Summer 2017

Dialogue & Inquiry,page 2

Knauss Matching Gift, page 22

Remembering Longtime Faculty Members, page 38

The Bishop O’Dowd High School MagazineFinding God in All Things

Board ofREGENTS

Table ofCONTENTS

CharismFinding God in all things calls us to: Community in Diversity Strength of Character Academic Excellence Kinship with Creation Social Justice Joy 02 Dialogue & Inquiry

18 Events

20 Tony Green Celebrates 30 Years at O’Dowd

22 Knauss Matching Gift

24 Burke Family Library Undergoes Renovation

26 Alumni News

32 7 Things … About Carlos Trujillo

34 Athletics News

38 Remembering Richard “Rockit” Roza

39 Remembering Dona McCabe

40 In Memoriam

41 Transforming Lives

Cover photo by Briana Loewinsohn.

Stephen Phelps, EdD President

James Childs, MA, MEd Principal

Susan Andres Director of Marketing

Romeo Baldeviso, MS Chief Information Officer

Rebecca Bischoff Chief Development Officer

Christine Garavaglia, CPA Chief Financial Officer

Michelle Hawkins Director of Development

Brian Judd, MS Associate Principal

Briana Loewinsohn Graphic Designer

Cathy McFann Director of Annual Giving and Special Events

Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76 Director of Communications

LizaDawn Ramirez, MA, CFRE Director of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy

Colette Roche, EdD Associate Principal

Jase Turner, MA Associate Principal

Kim Walsh Chairperson

Kevin Kelly Vice Chairperson

Kerwin AllenTracey BorstKevin ColdironShana DaumJeannette DeLaGarzaFr. Leo EdgerlyJohn Heagerty ’60 Glen HentgesKevin Hester ’88 Christopher JohnsonEllie KnaussKevin LeaderFr. Jay MatthewsAlan McIntoshGlenele OberrichMary O’ConnellMichael RobartsLeslie Sims Robertson ’81 Roderick Roche ’81 Judith Blout Sanchez ’60 Shonda ScottJames Wolfe

We welcome your comments, questions, or suggestions!Please contact Dragon editor, Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76, at 510.577.9100, ext. 302, or lmahoney@bishopodowd.org.

Write us! We welcome your letters in response to articles in this magazine. Please e-mail submissions to Dragon editor Lisa Coffey Mahoney at lmahoney@bishopodowd.org or send a letter to:

Dragon Magazine 9500 Stearns Ave. Oakland, CA 94605

We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space.

Are you interested in being a featured contributor? Please contact Lisa Coffey Ma-honey. We reserve the right to make decisions on whether or not to publish submit-ted contributions based on theme of the issue, available space and the nature of the story.

From thePRESIDENT

This issue of the Dragon immerses us in O’Dowd’s cultural focus on “dialogue and inquiry” as a powerful means of cultivating one of our core values, Community in Diversity, The stories in the theme section highlight the various ways O’Dowd’s authentic diversity and our culture of dialogue and inquiry merge in a unique, pur-poseful way to support this core value.

Healing Our Deeply Divided World

Community in Diversity is articulated in our Charism because it has been a core value dating from O’Dowd’s founding in 1951 as one of the first two coed Catholic high schools in the Northern California. In 66 years serving the Bay Area, our embrace of diversity has expanded beyond ethnicities and gender to the full measures of humanity called for by our Catholic roots and Pope Francis.

Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan and his love for men and women who held different values and pos-sessed different skills were affirmations of our human nature that he shared with us. We believe that genuine dialogue, inquiry and prayer, which Jesus modeled, can begin to heal our deeply divided world.

The Benefits of True Pluralism

Tom Friedman, writing about the world’s dizzying and accelerating rate of change in Thank You for Being Late, bases much of his latest best-selling book on what we mean by Community in Diversity. He says, “As for embracing diversity, it is more vital than ever today for creating resilience in a changing environment.” He goes on to say that “Being able to embrace and nurture this kind of true pluralism is a huge asset for a society in the age of accelerations—and a huge liability if you cannot.” In other words, dialogue and inquiry are criti-cal in building a successful and innovative civilization.

