O'Dowd in Brief 
News for O'Dowd alumni, parents, and friends

Finding God in All Things
May 2020
WILLIAM DU '13 USES TECH TO AID COVID-19 RESEARCH
William Du ’13, who is working as a Product Engineer at Primer AI, released a COVID Primer website that uses AI technology to help organize COVID-19 research for the scientific community. The website is designed to help scientists stay current through the constantly shifting research landscape. View the COVID-19 Primer site
ONE STRATEGY FOR ONLINE TEACHING DURING A NATIONAL CRISIS O'Dowd teacher Molleen Dupree-Dominguez shares her strategies for online teaching amid the crisis in an article just published by the Wabash Center. She discusses designing a balance between real-time and asynchronous learning to strengthen student learning and create a classroom community. Read more
STUDENTS BRING JOY AND ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF THE VULNERABLE AMID COVID-19
While the call to serve is threaded throughout O’Dowd’s culture, curriculum, and programs, students who have been unable to engage in direct service to others amid COVID-19 and Shelter-in-Place orders have found creative ways to contribute to the common good. Read more
DR. ALEXIS JACKSON '04 INSPIRES YOUTH IN MARINE SCIENCE
Alexis Jackson ’04 is working as the Fisheries Project Director, Oceans Program, at The Nature Conservancy to help improve sustainability for fisheries and balance conservation needs. Recently, she spoke at Union Baptist Church in Vallejo, inspiring black students interested in science. Read more
We know the last several months haven’t been easy. But we are comforted knowing that, at O’Dowd, our community has each other to lean on and care for. Between now and May 31, we’re asking everyone to come together because 8 Days a Week is just enough to show we care. Here’s how you can help: if you are able, make a gift and share how you care using the hashtag #ODowdCares.  We have received generous challenges from alumni, who are matching donations . Click here for more information!
TEACHER APPRECIATION FROM STUDENTS - VIDEO! More than ever, we have been heartened by the hard work of our teachers and students during this sudden shift to remote learning. For Teacher Appreciation Week, students created a video of gratitude that brought joy to all during this uncertain time. View the video
Remote and Connected - School News
ART! The 2019-2020 Art Show is Online and It's Spectacular The year in art at O'Dowd was impressive. View photography, ceramics, drawing, painting, urban and computer art. Thank you for sharing your gifts, O'Dowd students. View the 2020 Art Show
End of the Year Student-Athlete Celebration! View this event where we recognized our graduating seniors who will be going on to compete in college. Congrats class of 2020! Watch the virtual celebration
Celebrating the Class of 2020 We are celebrating seniors all month on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter as they share their college plans. We've created a dedicated page with all of our plans for celebrating the Class of 2020, including a gallery of pictures showing their college and future plans! See what's ahead for the Class of 2020
Students Make Waves on KQED This Spring O'Dowd's KQED Club participated in KQED's Youth Takeover. These unique student perspectives aired on KQED - on the meaning of home, racial identity, and the definition of family. Thank you, students Luci Hopkins-Nikl, Julia Little, and Cameron Hawkins, for expanding our perspectives. Read more
Dragons Become Eagles This spring, O’Dowd had three young men – Brandon Frith '20, Jack Rehberger '21, and Roman Rodriguez '20 – achieve Eagle Scout rank, the Boy Scout’s highest honor, reflecting years of commitment and service. Read more about their projects
Alumni News
Roger Hewitt ’65 is the Senior Scientist at NOAA fisheries lab on the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus in La Jolla, California. As a field biologist has led dozens of expeditions and surveys throughout the world over a career spanning 50 years. He remembers the 1960s as a time of rapid change as music moved from the Beach Boys to the Beatles to the Stones to Bob Dylan accompanied by equally rapid social upheaval. Rogers also remembers rolling his car on the backside of Stearns with classmates Mike Valim and his cousin Bob Commelli, “we all somehow escaped injury and thought it was a great adventure.”
Alison Bailey ’87 married Aaron Bolano on April 21, 2020. Alison's sister and fellow alumna Meghan Bailey Wallingford ’89 officiated the ceremony from a safe six feet away while family and friends were in attendance via Zoom.
Sienna Parker ’14 joins the ranks of businesspeople who have quickly moved their work to their homes. As Linkedin Customer Success Manager, she been helping her clients with the transition and continues to offer recruitment services to high-growth companies. She has been providing LinkedinLearning courses at no charge, offering increased services to jobseekers. And she offers the following tip to colleagues in the workplace: "...really listen… and see how we can help one another."
Announcements
Calling All Alumni - Congratulate the Class of 2020! Please help welcome the Class of 2020 to the O’Dowd alumni family by offering your words of congratulations and encouragement. Even though our seniors have experienced a final year unlike any other, they’ve set new personal and class records over their time at O’Dowd. Write advice or a funny or heartfelt note to the Class of 2020 here
Virtual O’Dowd Alumni Backgrounds Just because the campus is closed doesn’t mean you can’t be there, virtually. Check out these Alumni Zoom backgrounds we made just for Dragon alumni.   If you use any of them, please take a screenshot and tag us! IG: @odowdalumni FB: @odowdalums
Summer Academy Online Offerings This summer, many of our Summer Academy offerings have shifted to online courses and some have been canceled. That said, there are limited spots available in our online classes for High School and High School Prep offerings. Search Summer Academy Online Offerings