By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Excitement was in the air on Friday as children sat on the steps of George W.S. Abbey Odyssey Academy in Webster to be part of the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for their school.
The building was once a YMCA, and Superintendent Jennifer Goodman, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership, along with her father, remembered the days when he brought her to swim at the YMCA. The swimming pool is in good condition, and with time, the superintendent reports, it will be hosting swimmers and swim teams.
Sitting under the Texas blue sky to witness the dedication was an audience of about 100 people, including family members of Johnson Space Center Director George W.S. Abbey. Many people described him as the “father of modern spaceflight.”
The school was named in honor of Abbey, who was one of the founding board members for Odyssey Academy in Galveston.
The list of Abbey’s accomplishments is as long as the miles he traveled as a military pilot. He was a 1954 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.
In the words of the My USNA website, “He served in the U.S. Air Force as a helicopter pilot and engineer — and worked on an Air Force spaceplane program — before being assigned to NASA and moving to Houston, which began his career with NASA.”
While Abbey’s life story was read by students, the audience engaged in listening intently. His family, including his grandchildren, was seated in the front row and seemed to enjoy listening to the accomplishments of their father and grandfather
George W.S. Abbey’s life story is made up of many family, career and civic accomplishments.
“Of all his accolades, the one he was most proud of was serving on the Odyssey Academy Board. He recognized the importance of an education that would help shape opportunities and open doors for students,” said W.S. Abbey’s daughter, Joyce Abbey when she spoke to the audience.
She continued to explain that her father valued educating children in technology, math and science, and he also understood the value of art education in developing critical thinking skills.
Odyssey Academy is considered a STEAM school, according to several school administrators. This means the emphasis for student learning is on science, technology, engineering, art and math.
The school has a music room lined with musical instruments — youth-sized guitars, ukuleles, xylophones and conga drums, to name a few.
Music teacher Bethanie Eaton studied music education at the University of Houston. She is a former clarinetist with Santa Fe High School’s marching band.
“I love being able to work on a small campus where I am able to know each of my students, and it is a real team here,” Eaton said. “Everybody wants to help both students and teachers be successful.”
The school is a Pre-K through eighth grade campus and currently has an enrollment of about 320 students. According to Chief Financial Officer Matt Sherman, the school has a maximum student capacity of around 660.
The morning’s ceremony was completed with ribbon cuttings provided by five area chambers of commerce: Clear Lake, Galveston Regional, Hitchcock, Santa Fe and Texas City/La Marque.
