Mrs. Stefani Betz is teaching her first year at ODA. As a member of the English Department, she teaches a wide range of classes from grades 10 to 12. After her successful first year of teaching, Mrs. Betz is leading the inception of ODA’s Writing Center in the new STEM building.

The Writing Center will be a place where students can take advance writing electives. Mrs. Betz will be teaching Advanced Composition.

“We have about 25 students signed up for Advanced Composition. This class will be the training program for students interested in working in the Writing Center. They will learn tutoring and writing strategies and practice these strategies by helping their peers. These tutors will be called Student Writing Assistants, also to be known as SWAs.”

All classes offered will be blended and modeled after college courses. Along with learning new skills and mastering the subject, you will have the chance to earn community service hours.

“Eventually, we will have a feeder system in which younger students are trained as SWAs and as they get older they will take on more responsibility. Students who have completed the Advanced Composition course will be eligible to apply to be a SWA for volunteer hours,” says Betz.

The Writing Center and all the classes offered in the STEM building will open next year for the high school.

The Writing Center will be a unique feature of the Out-of-Door Academy, offering powerful context for learning.

Stay tuned. Opening Fall 2016.