On a journey with Odyssey

This week, the International School of Qingdao was visited by Odyssey staff Mel McCutchan and Lianne Ong. Odyssey is the student development office of LifePlus, focusing specifically on students’ social and emotional development, because health in these areas is key for success both in academics and in life. While at the International School of Qingdao this week, Odyssey staff met with students, helped host an ISQ Connect for parents and met with our teachers to offer support.  

Odyssey staff work with all of the LifePlus schools on their practices and programming to help make sure that students are supported and enabled to grow. Areas that Odyssey focuses on include socioemotional wellbeing, mentoring, transition support, TCK care, leadership development, family support, student advocacy, and service opportunities. Odyssey has also provided curriculum and resources for keystone secondary student Advisory program. 

Odyssey spent time this week meeting directly with students, listening, hearing about their school year and how their lives are going. Building connections and fostering long-term relationships is a key component of the Odyssey program, as identifying student-leaders and providing transition support are foundational to the program. Ms. McCutchan and Ms. Ong also visited a number of Character Development and Philosophy classes, discussing stress management with secondary students. 

Odyssey’s work with students also includes leading various service and development trips, such as the Senior Departure Transition Seminar in the spring every year, as well as international and domestic service trips, like the one that ISQ students took to Yunnan last summer. 

As Ms. McCutchan says of the program, “No school counselor needs to reinvent the wheel every time. Each school shouldn’t need to come up with a service trip, so Odyssey offers district resources so school counselors can focus on specific student needs.” 

Each LifePlus school has one or two local Odyssey representatives who help to coordinate the annual Odyssey visit, student trips, service and leadership opportunities. Now that Covid restrictions have dropped, we look forward to resuming regular Odyssey programming where students can make a positive impact on the world around them.