ODYSSEY Media Group
Journalism I Class
ODYSSEY Media Group Seniors
Banquet Agenda
Slideshow
Word of Introduction & Welcome
Lunch
Senior Farewell Speeches
Dream Freeman, David Wang, Gillian Williams
Film Presentation
Senior Farewell Speeches
Abigail Holloway, Angel Tejada, Adah Hamman, Margo McDaniel
iliad & ODYSSEY Awards
Senior Farewell Speeches
Cooper Jones, Samaya Ellis, Peter Atchley
Special Recognition Awards
Welcome Letter
David Ragsdale, Adviser
When I started my work in student publications with a dedicated group of kids at Clarke Central High School, first with the iliad in 2001 and the ODYSSEY in 2003, the world was a different place. We had four 1997 Dell computers, a point-andshoot Fuji camera and some software donated by a former teacher. The world hadn’t been introduced to the cloud, iPhone, MacBook Air or digital SLR cameras.
A lot has changed in nearly 25 years. However, a core belief system was established those long years ago and that system has grown and flourished – a desire to tell stories for our community, a desire to grow student leaders, to earnestly believe in reciprocity and to challenge one another to be the best versions of ourselves.
The evolution of the program is not lost on me and my gratitude is palpable – we have nearly 50 kids involved with the ODYSSEY Media Group today. Through the years, we’ve built relationships that leave me grateful. I’m grateful to our school administration for the time and transparency they offer us, and to our school district and Board of Education, who support us in doing the work we believe in. We have a dedicated Booster Club of adult volunteers who work to provide for student enrichment. Beyond our own community, we have a network of support from our alumni and esteem across the country for our students.
I’m grateful for the experiences of working with so many dynamic young people and their families. I’m grateful to know the work our organization presents is used as a model for quality. I’m grateful our older students and graduates work diligently to mentor younger classmates.
I wanted to take a moment to recognize our Booster Club Executive Committee for all their efforts on behalf of our students’ work. Special thanks to Dr. Elise Robinson, Dr. Meg Hines, Dr. Carla Williams, Rachel Dunston, Susan Atchley and Jamie D’Angelo. A huge thanks to Liza Larson for the design and compilation of today’s program and awards slideshow, to Olive Forrester and Gillian Williams for the photo slideshow and to Samaya Ellis for our film. Likewise, thanks are also due to stalwart chaperones Krista Jones, Will Lance, Ashley Larson, Danny Malec and Jennifer Tesler. Special thank you to Kate Kohler for love and support and to Virgil for being the OMG/iliad emotional support dog.
We’ll graduate 10 students who have left their own unique footprints within this decades-long journey. My expectations for each of them is as clear today as it was when I met them, whether that was four years ago or this year – be caring, accountable leaders for whom peers and community members can count.
As I bring this note to a close, I’m reminded again of where we started in August 2001 and I’m hopeful we’ll continue to honor our core values through growth and enrichment in the years to come.
ODYSSEY Media Group students, family and friends,
Letter From The Editors
Lea D’Angelo and Liza Larson, ODYSSEY Editors-in-Chief
Good afternoon! Thank you for coming to the 2025-26 ODYSSEY Media Group End-of-Year Banquet! This event celebrates nine months of hard work from ODYSSEY Media Group students.
`Last year’s success was built on senior leaders and the institutional knowledge they carried. With their graduation and the loss of knowledge that came with it, every student this year had quite a lot of learning to do.
In spite of this, the 2025-26 school year has marked significant accomplishments for the program. We continued our commitment to producing four full-color newsmagazines, as well as continuing to enhance our website’s mission to tell school, local and national news.
As a program, we were recognized for our work at the state, regional and national levels, with the OMG’s newsmagazine and website both receiving top recognition and ratings. Student journalists were also recognized for their individual work at the same levels.
But, these awards aren’t the only outcome we’ve seen this year. Students had opportunities to learn new skills, try new things and strengthen staff bonds through field trips, group projects and other programmatic events.
