ODYSSEY Media Group adviser David Ragsdale speaks at the OMG 20th Anniversary Celebration on March 22, 2023. Dozens of OMG alumni attended the event to honor the program, including Clarke Central High School Class of 2005 alumna and former OMG Features Editor Laura Benson Griffin. “(ODYSSEY) spurred my love for journalism, and I went on to study broadcast journalism in college. Everything I learned in the ODYSSEY kinda stayed with me my whole life,” Griffin said. “It’s funny – here we are, nearly 20 years after I was an ODYSSEY student, and the ODYSSEY is still challenging me and helping me grow in new and unexpected ways.” Photo by Aza Khan
The ODYSSEY Media Group will provide viewers with stylized profiles that center on people in the Athens community telling their own stories.
Throughout his 20 years as ODYSSEY Media Group adviser, David Ragsdale has fostered strong connections with his students.
Most people couldn’t fathom working over 60 hours a week for a high school teacher’s salary. ODYSSEY Media Group adviser David Ragsdale does so without a second thought.
The extra time he pours into his students isn’t for the awards – although the OMG boasts countless accolades from the Southern Interscholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, and more, including multiple Pacemakers.
No, Ragsdale’s goal is to grow young people into the best versions of themselves.
From the 30 editors and staffers in the Production class to the 20 Journalism I students, Ragsdale knows each student’s interests, strengths, weaknesses, and points of pride.
“Do I know something about everybody? Can I rap with just about everybody? Yes. It’s the tangible relationships that I hold dear,” Ragsdale said. “It’s hard when I’m pulled in 57 different directions, (and) I kick myself when we lose a kid. But you know, the beauty is when those relationships come to fruition.”
Many ODYSSEY alumni have blossomed into professional journalists, but many more have become confident, fulfilled individuals. To Ragsdale, at the end of the day, it’s all about the kids.
ODYSSEY Media Group adviser David Ragsdale (center) poses alongside Lead Copy Editor Wyatt Meyer (left) and former Sports Staffer Michael Campbell (right) at the OMG 20th Anniversary Celebration on March 22, 2023. Despite the sheer volume of students who have passed through the program, Ragsdale has worked to build connections with all of them. “Do I know something about everybody? Can I rap with just about everybody? Yes. It’s the tangible relationships that I hold dear,” Ragsdale said. “It’s hard when I’m pulled in 57 different directions, (and) I kick myself when we lose a kid. But you know, the beauty is when those relationships come to fruition.” Photos by Aza Khan and from the ODYSSEY archives
The senior posters, student art, and thank you notes that adorn the walls of Ragsdale’s classroom confirms that he has never forgotten a student. Almost without fail, Ragsdale can list any student who sat in a particular seat, going back decades.
And going back decades, students remember him. During the ODYSSEY’s 20th Anniversary celebration, over a dozen Editors-in-Chief returned to Athens to celebrate the program.
“I hope more than anything that I’m able to pay tribute to the people that have gone through our program, and I hope that they can offer words of inspiration to the kids coming behind,” Ragsdale said. “You all are on the shoulders of giants. If you’re not paying it forward, you’re doing a disservice to the people who came before you.”