A growing body of social science research has verified a more nuanced benefit of creation’s diversity. A building design team made up only of structural engineers, or a marketing team of only white male business leaders, would likely have better outcomes with diverse team members sharing varying points of view through dia-logue and inquiry. The success of these human systems requires effective leadership and powerful communi-cation skills among team members. O’Dowd focuses heavily on the values and skills our students need to thrive in our fast-changing and connected world.

Thank You for Your Support

The increasing demand for an O’Dowd education that forces us to sadly turn away hundreds of qualified and deserving students, is evidence that students and parents value that focus. Thank you for the care you show for our more than 1,200 students and our faculty and staff through your growing personal and finan-cial support. We invite you to participate in our many alumni and community-building events during the 2017-18 school year, and to learn about the ways O’Dowd develops strong leaders who create positive change in their communities and the world.

Sincerely,

Stephen Phelps, EdD

&Dialogue Inquiry

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From its inception, Bishop O’Dowd High School has been committed to providing fertile ground for learning. Our campus is a place where dialogue and intellectual inquiry is encouraged in support of our Charism values. In this issue, we are focusing on Community in Diversity.

The intention is to nurture our students’ ability to appreciate multiple perspectives, promote civil discourse and challenge the danger of a single narrative. This helps bring our students into the full measure of their humanity as called on by Catholic teachings.

Our school leaders embrace opportunities to facilitate enriching discussions, both inside and outside of the classroom. Legitimate divergence of opinion is part of the diversity that we embrace as a Catholic college preparatory school community, and we take seriously our responsibility to advance the conversation and find meaningful ways to contribute to the betterment of our world, country, city, school and family.

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&By Michael DownsRetreat Coordinator and Religious Studies Teacher“When leaders in various fields ask me for ad-vice, my response is always the same: dialogue, dialogue, dialogue. It is the only way for individ-uals, families and societies to grow, the only way for the life of peoples to progress, along with the culture of encounter, a culture in which all have something good to give and all can receive something good in return. Others always have something to give me, if we know how to ap-proach them in a spirit of openness and without prejudice. I call this attitude of openness and availability without prejudice, social humility, and it is this that favours dialogue. Only in this way can understanding grow between cultures and religions, mutual esteem without needless preconceptions, respectful of the rights of every-one. Today, either we stand together with the culture of dialogue and encounter, or we all lose, we all lose; from here we can take the right road that makes the journey fruitful and secure.”Pope Francis, 2013, BrazilMichael Downs. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.&Dialogue Inquiry

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&On my first day of teaching theology at Bishop O’Dowd High School last August, I asked my stu-dents to write me a letter describing what they loved about their school. The most common answer, by far, was diversity. As I looked up-and-down between their letters and their faces, I was amazed by the range of unique qualities present in a typical O’Dowd classroom: different origin stories, neighborhoods, religions, races, sexual orientations, talents and inter-ests, to name a few.

Not only was the presence of multiple perspectives their lived reality, it was the aspect of the school for which they were most grateful.

Since then, I have seen this Community in Diversity nurture what Pope Francis calls “a culture of dialogue and encounter” through many concrete examples: heated but civil in-class debates about ethics and politics, a student-led Dragon Talks assembly about racial justice, schoolwide curriculum on sexism and rape culture, interactive faculty trainings about equi-ty and inclusion, heart-breaking spoken word pieces at the Black History Month Assembly, a prayer ser-vice at a detention center for immigrants, a colorful and compelling Multicultural Assembly.

In my role as retreat coordinator, I have had the privilege of inheriting a robust training program which develops our diverse leaders into small-group facilitators and speakers. Students learn to ask with curiosity, listen with compassion, and speak with conviction.

As a result, on any of the six retreats offered each year, scores of students have experienced O’Dowd’s Community in Diversity at its best: reflecting on their relationships with themselves, others, and God in safe and inclusive small groups.

