Bishop O'Dowd High School
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| Bishop O'Dowd High School | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Motto | Cor Unum in Christo (One heart in Christ) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1951 |
| President | Stephen Phelps, Ed.D. |
| Principal | Joseph Salamack, M.A., M.S. |
| Asst. Principal | Pam Shay; Brian Judd; Kevin Cushing |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,120 (2010-2011) |
| Average class size | 24 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 15:1 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Black and Gold |
| Athletics | 16 interscholastic sports, with 57 teams, including rugby, water polo and lacrosse as well as the traditional sports |
| Athletics conference | HAAL - Hayward Area Athletic League |
| Mascot | Dragon |
| Team name | Dragons |
| Accreditation(s) | Western Association of Schools and Colleges[1] |
| Average SAT scores | 603 verbal 643 math (2006) |
| Newspaper | The Crozier |
| Yearbook | Mitre |
| School fees | $900 |
| Tuition | $13,840 (2010-2011) [1] |
| 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 44% 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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[edit] History
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 of an automobile accident at the age of 43. At the time of O'Dowd's sudden death, having just helped to establish Marin Catholic and Riordan high schools, he was in the process of drawing up plans for a new Catholic high school in the East Bay.
O’Dowd is a Catholic high school community of 1,120 students. Its students show good academic performance and high test scores, engage in award-winning fine and performing arts, strong athletics, and campus ministry offered to the student body. The school has a faculty and staff of 120, as well as over 75 coaches and moderators.
More than 700 athletes participate in 16 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.
Ninety-five percent of O’Dowd graduates are accepted to four-year colleges and universities in California and nationwide. Each year, nearly 60 percent of the senior class is admitted to the UC System, placing O’Dowd in the top five percent of all public, Catholic and independent high schools in Northern California. More than 12,000 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 Advanced Placement courses in 17 subjects, and an enhanced range of services to accommodate college preparatory students with learning differences. The curriculum includes honors courses in mathematics, language, English, social studies and science, and computer programming and multimedia design. 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 receive laptops and use them in class. 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.
Currently the school is working build a LEED-certified Environmental Science Center and further expand its environmental science curriculum, including environmental engineering. In addition, the school is now offering only compostable plates and utensils at its sports events to promote awareness about environmental protection. [2]
[edit] Demographics
43 percent European American, 20 percent African American, 12 percent Asian American/Pacific Islander, 14 percent Latino American, 1 percent Middle Eastern, 1 percent Native American, 9 percent other (mostly mixed race).
[edit] Athletics
More than 700 athletes participate in 16 interscholastic sports on 57 teams..
[edit] Notable alumni
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This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2010) |
- 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)
- Garry Hill-Thomas - NBA scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tarik Glenn - NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts (1997–2006)
- Michael A. Goorjian - Emmy-winning actor
- Burl Toler, III - NFL player for the Washington Redskins
- Kirk Morrison - NFL player for the Jacksonville Jaguars former Oakland Raider
- Brian Shaw - Retired NBA player, now a Indiana Pacers coach
- Langston Walker - NFL player for the Oakland Raiders
- Aaron Nagel - Trumpet player in Link 80
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin - Guitarist of Link 80
- Matt Malley - Bassist for Counting Crows
- Shawn Harris - Singer and Guitarist of The Matches
- Tajai Massey- Rapper Souls of Mischief[citation needed]
- Tyson Ross- Major League Baseball player, Oakland Athletics
- The Grouch - Underground Rapper
- J. J. Jelincic - CalPERS Board Member (elected), former President of the California State Employees Association
- Ian McArdle - Jazz Pianist
- Bobby Brackins - Rapper
- Joe Ross - Major League Baseball player, San Diego Padres
[edit] Notable staff
- Gene Luen Yang (comic book artist - Yang teaches computer science and manages the school database)[3]
[edit] References
- Official Bishop O'Dowd High School website
- University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam Results
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm. 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.
