Northstar
  School

Lisa Odom

Executive Director

Leadership Development

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I am a passionate educator with over 25 years of classroom experience in many public and private school settings.  In my fifth year at Northstar School, I was fortunate and proud to follow in Mrs. Jane Hunn’s famous footsteps to become the second executive director of Northstar School.  I am a graduate of Arlington High School and attended Texas Tech University earning a degree in education with a reading specialization.  Later, I earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from UTA. 

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At Northstar School, it is my goal to provide an environment where students can be themselves and achieve their academic and personal best.  I want to expose them to many different subjects, experiences, and activities, encouraging them to try new things to discover their passions and talents.  Each student should feel completely comfortable to be who they are and follow their own individual paths, while still feeling a part of the student body as a whole.

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As a “family,” I begin each morning with a positive message for the entire student body.  I also teach our daily Leadership Development program, and it is one of my favorite experiences at Northstar.   I thoroughly enjoy teaching life skills, leadership skills, study skills, time management, conflict resolution, ethics, etiquette, and team building to the best kids in town who are natural leaders and a joy to work with!

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I am married to my high school sweetheart, Scott Odom, and together we have two children, Garrett and Ashley.  I am very passionate about many things in my life, but teaching has always been near the top of my list.  Even though I am the only educator in my family, I have always known I wanted to teach.  I am thankful and honored to be a part of the students’ lives at Northstar School.  I strongly believe that the high expectations in Northstar’s small, nurturing environment are the keys to success and make Northstar a fabulous place to teach and learn. 

Together, with the most talented staff around, it is my sincere hope to make a positive influence on the development of all Northstar students!

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Amanda Guidotti

Assistant Director

History Department Head

US History, Senior Sponsor, NHS Sponsor, NHD Sponsor

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After graduating from the University of Tennessee with a BA in Psychology, I discovered my professional calling in the discipline of history while working for a law firm in Nashville, my hometown. I earned an MA in American History from Middle Tennessee State University and continued my postgraduate work at the University of Delaware, where I am currently a doctoral candidate (ABD). Northstar keeps me busy but I am working to complete my dissertation during the summer months.

I began teaching history at Northstar in 2011 and was honored to take on the role of Assistant Director in 2013. I currently teach Advanced U.S. History and Advanced Human Geography, though I have also taught courses in Ancient, Medieval, and World History as well as Psychology. My other responsibilities include serving as Head of the History Department, History Day Coordinator, Advisor to the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society, Senior Sponsor, and Senior Internship Coordinator.

My primary message in the classroom is that history is not an obsolete set of “facts” to be memorized and regurgitated but rather a relevant, creative, and dynamic discipline. Understanding the past helps to create informed, productive citizens in the present. Furthermore, the study of history cultivates the practices of critical thinking, deep reading, and analytical writing—life skills that can be carried into any and all career fields.

To bring history alive, my sophomore U.S. History class takes an annual trip to Boston, Salem, and Plymouth. We visit museums and living history sites and do the work of historians by engaging in archival research. In the classroom I incorporate many kinds of assessments, although my favorite assignment is asking students to write and perform a rap about the American Revolution (Lin-Manuel Miranda must have been spying on me before he wrote Hamilton)! My classes emphasize reading and writing, challenging students to become amateur historians themselves. To this end, all students participate in our History Day Fair each year, furthering Northstar’s experiential philosophy by allowing students to create a project on a historical subject of their own choosing. I believe this type of research and project-based learning prepares students for both the rigors of college and the “real world” much more than a test ever could.

My husband Mike and I welcomed our first child, Theodore, in the summer of 2017. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, visiting parks, and spending time with my family and my dogs. I am also an avid football fan and obsessively cheer for the Tennessee Vols and Titans. As an adopted daughter of Texas, I also support the Cowboys! Feel free to contact me with any questions at aguidotti@northstarschool.net.