assign classes for the student at random, simply check the box that asks for classes to be assigned randomly.

It is important to know when students register for specific Odyssey classes, there is a greater likelihood that they will be assigned to those classes that they are interested in.

When do I get my schedule? 
Odyssey schedules will be handed out during Odyssey homeroom each day; 10:15 a.m. with your second semester second period teacher. Students that do not have a second period will report to the Wood Commons to receive their schedule.

Does participating in Odyssey earn students a fine arts credit?
Odyssey provides brief experiences in the fine arts and creative fields, however, it does not count as a fine arts credit on your transcript.