Many of these transformative conversations on retreat are enhanced by the stories shared by student speakers. Humbled by their willingness to reflect and reveal, I have actually pulled several speakers aside to ask before their presentation, “Are you sure you feel comfortable sharing so much of your expe-

rience (for example, as an immigrant, a member of the LGBTQ community, a minority, a non-Christian, etc.)?” And each time the speaker has assured me of their comfort in sharing his or her story because, “Mr. Downs, this is O’Dowd.” Such conviction is indicative both of their courage to express their true selves, and their lived experience of the respect and honor that characterize Bishop O’Dowd High School.

Our students live at a time when many possibilities for connection with the “other” are possible, and yet so too are homogenous echo chambers, silos of similarity which keep the “other” at a distance and perpetuate polarization.

In my experience as a first-year teacher here, O’Dowd pushes back against the dangers of a single narrative by encouraging and celebrating interaction between people of different backgrounds. May we continue to “stand together with the culture of dialogue and encounter,” and also stand up for those whose voices are still left unheard.

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&Aidan Williams ’17 and Isabel Hallock ’17. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.&Dialogue

Inquiry

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&When planning this issue of the Dragon, “Dialogue and Inquiry,” we felt we would be remiss in not including student voices. How did they feel about the way that O’Dowd supports dialogue and inquiry? So we invited faculty members to recommend thoughtful students who could speak to their experience as members of O’Dowd’s Community in Diversity.It is important to note that these articles were developed following the impact on the O’Dowd community and academic institutions across the country of divisive political events, creating and deepening divides. Seniors Isabel Hallock and Aidan Williams, who come from different places on the political spectrum, provided honest reflections. They illuminate that O’Dowd truly is a microcosm of the world as well as how they are putting their critical thinking skills cultivated at O’Dowd to good use. They also demonstrate how our school community members, like citizens of our nation, have varying points of view about how best to build an inclusive community and engage in honest dialogue and inquiry. We consider this to be one of O’Dowd’s most positive strengths.As Pope Francis so eloquently stated in a recent TED Talk “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’ We all need each other.” Excerpts from the articulate essays written by Isabel and Aidan are on the following pages. Summer Magazine 2017 // 7

&&Dialogue InquiryBy Isabel Hallock ’17 In November of 2016, our presidential election results came out. There were mixed feelings across the nation about the outcome of the presidency, and everyone held opposing opinions. As I got to campus it seemed that the O’Dowd com-munity was in a state of shock, and the intensity of the campus’s energy was heightened. On that morn-ing in November, my first period class was African American History, a class that teaches the important history of resistance and resilience through oppres-sion and turmoil. That day, we talked about how America has been shaped through protest, and that Malcolm X coined the phrase, “The future belongs to those who take it.”Ironically, the same morning some of us checked our phones and got the notification that our students like other college and high school students throughout the country would be holding a walkout on the cam-pus Quad in order to provide a platform for students to have their voices heard about their concerns around the new president. When most of the student body walked out onto the Quad, all of my classmates and I turned to Mr. Green for advice and asked him how he felt about the walkout, and if we should participate. He explained that as long as a movement has a set purpose with goals and objectives, and a cause that holds a truth that we believe in that we should do what we feel is right.When our community came together that day we felt empowered, and we were capable of doing great things. Even if some felt that the president was not an adequate candidate to lead them, how we engaged with one another that day in November - grounded, peaceful, and compassionate - had changed attitudes, and set the course for our next four years of this presidency. 8 // Dragon

&By Aidan Williams ’17 When I first was made aware in government class about the opportunity to write an essay about how O’Dowd nurtures a student’s ability to share per-spectives, I knew immediately that I had something to say. I understand the social concerns raised at O’Dowd as I identify as a moderate liberal, but I have concerns about the future of liberalism. I looked at this question through the lens of my experience at O’Dowd and my understanding of the conservative/liberal experience in our country.My experience at a school with a liberal political environment has been slightly exasperating, as I often don’t feel comfortable sharing my point of view. I feel that that the opportunity to engage in dialogue is frequently missed. I am concerned that moderate students who are concerned with the direc-tion liberalism is heading or conservative students whose views deviate from liberal policies do not have opportunity to be fully heard. These students might feel apprehensive about voicing contrary positions with the risk that they might alienate friends and even teachers.It is very evident that our country is currently bit-terly divided, but what is not understood is how we mend the fissures between us. Friendships have been wrecked, relationships ceased, and families ruptured over politics. It is easier than we think to find some-thing we agree on, once we appreciate that we’re are all human. My experience at O’Dowd as a moderate student has challenged me, but my personal experience and my education has also given me a gift of questioning the common narrative. I commend the school for giving me a platform to share my perspective. Our school and the country has work ahead to mend our divide, with our yearning to improve, we can achieve a dis-tinct and accepting culture.Summer Magazine 2017 // 9

