News for O'Dowd alumni, parents, and friends
Finding God in All Things
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Dear Dragon Community,
’Tis the season of giving. This week, I had the heartwarming pleasure of watching our Campus Ministry Team gather loads of toys and gifts that our students and faculty/staff collected for the families of St. Vincent’s Day Home, a longstanding O’Dowd tradition. For 60 local families, our community was able to spread the joy, spirit, and cheer of Christmas. And I hope that with the simple gifts of monster trucks and legos, warm blankets and laundry detergent, each family feels the infinite love and care of God.
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Campus Ministry Team Visits St. Vincent's Day Home in Oakland | |
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FALL SPORTS RECAP
O’Dowd’s fall sports teams demonstrated incredible impact and dominance this season, including three league wins, five NCS placements, and a few opportunities to compete at NorCal finals. Across the board, Dragon student-athletes have continued to impress, solidifying O’Dowd’s athletic prowess. Sam Hokkanen ’24, editor of The Crozier, writes about the season highlights across our nine fall athletic programs. Read more.
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TEACHER NAMED OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR
This fall, Sarah Bremer, co-chair of our Social Studies Department, was singled out by the University of Chicago for the "Outstanding Educator Award"! She was nominated by an O’Dowd alumnus from the class of 2023. Among the hundreds of submissions, Sarah stood out because of her lifelong impact on her students and her commitment to academic excellence.
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ALUMNUS NAMED OAKLAND FIRE CHIEF
With the sun shining on a brisk fall morning in Jack London Square, Oakland city leaders gathered near the ferry terminal for the installation of the next Fire Chief: Damon Covington ’91. While a student at O’Dowd, Damon joined the Campus Ministry Team. “We organized a canned food drive to support families in need during the holidays,” Damon recalled. “Those kinds of experiences planted the seed in me to understand the value of being a part of a community.” Read more.
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EDUCATION LEADERS VISIT O'DOWD
Leaders from the College Board, University of California, and California's Department of Education recently visited one of our AP African American Studies classes, where students presented their research projects on the economic effects of the trans-atlantic slave trade. “It was special to share our research with adults who are working to increase the number of students who have access to AP African American Studies,” shares Jamilla Cooks ’25. “I appreciated the chance to show the invaluable lessons I’ve learned.”
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ALUMNI EVENTS IN 2024
Join us for an upcoming on-campus event in 2024! Connect with fellow alumni and former and current faculty and staff while seeing how the campus has changed since graduation. Our 2024 alumni events include: Alumni Happy Hour, Living Lab Alumni Work Day, and Reunion Day. "I come back to connect with the O'Dowd community,” says Angelina Speltz ’09. “It’s fun to watch a soccer game from the new center, reconnect with friends, meet other alumni, and catch up with O’Dowd faculty and staff." Visit bishopodowd.org/alumni to learn more.
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ALUMNUS NAMED COMPANY PRESIDENT
With 20 years of experience in the food and sustainability industries, this month Katie Appel ’97 was announced as the president at Canteen, part of Compass Group USA. For the last 10 years, Katie has been leading technology-oriented food companies. "I'm feeling lucky that my work allows me to do what brings me joy: feeding people great food, and creating spaces that build community," shares Katie. "I was surrounded by many teachers at O'Dowd who helped shaped me into the person I am today."
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ADVENT TAIZÉ SERVICE
Our music ministry hosted a special Advent Taizé service. Taizé worship includes candlelight, prayers, readings, silence, and soft music with repetitive words led by instruments. It was a wonderful opportunity to be silent and center on God.
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ECO LEADERS STUDY SLOW FASHION
Our Eco Leaders are studying the effects of "fast fashion." These mass-produced low-cost clothes end up in landfills, with production polluting our water supply. Eco Leaders recently traveled to Fibershed Learning Center in Point Reyes to learn about clothes made from locally grown fibers, natural dyes, and compostable materials.
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SOUNDS OF THE SEASON - WINTER CONCERT
Our instrumental music department held a holiday concert, delighting the audience with tunes including “Suite of Carols,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “A Christmas Collection.” Watch the performance!
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JANUARY 13 & 15 - MLK CLASSIC GIRLS BASKETBALL
Next month the girls basketball program will host the 6th annual MLK Classic - a weekend showcase with teams honoring MLK through poetry, song, and personal reflections, and coaches awarding players who embody the work of MLK today. Purchase tickets now!
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ANN LOVI ’89, a realtor with Compass, was included in the Real Trends 2023 America's Best, which ranks the top 1.5% of 1.6 million real estate professionals in the United States.
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RYAN MOURA ’07 is now an Account Executive at Acrisure West, a global fintech leader that provides customers with intelligence-driven financial services solutions for insurance, reinsurance, cyber services, and more.
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GABRIELLA LEWIS ’13 recently joined the video team at Eater, a subsidiary of Vox Media, as their first Supervising Producer of Creative Development. She is also teaching a course at The New School.
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December
26 Boys Soccer Alumni Game (10:00-11:30am)
26 Girls Soccer Alumni Game (12:00-1:30pm)
27 Water Polo Alumni Games at Northeastern University Pool (1:00pm)
January
13 & 15 MLK Girls Basketball Showcase - Purchase Tickets
30 Alumni Happy Hour - Purchase Tickets
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BEING A DRAGON IS A GIFT. YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN!
In this season of giving, we would be thankful if you considered O’Dowd among your philanthropic priorities before year-end. Your investment enhances the student experience through the retention and development of talented educators, technology upgrades, facilities enhancements, counseling, academic support, and co-curricular programs – all the things that make O’Dowd an amazing place for our students to learn and grow. Gifts made by December 31 are eligible for year-end tax-savings!
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