Odle Middle School

Odle Middle School is a public middle school in the Crossroads neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington, United States. The school is one of seven middle schools in the Bellevue School District and was named posthumously after Frank Odle, who taught in the district for 55 years before retiring in 1968.[1][4] Odle is located near Stevenson Elementary, formerly a primary feeder elementary school for Odle. Odle is primarily known for its hosting of the ALS program, a gifted program for high-performing children. As of the 2022–23 school year, the school's principal is Joseph Potts and its assistant principals are Keith Altenhof and Danielle Virata.[5]

Odle Middle School
Odle Middle School during construction
Location
502 143rd Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98007
Information
TypePublic middle school
MottoOne Dynamic Learning Environment
Established1969[1]
School districtBellevue School District
PrincipalJoseph Potts
Faculty84 (on FTE basis)[2]
Grades6–8
Enrollment964 (2016-17)[3]
Student to teacher ratio18.5
Color(s)Red, blue
NicknameVikings
RivalHighland
Feeder toSammamish High School
WebsiteSchool website

In the 2001–02 school year, Odle Middle School was one of two schools in the state to be awarded a Blue Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education,[6][7][8] the highest award an American school can receive.[9][10]

Demographics

As of the 2021-2022 school year, the school had an enrollment of 948 students. 61% of the students are Asian, 20% are Caucasian, 9% are Hispanic, 7% are multi-ethnic, and 3% are African American. 45% speak a first language other than English, and 17% are eligible to receive free/reduced price meals.[11]

Academics

AL Program

The AL program at Odle is part of the Advance Placement program offered in the Bellevue School District for grades 2 through 12.[12]

GT is a selective program; applicants must have a minimum score of 144 on the Cognitive Abilities Test. Reading and Quantitative scores must be of the 90th percentile or higher, one of which must be at or above the 97th percentile.[13]

High school extension
See also: Interlake High School § Gifted and Talented Program

The high school AL program extends the science, English and social studies classes further in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Interlake High School.[14] In the IB program, AL students complete the IB diploma during 10th and 11th grade, rather than the usual 11th and 12th grade.[15]

Extracurriculars

Rocketry

In 2016, Odle Middle School's rocketry club sponsored three teams in the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC). In the competition's qualifying round, two of the teams placed in the top 100 teams in the nation, earning them a spot at the TARC national finals, the third team placed as a second alternate.[16] One of the teams, the Odle Middle School "Space Potatoes," won the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge, earning more than $20,000 in prizes and scholarships and a trip to London to compete in the International Rocketry Challenge.[17] The team went on to win International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough International Airshow on July 15, besting the top student rocketry teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan.[18]

Chess

The Chess Team has won many prizes all over the nation and the state.

Odle Middle School earned first place in the 2006 national K–8 chess championship[19][20][21] and got seventh place in Chess Supernationals 2013 K-8 chess championship. The chess team has also claimed first place in the Washington Middle School Team Championship for the school years 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11.[22] In April 2014, members of the Odle Chess Team will go to Atlanta, Georgia, to compete in the National Junior High Chess Championship. The team is currently has the highest average rating as a team for the K-8 division.

Odle Middle School tied for 1st place in the national 2016 K-8 chess championship.

Odle Middle School 2017 graduate Naomi Bashkansky is a 2016 World Schools Chess Champion (Girls U13),[23] a 2017 North American Junior Girls Under 20 Champion,[24] and a Woman International Master.[25]

Science Bowl Club

The Odle Science Bowl Club has participated in the U.S. Department of Energy's National Science Bowl since 2017. Over the years, it has gotten:
- National 2nd Place in 2017
- National 1st Place in 2018
- National 3rd Place in 2021
- National 1st Place in 2022[26][27]

2014-2016 remodeling

In 2014, Odle Middle School decided to remodel the old building; implement about 200 kW worth of new solar panels, the most solar power put on any BSD school building to date.[28] The solar panels were built specifically for the newly designed classrooms created for classes involving STEM and the arts. Alongside solar panels, expansive athletics infrastructure, thermal floors, etc were also implemented.[29] During the two year construction period of the new building, which is next to Stevenson Elementary School, Odle Middle School was moved to the Bellevue School District's designated swing school, Ringdall Middle School.[30] The redesign however failed to compensate for the extensive backup of traffic onto 8th and 140th during morning drop-off hours leading to continued dissatisfaction among the parent community.

References
  1. "Bellevue School District Timeline". Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  2. "Odle Middle School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  3. "Odle Middle School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  4. Cornwall, Warren; Shevory, Kristina (October 23, 2003). "Some who shaped Bellevue". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  5. "Odle Staff – Odle Middle School". www.bsd405.org. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  6. "Bellevue middle school receives national recognition". Washington State School Directors' Association. May 29, 2002. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  7. "BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS PROGRAM, Schools Recognized 1982–1983 Through 1999–2002" (PDF). U.S. Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  8. "Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized – 2003 Through 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  9. "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department". Journal Inquirer. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007. The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve.
  10. "Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test". The Washington Post. September 29, 2005. For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school.
  11. "Odle Middle School 2021/2022 Annual School Profile Report" (PDF). www.bsd405.org.
  12. "Gifted Programs". Bellevue School District. Archived from the original on October 16, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2008.
  13. "PRISM (Grades 1–8)". Bellevue School District. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  14. "Gifted High School Program (Grades 9–12)". Bellevue School District. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  15. "Gifted High School Program". Bellevue School District. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  16. Team America Rocketry Challenge (April 8, 2016). "2016 TARC National Finalists" (PDF). RocketContest.org. Team America Rocketry Challenge. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  17. DeAngelis, Allison (June 20, 2016). "The Bellevue Reporter". Newspaper. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  18. "The Seattle Times". Newspaper. July 15, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  19. "1123 Young Chess Enthusiasts in Louisville" (Press release). United States Chess Federation. April 12, 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  20. "National News, 1123 Young Chess Enthusiasts in Louisville". Chess Review Online. 3 (13). April 13, 2006.
  21. "2006 Tournament Chess News". Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  22. "Middle School Chess in Washington State". Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  23. "US Chess: Naomi Bashkansky Wins World Schools Champ Title". December 27, 2016.
  24. "2017 North American Junior Girls U20 Chess Championship Final Ranking".
  25. "FIDE Profile Info - Bashkansky, Naomi".
  26. "DOE Announces Winners of 32nd Annual National Science Bowl".
  27. "NSB Competition Results | U.S. DOE Office of Science(SC)". science.osti.gov. July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  28. "Home". Bellevue School District. May 13, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  29. "A Window into Odle's Future – Odle Middle School". www.bsd405.org. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  30. "Frequently Asked Questions – Odle Middle School". www.bsd405.org. Retrieved October 6, 2016.

47°37′1.54″N 122°8′53.95″W

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