&By Beth MuellerCampus Minister and Religious Studies Teacher“The difficulties of these new times demand a new vision and a renewed courage to transform our society and achieve justice for all. We must fight for the dual goals of racial and economic justice with determination and creativity. There must be no turning back along the road of jus-tice, not sighing for bygone times of privilege, no nostalgia for simple solutions from another age. For we are the children of the age to come, when the first shall be last and the last shall be first, when blessed are they who serve Christ the Lord in all His brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor and suffer injustice.”“Brothers and Sisters to Us,” U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1979.Beth Mueller. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.&Dialogue Inquiry10 // Dragon

&Though this pastoral letter about racial injustice from the U.S. Catholic Bishops was written over 30 years ago, its message still rings true for all of us to-day. Unfortunately, our local and global communities are plagued with the sins of structural injustice. It is at Bishop O’Dowd High School where I find hope to live out the call to serve Christ through the work of dismantling unjust systems. As a Catholic insti-tution, O’Dowd not only preaches the philosophy of this pastoral letter, but also lives it through both our educational and our co-curricular programs. In the classroom, O’Dowd educators guide students to appreciate multiple perspectives, promote civil discourse and challenge the danger of a single narra-tive. Through our robust service learning program, O’Dowd students incrementally immerse themselves in the lives of those who are most vulnerable. By junior and senior year, students’ formation thus far has prepared them to listen - all to better understand the lives of those who are marginalized and work for justice with and on behalf of them.Personal encounter with social injustice and knowing a hope that lies beyond the issues at hand sparks in the O’Dowd student a desire to work for change. Off-campus opportunities like the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., provides students an opportunity to learn about and imple-ment political advocacy that engages our elected officials in upholding the dignity of the human per-son, particularly those most vulnerable. Just this past January, O’Dowd co-hosted the Bay Area Social Jus-tice Teach-In with St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, where 12 or so Bay Area schools came together to learn about social justice from experts and professionals.I am blessed to have seen first-hand the fruits of O’Dowd’s work, both every single day in the class-room and at events such as the advocacy trainings and meetings that we have arranged for the students. The students themselves, though, energize me with their own work for justice. For instance, Nic Riani ’17 continues to contact his Congress people and volunteer in the local community – well beyond any O’Dowd requirement. He reflects, “Through involvement in courses like ‘Peace & Justice’ and ‘Justice in Action’ and events like the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, I have been able to learn about many social injustices and have been taught pathways to act, such as lobbying my representatives in both Washington, D.C., and Sacramento.” Whitney Ibarra ’17 further notes, “O’Dowd’s focus on social justice opened my eyes to the problem of unfairness through the education system and how some kids have go through inadequate school systems just because of their socioeconomic back-ground. I hope to continue facilitating change by working with lower income kids of all ages in differ-ent school districts and try to start making a differ-ence there.” Nothing stops our students from dreaming, creating, and doing - all thanks to the very essence of what O’Dowd is and what it provides.Thankfully, as a religiously, racially, and socioeco-nomically pluralistic community, the make-up of O’Dowd organically fosters the space for all of us (including faculty and staff) to grow and flourish. Our diversity enlivens our campus community. Most importantly, our diversity coupled with the Christian vision of building the Kingdom of God brings us to-gether for positive change-making. In this imperfect, yet significant and beautiful space, we as an O’Dowd community work to creatively tackle social injustices of our current day, just as the U.S. Bishops called for all those years ago.Summer Magazine 2017 // 11

&Earl JOHson ’61. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.&Dialogue Inquiry

