ODYSSEY Media Group Digital Editor-in-Chief Lea D’Angelo, a junior, OMG Managing Editor Peter Atchley, a senior, and OMG Print Editor-in-Chief Liza Larson, a junior, (from left to right) pose after awarding Atchley the Aaron Patrick Holmes MVP Award at the 2025-26 ODYSSEY Media Group End-of-Year Banquet at the Athens Cotton Press on May 3. The event showcased staff members’ work during the school year for an audience of peers, family and friends of the program. “I think an event like this is important,” Atchley said. “(It allows) parents, younger siblings (and graduates to see) that ODYSSEY is such a microcosm of itself.” Photo by Maypop Wren
ODYSSEY Media Group staff, family and friends of the program gathered at Athens Cotton Press on 149 Oneta St. to celebrate the successes of the 2025-26 school year on May 3.
The ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine held the programmatic 23rd Annual End-of-Year Banquet on May 3 at the Athens Cotton Press from 12:30 to 3 p.m., celebrating the program’s achievements of the 2025-26 school year in front of an audience of family and friends of the program.
Since 2004, the OMG and iliad’s end-of-year banquets have served as a send-off to the program’s graduating seniors in addition to recognizing awards earned during the year. This year, the ceremony recognized nine OMG and one iliad seniors graduating in the Class of 2026.
The event was opened with three senior speeches, including OMG Sports Staffer Dream Freeman, and OMG News Staffer David Wang, both of whom joined the ODYSSEY during the 2025-26 school year and OMG Outreach and Alumni Coordinator Gillian Williams, a senior, who joined the program during the 2024-25 school year. For Freeman, his speech was an opportunity to express the impact he hoped to leave on the program, despite a limited tenure on staff relative to some of the other speakers.
“It felt great to give a senior speech and recap on my last year of ODYSSEY. I wanted to highlight all the support I had,” Freeman said. “I hope I showed people how to have fun while getting work done, and to cherish the little moments that you have with your teammates because it doesn’t last forever.”
“I hope I showed people how to have fun while getting work done, and to cherish the little moments that you have with your teammates because it doesn’t last forever.”
— Dream Freeman,
Senior and Sports Staffer
The event then showcased a documentary film presented by OMG Journalism I Facilitator and Diversity and Representation Editor Samaya Ellis, a senior. The film was meant to allow members outside of the program a behind-the-scenes reflection on the school year.
A video recap of the ODYSSEY Media Group and iliad Literary-Art Magazine’s 2025-26 school year, showcased at the OMG 2026 Awards Banquet, is shown. For ODYSSEY Media Group founder and iliad Literary-Art Magazine re-foudning adviser David Ragsdale, Sunday’s event offered changes to the tradtional run-of-show. “It’s been a while since we revamped the formatting of the banquet. We introduced an awards slideshow, re-envisioned the event program and included walk-up music for the senior speeches,” Ragsdale said. “We received positive feedback on the shifts.” Video by Samaya Ellis
The film’s debut was followed by the senior speeches of OMG Digital Feature Writer Abigail Holloway, OMG Journalism I Facilitator Angel Tejada and OMG Variety Editor Adah Hamman, all seniors who joined the ODYSSEY during their freshman year as Journalism I students. iliad Literary-Art Magazine Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel followed, giving her senior speech, which was followed by her presenting the iliad’s 2025-26 in-house awards alongside OMG Managing Editor Peter Atchley, who was substituting for iliad Managing Editor Finley Sleppy, who was not in attendance.
“(The iliad) made me less of a perfectionist, and it made me value mistakes. I felt like I never really got the opportunity to share that with anyone, and so it felt really good to be able to talk about that impact (it had),” McDaniel said. “Recognizing people (with awards) for their art felt good, too. I try to show them appreciation all the time.”
iliad Literary-Art Magazine Social Media Coordinator Scarlett Alston, a sophomore, iliad Literary-Art Magazine Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel, a senior, and iliad Literary-Art Magazine Outreach Director Jay Braswell, a sophomore, (from left to right) pose (from left to right )at the ODYSSEY/iliad Award Banquet at Athens Cotton Press on May 3. Throughout her time serving as iliad Editor-in-Chief, McDaniel’s goal was to create an experience similar to the one former iliad Editor-in-Chief Olivia Hendershot, a CCHS Class of 2025 alumna, made for her.
