Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
The Torch of Western Civilization
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
Journey to the Start
Our Philosophy
To be human is to be part of a story: to understand yourself in terms of others and the world. To be an educated man in the occident is to be a part of a story that began in the Greek language. From the lyrics of Homer to the circles of Euclid to the bright flashes of the apocalyptic vision in Revelation, Greek is the original code of the West. Learning is more than receiving information, it is the incarnation of ideas and a commitment to a way of talking, of thinking, of living: to a form of life. At Odysseus Academy we will engage the whole man in the experience, plunging in icy streams, training at archery, feeling the rhythm of the saddle, hearing the lilt of original lines of Homer spoken around a cracking fire.
Our Method
The cornerstone of our program is a ten-week intensive course in Ancient Greek. This includes weekly lessons and one-on-one tutorials with an Oxford Classicist, and will have you reciting Homer from memory by the end of two months.The Greek course is punctuated by two in-person sessions, one as a kick-off and one as a capstone, at the Wagon Box in Story, Wyoming. In addition to honing your linguistic expertise, you will spend your weeks here getting to know your brothers-in-arms and training all of the skills that Odysseus used to conquer his world: archery, carpentry, horseback riding, fly fishing, and more.
Join the Great Conversation
An Ancient Brotherhood
Language is innately social. As you learn and translate you will get to know these great ancients, but you will also form a living friendship with other pupils and the professor. As an all-male class, the natural distractions and limitations of a coed environment won’t be there to interfere with building camaraderie through honest conversation and facing challenges together.
An Ancient Path
“If the violin is the most perfect musical instrument, the Greek language is the violin of the human thought.” Helen Keller, author, political activist, and lecturer
“If the Gods speak, they will surely use the language of the Greeks.”
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul and constitutionalist
"I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honor, and Greek as a treat." Winston Churchill, British prime minister, writer, historian, and renowned speaker
Our Team
John King Spiezio
John King Spiezio is a Classicist's Classicist. While learning Latin in high school, he taught himself Greek and had read the entire Odyssey in the original before he could legally drive. From there, he read Classics and Oriental studies at Brasenose College, Oxford, earning a scholarship for his First in the notorious Honours Moderations exams and expanding his studies to Hebrew and Sanskrit. Out in the real world, he shares his love of languages through his private tutoring company. Among friends and pupils he is the consummate conversationalist, adding his erudition to any subject while drawing out others’ interest and engagement. As the instructor of Odyssey Academy, he combines his expertise in ancient languages and literature with his passion for the intensive, personalized teaching style he thrived in at Oxford.
Paul McNiel
Paul Mcniel was raised by linguist parents in remote Quebec. He spent his early years trapping, hunting, and fishing in areas only accessible to local Natives. He was a decorated infantry SAW gunner in Afghanistan. He has a BA in Literature and an MFA in creative writing. He has lived in the Yukon Territory, explored all 50 states and internationally, and is currently based out of his small farm and library on an island in the Yellowstone River. While investing in real estate, he continued to nourish his love of learning, reading widely in history, political theory, theology, philosophy, and literature. As the Frontiersman at Odysseus Academy, he guides students toward developing the gumption they need to become men of action as well as letters.