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&O’Dowd a Safe Haven for EARL JOHson ’61 As Earl JOHson ’61 entered Bishop O’Dowd High School in September of 1957, fully embraced by his fellow freshmen classmates and faculty members, a quite alarming, frightening, nationally challeng-ing and different scenario was playing out at a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. There, nine African American students were con-fronted by a hostile crowd as they attempted to attend Central High School, a historically all-white public institution. Despite the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional, the Governor of Arkansas called in the state National Guard to bar the black students’ entry to the school. Several weeks later, President Dwight Eisenhower directed federal troops to escort the students – the “Little Rock Nine” – into the school so they could begin classes. “In September 1957, as a 14-year-old kid, I was completely welcomed at O’Dowd with open arms by the faculty and my freshmen classmates that would become the graduating Class of 1961,” JOHson said of his safe haven. “People couldn’t have been more hospitable. It was an in-credible experience.” JOHson wasn’t immune to the grip of racism, though. As a youngster growing up in New Orleans, JOHson knew, by the age of nine, that when using public transportation he was required to “sit behind the screen” – though he didn’t fully understand why.

In later years, when taking African American History classes at Oakland Junior College, he acquired a full-er understanding of the institution of slavery in the United States and the implementation of “Jim Crow Laws” that followed the Civil War. He was also able to trace his paternal roots to the “JOHNSON” planta-tion in St. James Parish, Louisiana, the birth place of both his father and grandfather. And on January 1, 1963, the last name of JOHson was officially adopted in lieu of the slave name of Johnson.

God’s Grace in His LifeJOHson attended McClymonds High School for two years before transferring to O’Dowd – after a pair of Sisters of the Holy Family nuns who taught cate-chism classes at his parish church, where JOHson also served as an altar boy, advocated for admission on his behalf.

His father died in January 1957, and his mother lacked the financial resources to finance a private

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&&Dialogue Inquiryschool education, but O’Dowd school administrators provided financial assistance that completely cov-ered the annual $150 tuition fee for all four years. At O’Dowd, JOHson repeated the 9th and 10th grades and was still lagging behind academically. “My parents did not have the advantage of education, so consequently they could not lend much to my educational experience,” he said. Sensing he needed encouragement, O’Dowd faculty members, including Father Brainard, Father Keane and Father Keeley, mentored JOHson – though somewhat sternly at times. JOHson clearly remembers talking with Father Brainard after completing the final exam in his reli-gion class at the end of his first year at O’Dowd.“He came up to me and said, ‘I guess you just don’t care.’ I knew exactly what he meant. I had not really applied myself and consequently didn’t do well on the exam,” JOHson said.“That conversation impacted me. I really did care. I loved going to school at O’Dowd and Father Brain-ard made me realize that I needed to work hard to succeed.”“Also, on a regular basis, Fr. John Cummins (now Bishop Emeritus Cummins), Fr. Keeley and Mr. Roza would show up after basketball practice for a couple of 3-on-3 scrimmage games. None of these guys were gifted basketball players but each played with such a high degree of intensity, energy, enthusiasm and ‘heart,’ that said games were always extremely com-petitive, and a most significant effort was required to defeat these faculty members. Conversely, I was not a gifted student in the classroom but I soon realized

that if I wanted to walk away knowing that I had done my best, then I had to bring my own level of high intensity and energy to my studies in the classroom,” JOHson said.

The following year, JOHson had his sea legs. “By that time I knew the ropes and applied myself,” he said. “Father Keane acknowledged my progress publically in the classroom. He said I went from the worst to the top of the class,” JOHson recalled.

“The message I got over and over again was that the faculty wanted me to do well. They had my best in-terest at heart – and they weren’t going to cut me any slack, either. To me, this was evidence of my experi-ence of being a recipient of God’s grace in my life.”

JOHson says the love and support of his O’Dowd classmates was another example of God’s grace. De-spite the country’s tumultuous racial landscape, his fellow students never made JOHson feel unwelcome. “They were open and accepting, and I believe that reflects the type of homes they came from,” he said.