None of this could have been done without the help of our incredible Booster Club for the countless hours they’ve put in to support us, including rallying together to raise funds for us after the guidelines to volunteer at University of Georgia football games changed.
We also owe our thanks to the parents and guardians who have supported us along the way, the Clarke Central High School administration for giving us the space to tell the stories of our community. We would also like to thank OMG founder and adviser Mr. David Ragsdale, who made all of this possible and has given us the support to carry it forward.
And finally, a thank you to everyone here, whether you’re a student, a family member of a student or someone who’s supported us along the way. We hope you enjoy this afternoon of reflection and appreciate you all attending.
Letter From The Editor
Margo McDaniel, iliad Editor-in-Chief
Good afternoon, and welcome to the 2025-26 ODYSSEY Media Group End-of-Year Banquet. My name is Margo McDaniel and I am the Editor-inChief for the iliad Literary-Art Magazine.
The iliad is the sister publication of the ODYSSEY. We publish an annual magazine, and we also have a website and social media that we maintain throughout the year. We publish creative writing and artwork from Clarke Central High School students, faculty and rising freshmen from CCHS’s feeder middle schools We strive to create an inclusive publication that uplifts the creative voices of our school. We also had a special milestone this year: the creation of our 50th magazine.
This was my first year as Editor-in-Chief, and I came in with a team of entirely new iliad Editorial Board members. While there were challenges and learning curves, I have had the privilege of working with a team of extremely talented and hardworking individuals who have dedicated themselves to learning how to run this program.
We made our theme for this year’s magazine to focus on the stages of a person’s life and the legacy that people leave behind, in honor of the 50th anniversary. Our Editorial Board worked to reach out to community members, CCHS students/faculty and patrons to help create and fund our magazine. This magazine wouldn’t have been possible without every contributor. It also wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the ODYSSEY Media Group and our adviser, Mr. David A. Ragsdale, who constantly pushes us to strive for excellence.
Another big accomplishment this year was our 50th Volume Celebration in March, where we hosted many alumni iliad editors and past published writers and artists at CCHS to celebrate their years of work and dedication. Thank you to Dr. Claire Stephens who helped us manage putting this event together and recognize all of the hard work of past iliad Editorial Boards.
Working on the iliad this year has been so fulfilling, and I’m so grateful to have such a hardworking team that made it happen. We are fortunate to have a support system of people uplifting the voices of our school’s creative community, so much so that it has been able to continue for 50 years.
Senior Blogs
“ODYSSEY has helped my writing, work ethic, attention to detail and public speaking.”
-- Dream Freeman, Sports Staffer
“I
recalibrated and readjusted my purpose upon setbacks. I will always remember the appreciation I received after my stories were published.”
-- David Wang, News Staffer
“Little did I know, it was going to be a long year. Although my time wasn’t the easiest, look at me now.”
-- Gillian Williams, Outreach and Alumni Coordinator
“I truly found myself in profiles and feature stories where I was able to do in-depth interviews and write stylistic pieces that put humans at the forefront.”
-- Abigail Holloway, Digital Features Writer
“I remember my Journalism I Facilitator, Lucas Donnelly, told me, ‘Before you know it, you’ll be in your senior year, wondering where all the time went.’”
-- Angel Tejada, JI Facilitator
“I found my voice, not just as a writer, but as a leader, too, surrounded by people who constantly pushed me to improve.”
-- Adah Hamman, Variety Editor
“The best part about this program is the privilege I have had to work with so many extraordinarily talented people.”
-- Margo McDaniel, iliad Editor-in-Chief
--
“Throughout
the
year, I was lost, I became a better writer, I cried, I had fun and laughed too much, but by summer, I had learned to lead.”
Cooper Jones, Senior Copy Editor and JI Facilitator
“For once, I felt like I was a part of something larger than myself.”
Samaya Ellis, Diversity and Representation Editor and JI Facilitator
“I put in buckets of sweat and pounds of effort to create impactful work and meaningful connections with the people around me.”
