Bishop O'Dowd High School
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2010) |
| Bishop O'Dowd High School | |
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Cor Unum in Christo
One heart in Christ
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| Address | |
| 9500 Stearns Avenue Oakland, California, (Alameda County), 94605 United States |
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| Coordinates | 37°45′12.94″N 122°9′18.33″W / 37.7535944°N 122.1550917°WCoordinates: 37°45′12.94″N 122°9′18.33″W / 37.7535944°N 122.1550917°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1951 |
| President | Stephen Phelps, Ed.D. |
| Principal | Pamela Shay, M.S.A. |
| Asst. Principal | Brian Judd Kevin Cushing |
| Chaplain | Fr. Gerald Pedrera |
| Faculty | 125 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,130 (2012-2013) |
| Average class size | 25 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15:1 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Black and Gold |
| Athletics | 15 interscholastic sports, with 57 teams, including rugby, water polo and lacrosse as well as the traditional sports. All students are encouraged to participate in the athletics program. |
| Athletics conference | West Alameda County Conference, Foothill League |
| Mascot | Dragon |
| Team name | Dragons |
| Accreditation(s) | Western Association of Schools and Colleges[1] |
| Average SAT scores | 566 critical reading; 565 math; 575 writing (total 1706) |
| Newspaper | The Crozier |
| Yearbook | Mitre |
| School fees | $900 |
| Tuition | $14,220 (2012-2013) |
| Alumni | More than 13,000 |
| Admissions Director | Tyler Kreitz |
| Athletic Director | Mike Bowler |
| Website | www.bishopodowd.org |
Bishop O'Dowd High School is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school in Oakland, California, administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland and named for the late auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, James T. O'Dowd (1907–1950). About 48% of students are non-Catholic. The school requires all students to attend school liturgies (Catholic Mass and prayer services), to enroll in religious studies courses each semester, and to complete its 4-year service learning program.
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History[edit]
Bishop O’Dowd High School is named in memory of the former Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Bishop James T. O’Dowd, who died at the age of 43 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Having just helped to establish Marin Catholic and Riordan high schools, Bishop O'Dowd was in the process of drawing up plans for a new Catholic high school in the East Bay at the time of his sudden death.
O’Dowd is a Catholic high school community of 1,130 students. Its students demonstrate excellent academic performance and achieve high test scores, engage in award-winning fine and performing arts, participate in competitive athletics, and experience growth through the comprehensive campus ministry program. The school has 125 faculty and staff members and more than 80 part-time coaches, teachers and moderators who advise, challenge, nurture, mentor, encourage and inspire.
O'Dowd student-athletes participate in 15 interscholastic sports on 57 teams, including rugby, water polo and lacrosse as well as traditional sports. In March 2010, the men’s varsity basketball team advanced to the Division III state championship game. In April 2010, the school’s speech and debate team won the state title in parliamentary debate. In March 2012, the women's basketball team won the Division lll state championship, and in March 2013 the women's basketball team won the Open division state championship and were ranked #1 in the State of California and #2 in the nation.
Ninety-nine percent of O’Dowd students attend college, with 95 percent admitted to four-year institutions. More than 13,000 graduates have been added to the ranks of alumni since the first class graduated in 1955, fulfilling roles of leadership and service in the Bay Area and worldwide.
O’Dowd’s college preparatory curriculum includes 15 Advanced Placement courses, 12 honors courses, and an enhanced range of services for students with different learning styles. A fully integrated arts and drama program, an environmental science program, and five languages are also offered. In addition, students participate in a 100-hour service learning program.
A wireless technology environment allows students and faculty access to the Internet and encourages student-centered learning. Through O’Dowd’s 1:1 laptop program, all students bring laptops to use in class instruction, research and presentation. The school offers online classes to support the school’s mission of preparing students for life after high school.
In June 2010, O’Dowd successfully completed a three-year, $9 million dollar comprehensive fundraising campaign and funds raised were split about evenly between capital development and program enhancement. Funds contributed to renovation of many elements of the classroom buildings — from floors to ceilings, interior and exterior, every classroom, lab and locker, from ventilation to technology infrastructure.
In April 2013 the school broke ground on a Center for Environmental Studies. This state-of-the-art teaching space, located in the school's 4.5-acre Living Lab, will feature two indoor science laboratory/classrooms, an outdoor classroom and dedicated space for planning, research and experimentation. New curriculum being developed includes courses in hydrology, biotechnology, weather and climate study and more. [2]
Notable alumni[edit]
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2010) |
- Ellen Corbett - California State Senator
- Sean Eberhardt - Senior Wrangler, Cambridge University, England [[1]]
- Dave Meniketti - Singer/Guitarist of Y&T
- Amaya Brecher - Cast member of The Real World: Hawaii season on MTV
- Eric Bjornson - NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys (1995–2000) and New England Patriots (2000)
- Greg Norton - Major League Baseball player (Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves)
- Ryan Drese - Major League Baseball player (Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Washington Nationals)
- Kevin Maas - Major League Baseball player (New York Yankees)
- Tarik Glenn - NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts (1997–2006)
- Michael A. Goorjian - Emmy-winning actor
- Burl Toler, III - NFCL player for the Washington Redskins
- Dianne Nicolini - Radio announcer [KDFC Radio] [[2]]
- Venus James - Professional soccer player
- Kirk Morrison - NFL player for the Jacksonville Jaguars former Oakland Raider
- Brian Shaw - Retired NBA player, now an Indiana Pacers coach
- Langston Walker - NFL player for the Oakland Raiders
- Aaron Nagel - Artist and trumpet player in Link 80
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin - Director/writer/actor and guitarist of Link 80
- Matt Malley - Bassist for Counting Crows
- Shawn Harris - Singer and Guitarist of The Matches and Maniac[disambiguation needed]
- Matt Whalen - Drummer of The Matches
- Tajai Massey- Rapper Souls of Mischief[citation needed]
- Tyson Ross- Major League Baseball player, San Diego Padres
- Joe Ross- Major League Baseball player, Fort Wayne TinCaps - San Diego Padres Class A Team
- The Grouch - Underground Rapper
- J. J. Jelincic - CalPERS Board Member (elected), former President of the California State Employees Association
Notable staff[edit]
- Gene Luen Yang (graphic novelist - Yang teaches computer science and manages the school database)[3]
- Thien Pham (graphic novelist- Pham is the fine and performing arts department chair and teaches computer art)[4]
- Official Bishop O'Dowd High School website
- University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam Results
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Bishop O'Dowd History,
- ^ Guthmann, Edward. "National Book Award finalist fills in the blanks with identity-driven graphic novel." San Francisco Chronicle. October 23, 2006. 1. Retrieved on September 8, 2011.
- ^ http://www.kqed.org/arts/visualarts/article.jsp?essid=114394
