News for O'Dowd alumni, parents, and friends
Finding God in All Things
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GRAND OPENING: THE BISHOP JOHN S. CUMMINS CENTER
Join us on Sunday, August 28 from 3:00-6:00pm for the Grand Opening of our Bishop John S. Cummins Center, a new home for community, athletics, performing arts, and multimedia learning. The celebration will begin on the quad and include a short program, naming dedication, and opportunity to tour the center. We can’t wait to celebrate with you! RSVP Now!
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AN URBAN OASIS: STUDENTS VISIT CANTICLE FARM
This summer, a group of students spent a week at Canticle Farm, an urban garden and educational center in the heart of Oakland’s Fruitvale District. During their time in this “living classroom,” students practiced organic gardening, intentional community building, and interfaith teaching. “Canticle Farm is an amazing community,” says Jordan McCord ’24. “It was refreshing to see how people of all ages and backgrounds are living and working together, right in the middle of Oakland.”
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FR. LEO BRINGS LIGHT TO O’DOWD’S MISSION
The pastor of Corpus Christi in Piedmont and a longtime friend and advocate of O’Dowd, Fr. Leo Edgerly takes on a new role this year as our Vice President for Catholic Mission. “O’Dowd has played an important role for many families in the Bay Area since it opened its doors in 1951,” shares Fr. Leo. “Each member of the community, whether a parent, teacher, or student, brings their gifts to enrich the lives of others.” Read more!
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O’DOWD ALUM SHINES IN NEWEST FILM
Michael Goorjian ’89 recently wrote, directed, and starred in the film Amerikatsi. Released in Armenia this past July, it tells the story of a young boy who escapes Armenian Genocide - while his family was not so fortunate. As a student at O’Dowd, Michael starred in productions such as Fiddler on the Roof and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Today he believes his O’Dowd drama experience was pivotal in his professional success. Watch the Amerikatsi trailer!
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WRITING FROM THE HEART: O’DOWD’S PUBLISHED AUTHORS
Dedicated to our Charism’s call of academic excellence, the amazing work our teachers, coaches, administrators and staff do every day expands far beyond O’Dowd’s campus. Twelve of our distinguished faculty and staff are also published authors. Check out their titles, ranging from topics in social justice, identity, and art in Catholicism, to fiction and autobiography, as well as academic journals and software guides. Learn more about O’Dowd’s authors!
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JOIN O’DOWD’S LEGACY
Marisa Angeles, parent of Jessica ’05 and Jonathan ’08, became a member of the Dragon Legacy Circle to ensure all O’Dowd students receive an incredible high school experience. “My kids often say, ‘If not for O’Dowd, we wouldn’t be where we are now,’” says Marisa. “I included O’Dowd in my trust because I love giving back to the community that truly helped and inspired my kids to be the best they can ever be.” Learn more about our Dragon Legacy Circle today!
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DRAGON NAMED OAKLAND’S FIRE MARSHAL
Last month Felicia Wanzo Bryant ‘94 was appointed Oakland Fire Marshal, the first woman ever to hold the position. She began her career 18 years ago, in part because of how she was impacted by the Oakland fire of 1991. "I was a student at Bishop O'Dowd High School at the time,” Felicia said in an interview with CBS. “I'm trying to make sure we prevent that from happening again.” Felicia manages fire prevention across Oakland.
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BEST OF OAKLAND!
Oakland Magazine named O’Dowd “Best Private High School.” We are so proud of how hard our community works to make O’Dowd a great place. Congratulations to everyone. Go, Dragons!
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O’DOWD RECEIVES URBAN FARMS CONSERVATION MINI-GRANT
The grant funded a stormwater retention improvement project in the Living Lab which was completed this spring. “Retaining stormwater not only makes us good neighbors but also good land stewards,” explains Living Lab Educator Devra Laner. “We utilize the rainwater to grow native plants and improve our soil.” Sign up for our first work day of the school year on September 10!
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BONJOUR, DRAGONS!
Earlier this summer French teacher Dr. Zack Polsky led a group of students on a week-long trip to France. Together they visited monuments, learned about French culture, and practiced speaking le français. We hope the trip helped our students find their joie de vivre!
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EXPLORING INTERESTS, INSPIRING CURIOSITY, AND HAVING FUN
Our Summer Academy campers had a blast running the track, caring for the gardens, and learning new skills like 3-D printing. Open to incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, O’Dowd’s Middle School Summer Academy offers a variety of classes to inspire young teens. Look for Summer 2023 registration information in February.
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WELCOME BACK TO O'DOWD!
Congrats to Dragon alumni whose children (and grandchildren!) started their first day at O’Dowd today! We are excited to teach and inspire the next generation of Dragons!
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Andrea Hayes Gould-Simon ’62
William Mertz, Sr. ’65
David Worm ’75
Adrienne Elenteny ’79
Peter Monroe ’83
Peter Krawiec '85
Laura Slakey ’85
Leslie Hardy Hood ’86
Khathlyn McDonough Winsor ’86
Nicol Foster-Thome ’87
Emily Gould Sullivan ’87
Erick Thome ’87
Christopher Orloff ’88
Miller Allen ’89
Jason Concannon ’90
Thomas Green, Jr. ’90
Kimberly Nakahara Erickson ’91
James Erickson ’91
Elizabeth Kane Gonzalez ’91
Eva Goode ’91
Laura Seeley Morales McDonald ’91
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Amy Dougherty Bradley ’92
Marcela Gonzales-Tovar Weyhmiller ’92
Karina Moreno ’92
Jennifer Riegg Valera ’92
Jill Sanchez Stokes ’92
Juliet Arechiga ’93
Karin Martin Gregg ’93
Tracy Ward Allen ’93
Sarah Mertz King ’94
Felicia Wanzo Bryant ’94
John Dittmer, Jr. ’95
Claudia Jenkins Walker ’95
Tyler Stoop ’96
Daniel Bridgman ’97
Louis Sweeney ’97
Summer Wooldridge Dittmer ’97
Kelly Short Murphy ’00
Vincent Cortez ’02
Natalia Gonzalez ’06
Brian Mouton, Sr. ’07
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DR. ALEXIS JACKSON ’04, who serves as the The Nature Conservancy’s Ocean Policy & Plastics Lead, played an integral part in getting Senate Bill 54 passed earlier this year. The bipartisan supported bill will require all packaging in California to be recyclable or compostable by 2023.
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ARI FLINK ’13 and his rugby team took home bronze at the Maccabiah Games, also known at the Jewish Olympics, this summer.
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TALLULAH COLDIRON ’19 sold her song, Here, to the detective television series, Bosch: Legacy.
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ESTEFAN MONTERO-AGURTO ’21 will be studying and conducting research during the 2022-23 school year at The Fisher Stress Neurobiology and Prevention Lab, University of Oregon’s top-ranked neuroscience research laboratory.
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August
28 O’Dowd Center Grand Opening - RSVP
September
10 Living Lab Work Day 9:00am-12:00pm Sign Up
10 Asian American Pacific Islander Family Day 1:00-3:00pm RSVP
17 Latino Family Day 1:00-3:00pm RSVP
24 Black Family Day 1:00-3:00pm RSVP
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SAVE THE DATE: 2023 TRANSFORMING LIVES DINNER
We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Transforming Lives Dinner will take place in-person, in the Bishop John S. Cummins Center! Mark your calendar for November 3. It will be an evening of community, celebration, and joy as we raise funds to support tuition assistance program at O’Dowd. More details to come!
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