-- Peter Atchley, Managing Editor
To read the Class of 2026 blogs:
Journalism Organizations
The Southern Interscholastic Press Association (SIPA), is a nonprofit organization of public schools, including middle, junior and senior high schools. Its purpose is to encourage a high degree of professionalism in scholastic journalism and mass communications in the Southeast. Founded at Washington and Lee University in 1926, SIPA moved to the University of South Carolina in 1972. Members are from District of Columbia and 15 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. CCHS was well represented in Columbia, SC, with most of our students in attendance.
Ball State University’s Journalism Day (JDAY), brings middle and high school studentsand teachers to Ball State University’s campus in Muncie, Indiana once a year to learn about different aspects of journalism. The conference, hosted by Ball State’s College of Communication, Information and Media, provides sessions that cover many different journalistic topics and contests that take place throughout the day. Ball State University first started offering journalism workshops in 1966, which have continued to grow and develop over the years.
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA), founded in 1925, unites student editors and faculty advisers—working with them to produce student newspapers, magazines, yearbooks and online media. Students come from public, private and church-related schools and colleges throughout the United States and from overseas schools. The association is owned by Columbia University and operates as a program affiliated with its prestigious Graduate School of Journalism. Several ODYSSEY staff members have enjoyed attending CSPA summer workshops in New York.
Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) Award by National Council of Teachers of English
The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.
National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), is a nonprofit membership organization exclusively for high school and other secondary school publications—yearbooks, newspapers, magazines, broadcast programs and online publications. Since 1921, NSPA has offered its members resources to help their publications improve, including national high school journalism conventions, prestigious contests and scholarships, a publication service and much more.
The Quill And Scroll Society is a high school honor society devoted to fostering interest and excellence in the field of journalism. It has member chapters in all 50 states and in 44 countries around the world. Quill and Scroll fulfills its mission by awarding scholarships and sponsoring contests.
Georgia Scholastic Press Association (GSPA), assists Georgia high school journalism programs and students by encouraging their production of quality publications through instruction and contests. GSPA was organized in 1928 by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, which has continued to direct its activities, providing information through the newsletter and instruction through convention sessions, judging, speakers upon request and fall workshop sessions. GSPA holds two workshops at UGA each year and again, most of our students were able to attend.
To see all awards won this year:
Lorien Awards
The Lorien Awards, established by the Campbell Family, are given annually. Lorien is a CCHS Class of 2006 graduate who loves poetry and the arts. For the past several years, the Campbell family has awarded the top art, photograph, poem, and prose piece in each year’s edition of the iliad Magazine. All pieces can be found in the 50th edition of the iliad, “Eudaimonia.”
Art: Morning Ritual by Katyal Bagayogo-Zeltner
Photograph: Tyrannosarus Floridius by Copper Callahan
Poem: “Where I’m From,” Free Verse, by Meg Vanderbilt
I am from Old Town
The old Acadian cottage
On the corner of Teddy and Fourth
The one with the big sycamore tree out front
Vibrantly green
Smelling spicy
Impossible to climb
read more in the 50th edition of the iliad, “Eudaimonia”
Prose: “The House that Wasn’t Home,” Essay, by Amiyah Martin
There’s this old house I used to know. The familiar scent clung to the walls, calling me close and pulling me in. The same scenery kept flashing through my mind, rooms I had walked through, corners I had cried in. A place I once called home, even though it never truly felt like one.
Whenever things seemed to be going well, that house came alive and started pushing me around. Not just yelling or insults, but also pressure, with silence, with the weight of everything I was expected to carry. I would sit in that quiet, wondering why, asking myself what I had done wrong, what I could’ve done differently to make things better, just so I could feel “at home” again.
The cycle continued until one day I got tired of blaming myself. Home began to drain the life out of me, little by little, until I wasn’t living anymore, just surviving. I kept going back because it was the only home I had ever known. A place that was supposed to love and protect me became the place I wanted to escape. A place that was supposed to give me insight on life only took it away, leaving me feeling trapped.
read more in the 50th edition of the iliad, “Eudaimonia”
Signatures
Signatures