“I just wanted it to be fun. My first two years in iliad, (the) fun was really what inspired me to be (an) Editor-in-Chief,” McDaniel said. “Ollie made it very fun for me.. I hoped to cultivate that same environment.” Photo by Maypop Wren
Following the iliad’s awards portion, OMG In-House Awards, voted on by OMG staff before the banquet, were presented by OMG Digital Editor-in-Chief Lea D’Angelo and OMG Print Editor-in-Chief Liza Larson, both juniors.
OMG News Staffer Sasha Barkan, a sophomore, was awarded the Jenny Alpaugh Rookie of the Year Award, which recognizes a first-year production staffer who has made the most significant programmatic impact through their work. For Barkan, the banquet served as a meaningful close to a year of adjustment, change and growth for both her and the entirety of the OMG sophomores.
“I’m really proud of (the) sophomore class. We’ve grown, and we’ve fought for that growth, too. I’m really proud of our grade as a whole, so being recognized felt really good,” Barkan said. “We can forget how much (our work) matters. I think the banquet is a time to recognize the value and significance of what we do in ODYSSEY.”
“We can forget how much (our work) matters. I think the banquet is a time to recognize the value and significance of what we do in ODYSSEY.”
— Sasha Barkan,
Jenny Alpaugh Rookie of the Year and News Staffer
The last seniors to bid their goodbyes were OMG Senior Copy Editor Cooper Jones, Ellis, and OMG Managing Editor Peter Atchley, all four-year members of the program. As the banquet celebrated the accomplishments of senior staffers, it also highlighted the lasting impact they hope to leave on younger leaders long after they graduate. For Atchley, the event represents just a fraction of the work done within the OMG.
“I’m glad that people can recognize how much I care for ODYSSEY, and I hope that inspires people (to) take it as seriously as I take it,” Atchley said. “It’s hard to quantify a (year’s work into) a three-hour event, (and) no one can really understand the ODYSSEY unless they come to an event like this. This is the closest you can get, and I hope they get it now.”
To close the ceremony, OMG founder and iliad Literary-Art Magazine Adviser David Ragsdale presented Special Recognition Awards to OMG staffers and parents who had distinguished themselves.
“We are an organization with many moving parts, but certain key people go above and beyond the call of duty and have awards named after them,” Ragsdale said. “The recipients of those awards embody the spirit of the namesake and improve the climate and culture of our organization. To put it simply, it’s a big deal.”
iliad Awards
Bryan Barks-Caroline Foster Commitment Award: Finley Sleppy
Mary Grace Hager Leadership Award: Margo McDaniel
ODYSSEY In-House Awards
Writer of the Year: Liya Taylor
Editor of the Year: Adah Hamman
Visual Artist of the Year: Iliana Tejada
John H. Wells-Chrismon Hinsch “Spirit of the ODYSSEY”: Violet Dockery
Alexander and Andrew Robinson, Facilitator of the Year: Cooper Jones
Rookie of the Fall: Kye Streetman
Rookie of the Spring: Eloise Luken
Jenny Alpaugh Rookie of the Year: Sasha Barkan
Aaron Patrick Holmes MVP: Peter Atchley
Editor’s Choice Awards:
Editors’ Choice (Newsmagazine) presented by Liza Larson: Emlyn McKinney
Editors Choice (Online) presented by Lea D’Angelo: Lydia Rowell
Editor’s Choice iliad presented by Margo McDaniel: Finley Sleppy
Adviser Awards:
John H. Wells-Chrismon L. Hinsch “Spirit of the ODYSSEY”: Lea D’Angelo
Bryan Barks-Caroline Foster Commitment Award: Finley Sleppy
Mary Grace Hager Leadership Award: Margo McDaniel
Alexander M. Stephens Embodiment of Excellence: Peter Atchley
Natalie Renee Wilson Leadership Award: Samaya Ellis
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Dr. Carla Williams
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Susan Atchley
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Dr. Swade Huff
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Krista Jones
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Claire Stephens
Steve Hinsch Extra Mile Award: Dr. Elise Robinson
Alumni Awards:
Jeffery Wakefield Rogers Scholarship presented by the family of Jeffery Wakefield Rogers: Gillian Williams