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&“The other students probably weren’t aware of the impact they had on me, but I will always be thankful for their love and support.” Creating Safe Spaces for OthersJOHson went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in business from U.C. Berkeley, and a lifetime elementary teaching creden-tial.His professional career included working as a ma-chinist at Owens-Illinois Glass Company, teaching fifth and sixth grade at Lockwood Elementary School in the Oakland Unified School District, and working for 25 years at Pacific Bell (now AT&T), where he retired as a first level supervising manager in the Information Technology Department.He was inducted into the O’Dowd Hall of Fame, Class of 2000, Humanitarian category. In 2003, JOHson was ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Oakland and currently serves at St. Louis Bertrand parish.He is active in prison ministry, at Oakland’s Glenn Dyer Jail, and, as of this writing, has been a leader for 27 years in the Kairos ministry starting in 1990 at Vacaville, San Quentin and Folsom prisons. “It’s very rewarding,” he said of the work. JOHson continues to be involved at O’Dowd, in an effort to repay the kindness shown him as a teenager when he was struggling to find his place.He was instrumental in the creation of the Class of 1961 Father Ernest Brainard Scholarship Fund. One of the major aims of this fund is to support African American males who are involved in their parishes and have demonstrated financial need. “He changed my world,” JOHson said of Father Brainard. JOHson says that in spite of all the challenges life continues to present, things have NEVER been better. That’s why he considers “Joy to the World” his theme song and his motto is “dominus vobiscum (the Lord be with you).”JOHson’s graduation portrait from 1961 yearbook.

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&&Dialogue Inquiry

As a freshman, Marnae Glover ’18 struggled when writing essays. She lacked confidence in her ability to provide relevant responses to writing prompts and had difficulty meeting rubric requirements.

“Generally my papers were ‘C’ worthy,” she said. “To-day, they are up to par.”

What changed? Marnae connected with O’Dowd’s Academic Support Program and regularly attends af-ter school tutoring sessions, meeting with both with adult academic coaches and peer tutors who have encouraged her in becoming an independent learner.

“Now I can do things like start essays by myself, find resources, and create Works Cited pages – in alpha-betical order,” she said.

Building an inclusive learning community – one in which students with a range of learning styles and abilities can flourish - takes lots of time and effort.

Since its launch in 2008, the Academic Support Pro-gram has expanded its reach - both in the breadth of offerings and the number of students served.

Services such as Drop-In Tutoring, subject-specif-ic SMART Sessions, Support for Student Athletes, Dragon Success academic coaching for freshmen and sophomores, Peer Tutoring, Study Hall Adviso-ry, Catch-Up Support and Concussion Management provide a layered system of resources and support, each carefully designed and personalized to address academic support needs encountered by students during their high school years.

“The goal is to provide a safe place for students to explore their intel-lectual and academic growth and encourage them to develop strate-gies to be successful,” Director of Counseling Fran Warmerdam said.

Supporting Intellectual and ACADEMIC GROWTH

Student talks with counselor Marc Dominguez. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.

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&Ultimately, the program goal is to cultivate inde-pendent learners, Director of Academic Support Catherine Harris said. “Part of the students’ growth is learning what works for them and owning their own learning style,” she said.

This effort begins before a freshman student official-ly sets foot on campus, with a summer meeting with his/her counselor.

“This is an opportunity for the counselors to talk with students about their learning styles, and what they do when they hit roadblocks,” Warmerdam said. “We want to make sure they understand that there is nothing wrong with going to your teacher or taking advantage of tutoring.”

The program scaffolds from there, with the variety of offerings geared for different grade levels.

Michael Thaete ’18 participates in the CORE pro-gram, which supports students throughout their four years at O’Dowd. CORE students are identified during the admissions process and provided layered support to help their transition into high school. As a result, they develop successful habits, advocate as needed and find themselves ready for college.

Students in the program receive a powerful regimen of supports: targeted summer work before starting at O’Dowd, a designated counselor, weekly small group study skills sessions and weekly check ins, as well as a modified schedule to continue building on founda-tional skills in Math and English.

Michael has also taken advantage of subject-specific SMART sessions and before and after school tutor-ing.

“Tutors are always there with a smile on their face, ready to help you. They want to see you get to the next level,” he said. “I don’t know where I’d be right now without their support.”

