January 2019
O'Dowd Teaching Strategy Featured in Professional Journal

O'Dowd faculty members strive to create innovative teaching strategies that improve student engagement. Read about how Religion teacher Molleen Dupree-Dominguez created a lesson plan that is being featured in a professional journal geared for undergraduate teaching.

"The fact is, many students we serve at O’Dowd are operating at an undergraduate level. I think our teaching strategies could be appropriate for most undergrads throughout the country” she said.
Dragon Alumni Pride!

O’Dowd alumni are an extremely connected group. We constantly hear stories of alums bumping into each other in their professional circles, on airplanes, at their children’s soccer games ... as well as deeper relationships that remain strong and steady through the years. We want to continue to facilitate a well-connected Dragon community. 

Please join our social media challenge. We’ll be giving away some great prizes. First assignment – share the Alumni Challenge social media posting and tag O’Dowd to be entered in two raffle drawings! 
Stanford-bound Austin Jones '19 Secures Spot as O'Dowd's All-Time Leading Rusher

On his very first carry as an O’Dowd running back, Austin Jones ’19 broke loose for a 68-yard touchdown. It was the start of a prolific high school career for the four-year varsity football player.
Jones rewrote the O’Dowd record book during the 2018 football season, moving into the top spot in total rushing yards, carries and touchdowns, as well as total points scored – 558 points on 93 touchdowns. He finished his high school career with 6,902 yards on 940 carries (averaging 7.34 yards per carry) with 86 touchdowns.
Audition Jitters Give Way to Growth Opportunities for Drama Students

Stephanie Canesssa ’92 can almost still feel the jitters she had when auditioning for her first O’Dowd production, Amadeus . “The audition was in the Drama room, next to the baseball field,” she said. “I was very nervous as I had never auditioned before. I sang The Star Spangled Banner and prayed that my nerves would not get the best of me,” she said.
 
As auditions for the spring musical, Working , got underway earlier this month, we reached out to alumni who were active in performing arts and asked them to share memories of their experiences.

Annual Tree Planting Event Celebrates Anna Costa

One of the most moving annual Living Lab events took place in December - the Anna Costa Tree Planting , with nearly 100 people joining in and planting 30 trees.

Anna was a junior at O'Dowd when she died tragically in a car accident in 1989, during her senior year at O’Dowd. Every year since, "Anna's Tree Tribe" gathers in December to dig, plant and celebrate the wonders of the sacred space. 
Emerging Storyteller Tevin Tavares '12 Featured in Forbes Magazine

Tevin Tavares ‘12 returned to campus earlier this month to speak with students in Tony Green’s Black Nationalist Movements class about his work as a filmmaker. Hailed as the next Ryan Coogler (director of the film Black Panther ), Tevin recently talked about his successes and setbacks and discussed his commitment to tell impactful stories with Forbes magazine.
Campus News

  • O'Dowd to host 4th annual Bay Area Social Justice Teach-In on January 26 - Read more
  • Sarah Mockel '19 featured in The School of the New York Times publication - Read more
  • Boys water polo and girls volleyball and tennis teams win North Coast Section Scholastic Championship Team awards - Read more
  • Several Bishop O’Dowd High School student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent/committed to play sports in college in a ceremony held in Dominican Lounge on December 19 - Read more
Upcoming Events

  • Crab Feed - February 2, 2019, Get details
  • Alum Night at the Theater - Friday, May 10, 2019
  • Spring Play: The King and I - May 3-5 and 10-12, 2019
  • Grand Reunion: Party on the Quad - May 18, 2019, Get details
Alumni News & Notes

Alum of the Month

Whether in basketball or acting, Lance Holloway ’03 has never relied on others to advance his career. He’s been meticulous about doing his own research, cultivating professional relationships, and seizing opportunities that came his way. His determined nature led to a role in the critically acclaimed independent film Blindspotting .
Notes

  • Officer Louie Brandt '85 continued his Bikes for Tykes campaign during the holiday season, passing out hundreds of bikes to underprivileged kids - Read more
  • Founder and President of Positively Melanin, Chanelle Bell '10 was accepted into the Surge Fellowship and Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps and hosted the Obama Foundation Summit - Learn more
  • Ryan Walker-Hartshorn '13 and Gabriella Lewis '13 get a living room makeover for their Manhattan apartment by a stylist from Space Lift - Learn more
  • Did O'Dowd inspire you to pursue a career in the ever broadening field of sustainability? E-mail Director of Communications Lisa Coffey Mahoney '76 and share your story. It may be featured in the next issue of the Dragon magazine!