Odyssey Charter School’s Greek-language program in Wilmington, Delaware, drew attention in Greece after a group of its students visited Athens through a school exchange program with Pierce, the American College of Greece.
The visit was featured by Kathimerini in a report by education journalist Apostolos Lakasas, published on April 24. The article highlighted a public charter school near the Philadelphia region where hundreds of students study Greek, most of them without Greek family roots.
One of the most telling moments came when ten Odyssey students visited the office of Greece’s Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Sofia Zacharaki. According to Kathimerini, the students asked to speak with her in Greek.
Odyssey Charter School opened in 2006 and has long been associated with Delaware’s Greek-American community. Kathimerini reported that the school serves about 2,500 students, with 98 percent of them not of Greek descent. More than 700 students participate in the school’s Greek-language program.
That detail is what makes Odyssey stand out beyond the more familiar model of Greek-language education built around parish schools, Saturday programs, and children from Greek families. Odyssey has built a broader bilingual program inside an American public-school setting, making Greek part of the daily education of students from many backgrounds.
The students’ trip to Greece was part of an exchange program with Pierce. During their stay, they were hosted by Greek students of their own age and visited the Acropolis, Sounion, and Mycenae.
In Kathimerini’s report, students described Greek not only as a language of heritage but also as a tool for understanding other subjects. One student, 13-year-old Evan Nicholson, pointed to the presence of Greek terms in fields such as mathematics and biology. Another student, 14-year-old Mantika Tsampir, said she chose Greek with encouragement from her parents and has grown happy with that decision.
The school offers two Greek-language tracks from kindergarten through high school. In one track, students study Greek for one hour a day. In the deeper bilingual track, introduced in 2017, students spend about half of the school day learning in Greek. Subjects taught in Greek include language, mathematics, and science, while other subjects are taught in English.
Ioanna Lekkakou, vice president of the Greek education program at Odyssey Charter School, told Kathimerini that bilingual education strengthens both languages and helps students make connections across language, culture, and academic subjects.
The program has also drawn financial support. Kathimerini reported that Odyssey’s Greek-language program has received more than $4 million in grants from independent organizations because of its performance, and that other U.S. states have shown interest in the model.
The school also has support from Greece through teachers assigned by the Greek state. Four Greek teachers currently serve at Odyssey, the report said.