News for O'Dowd alumni, parents, and friends
Finding God in All Things
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MATCH ENDING - ACT NOW!
Your gift or multi-year pledge will be 100% matched. Join the Cor Unum Campaign today and give our Dragon sports, drama, music and community the home they deserve!
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O'DOWD TEACHER TO PUBLISH IMMIGRATION STORY
Thien Pham, who’s been teaching art at our school for almost 20 years, will be publishing his Young Adult graphic memoir in 2023. The book follows his experience as a child refugee who immigrated from Vietnam with his family. “This is my unique story,” he says, “but lots of elements are universal to all immigrants.” Learn more here!
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PROUD DRAGONS PROMOTED IN OAKLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT
Three O’Dowd alumni were recently promoted by the Oakland Fire Department. Both Damon Covington ’91 (left) and Matthew Nichelini ’95 (lower right) were promoted to Battalion Chief, which is the highest-ranking officer on duty. Felicia Wanzo Bryant ’94 (top right) was promoted to Assistant Fire Marshal. In addition, Damon Covington is also president of the Oakland Black Firefighters Association. We are grateful for their service!
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PURSUING JUSTICE
After graduating from Chapman University with her Masters in War and Society, Sarah Markowitz ’14 now serves as an associate for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau in Kansas City, which advocates for combating antisemitism and pursuing justice. Her work was recently featured in The Jewish Chronicle. “While it is imperative to teach about the consequences of hate in the past,” she says, “we must also recognize the forms of hatred that exist in the present.”
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STANDING FOR DIVERSITY
Our championship boys basketball coach, Lou Richie '89, went to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 tournament to stand up against the lack of diversity in the college and high school basketball coaching ranks. Check out the article from the SF Chronicle! Thank you, Coach Lou, for your inspiring activism!
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THE STEVE PHELPS MEMORIAL COURT: HONORING HIS LEGACY
In tribute to our much loved and dearly missed president, Dr. Steve Phelps, we are excited to announce that the new court at the O’Dowd Center will be named in his honor - The Steve Phelps Memorial Court. We know that Steve would be tremendously touched by the community generosity that brought this Center to life, and in naming the court for him, we will forever memorialize both his amazing vision, and his profound commitment to O'Dowd's bright future.
“Steve’s roots were in basketball,” remembers Kerwin Allen, a close family friend of Dr. Phelps, and the current Vice Chair of the O’Dowd Board of Regents. “He was an outstanding coach, because he knew that he was teaching young people about leadership and life. Through basketball, he showed kids how to care for each other, to be responsible citizens. And everyone who played under him, loved him.”
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“I can only imagine the joy that’s going to happen on that basketball floor,” anticipates Richard Longrus ’12. “As a coach, Dr. Phelps loved helping people, so it’s going to be beautiful to gather in the Steve Phelps Memorial Court and feel that he’s there. That will be special.”
Over his long and dedicated career, Dr. Phelps connected deeply with thousands of students and their families. “I can confidently say that he changed my family's trajectory,” Richard declares. “The best thing Dr. Phelps did was build a community to help young people succeed. He was my North Star, and I will be a Dragon for life!”
Join us in the memory of Dr. Steve Phelps, and establish the Steve Phelps Memorial Court with a gift to the Cor Unum Campaign.
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Our Mock Trial Team made it all the way to the Alameda County Finals! 🥳
They argued Defense in the case of People v. Croddy against Piedmont High School and lost by only 11 points, 761 to 772. Congratulations, Dragons, for your months of preparation and your terrific season!
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Check out the latest issue of The Muse, our student curated and designed literary and arts magazine. 🤩
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Three Dragons win Posse Scholarships! 🔥 Each year the Posse Foundation identifies students with exceptional academic and leadership potential from thousands of nominees. Harrison Jenkins ’21, Morgan Jenkins ’21 and Taj Phillips ’21 were each awarded a four-year, full-tuition, merit-based leadership scholarship!
Harrison will attend Lehigh University, Morgan will attend Boston University, and Taj will attend the University of Puget Sound.
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Four of our determined and accomplished student-athletes signed letters of intent with their respective universities last month! Go, Dragons! 🐉🐉
Chase Anderson ’21- Occidental College, Soccer ⚽️
Harrison Jenkins ’21- Lehigh University, Football 🏈
Taj Phillips ’21- University of Puget Sound, Basketball 🏀
Matthew Shaddle ’21- University of Southern Oregon, Football 🏈
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GRAND REUNION - MAY 1 2021! CELEBRATING CLASSES ENDING IN 0,1,5 AND 6 AND OUR GOLDEN ALUMNAE (GRADUATES OF 50+ YEARS)!
Come celebrate virtually with your old friends and favorite teachers at the Grand Reunion. MC’s Nicki DeMarais Shaw ’81 and Nicholas Williams ’90 will take us on a virtual tour of O’Dowd, President J.D. Childs will give a school update, and we’ll play a game of O’Dowd trivia with history teacher Brian Cushing ’84. Then we’ll enjoy private zoom rooms to catch up with classmates, and chat with current O’Dowd students and teachers. We hope to see you there! Register now!
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RHONDA JACKSON MORRIS ’83 VP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Chevron, was recognized by the National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Most Influential African American Leaders in Business. Rhonda is also the proud parent of Erica ’21, and serves on the O'Dowd Board of Regents.
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ALEX BRETOW ’10 made history with the release of his film The Night, the first U.S. produced film to be released in Iranian theaters in 40 years. The movie is a psychological thriller about an Iranian couple trapped for a night, with their dark secrets, in LA’s eerie Hotel Normandie. Read more!
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TEVIN TAVARES ’12 made his directorial debut with the Amazon prime documentary series Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers. The series, featuring Bronny James and Zaire Wade (the sons of LaBron James and Dwayne Wade), reached seven million views in its first four days, and takes viewers behind the scenes of Sierra Canyon High School’s basketball state champions. Read more!
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GET YOUR NAME ON THE COURT!
With gifts or pledges of $10,000 and above ($2,500 for graduates of the last 15 years), individuals or families will have their names commemorated on the gymnasium floor of the new O'Dowd Center, including the center circle, three-point line, and sidelines. To learn more and make a pledge, contact Tracey Broadhead Frith ’85 at (510) 553-8625 or tbroadheadfrith@bishopodowd.org.
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