Odell hopes to awaken “The Sleeping Giant in the Sleeping Bear Dunes”
By Norm Wheeler
Sun editor
The new president of the Leelanau School is Richard Odell, and he feels he has come home. Originally from Vermont, Odell says “The beauty of this area is much like the environment where I was brought up, so I’m am very pleased to be here.” For the past three years Odell has been starting up the Pendleton School in Bradenton, FL, a private school on the property of the International Management Group Academies. “That’s a sports training center for kids,” he explains. “Monica Seles, Venus and Serena Williams, and Andre Agassi all went there. So now they have an academic program to go with their sports training.” Richard Odell has also been the president of Interlochen Center for the Arts and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. He once owned a gourmet delicatessen in Brattleboro, VT called “Tastebuds,” and he worked at the Northfield Mt. Herman School in Massachusetts.
I asked Richard Odell why he decided to take the job at the Leelanau School. He replied, “Educationally, it’s an opportunity to help a school achieve its full potential. This little school is something big that’s ready to burst forth. It’s like a sleeping giant in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. All the puzzle parts are here to create a beautiful educational picture and experience.” Given the faculty, surroundings, and program, Odell believes the Leelanau School “can successfully secure students who are interested in or focussed on the areas of environment, medicine, the sea, the sky, and writing.”
Full of ideas and enthusiasm, Mr. Odell talked about his visions for the Leelanau School. “We’re here to provide a superior educational development opportunity for focussed youth. We will be making some improvements to campus facilities, and we will be reaching out to collaborate with the community of Glen Arbor and surrounding communities to create this opportunity.” Mr. Odell is considering how to create some weekend environmental programming for families, for example, how to provide more educational opportunities for visitors of the Homestead and Glen Arbor, and how to get Leelanau students involved with more community service projects. He sees the cultural diversity of the Leelanau School to be a continuing strength. “Not all kids learn the same way.” Richard Odell said. “We sometimes try to make everyone fit into one program, not noticing their inherent differences. This school can be an international melting pot for various learning styles and values. I look forward to getting to know the people of Glen Arbor and hearing what visions they may have for the Leelanau School as well. This school is a gem in the middle of the national lakeshore, and we’re determined to sparkle and shine and be one of the jewels of this community!”