Michael has evolved into a confident student and is certain that the study skills he’s developed at O’Dowd will positively impact his ability to succeed in college.

Harris says the goal is to normalize asking for help – no matter your academic ability. “The Academic Support Center isn’t just for students who are strug-gling or getting bad grades,” she said. “Strong stu-dents can have questions, too. For example, they may want someone to look over their essay to make sure they’ve properly answered the prompt.”

Even though he got good grades at his public middle school, Nassir Ward ’17 found himself unprepared for the rigorous O’Dowd curriculum. He eventually sought tutoring in the Academic Support Center, and received subject-specific help tailored for his needs as well as coaching on time management.

Today, Nassir’s course load includes classes such as Engineering Physics and Probability and Stats, which require a high degree of critical thinking. “The Academic Support Program gave me the confidence to take on harder classes,” he said.

“The tutors encouraged me to think outside of the box and figure out ways to handle different situations – whether it’s an assignment, essay or project.”

And, over time, Nassir gained a philosophical ap-proach to academics. “Success takes time. You are going to fall a couple of times before you get up and cross the finish line,” he said.

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O’DOWD News

Black History Month Assembly The path from protest to power was illustrated with stirring song, spoken word and dance performances at the Black History Month Assembly, themed “The Cypher – The Art of Protest Home, Harlem & Here,” held in the large gymnasium on February 23.

Sponsored and organized by the Black Student Union (BSU), with guidance from the group’s moderator and faculty member Tony Green and Assistant Director of Student Activities Marguerite Green, this was the school’s 31st annual celebration of Black History Month.

The assembly’s featured play, written by Tony Green and BSU members, interspersed scenes from a class-room discussion about the importance of protest with vignettes of historical protests.

Read more about the event on our website at www.bishopodowd.org/the-cypher-the-art-of-protest-home-harlem-here

Founders Day Celebrated Bishop James T. O’Dowd had a vision that Catholic schools would be places where students and teachers would come together to learn, serve and grow, and he worked tirelessly as Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco to establish schools where this vision could be carried out.

Bishop O’Dowd High School was the last school Bishop O’Dowd founded before he died tragically in a car accident in 1950. He was only 42 years old.

Today, O’Dowd students, faculty and staff are the torchbearers for our founder’s vision, expressed so fully in his personal motto “Cor Unum in Christo,” which is Latin for “One Heart in Christ,” that was adopted as the school’s motto.

The school community gathered in the gymnasium on February 2 to celebrate Bishop O’Dowd and Cath-olic Schools Week with prayer, reflection, song and fun. Students played O’Dowd Jeopardy, with catego-ries that included history, teacher quotes, sports and miscellaneous.

Read more about the event on our website at www.bishopodowd.org/founders-day-celebrated

Yasmine Patton ’17 sings the Negro National Anthem. Photo by Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76.

Bishop O’Dowd.

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O’DOWD News

2017 Crab and Pasta Feed More than 500 people attended the Crab & Pasta Feed, held on February 4, coming together to have fun and support all student clubs, athletics and pro-grams. A record-breaking $100,000 was raised.

A heartfelt thank you to this year’s co-chairs, Regene Polk Ross and Don Keeley ’68, who together with the entire Crab Feed Committee all worked tirelessly to ensure a fun, successful event. Thank you also to the more than 100 dedicated volunteers without whose support the Crab Feed wouldn’t have happened.

Read more about the event on our website at www.bishopodowd.org/sell-crowd-enjoys-crab-pastafeed

Lisa Brue Davis ’85 and Sydney Davis.Photo by Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76.

Memorial Tree Planting Nearly 100 people gathered in the Living Lab on De-cember 4, 2016, to remember two cherished alumni, Anna Costa ’90 and Greg Schmidt ’65, at the annual Anna Costa Memorial Tree Planting event.

Held every year on the first Sunday in December, the event is held in honor of Costa, who died in a car accident on a rainy morning in 1989 on her way to O’Dowd.

This year, for the first time, the event expanded to include a memorial for Greg Schmidt, ’65. A close friend of the Costa family, Schmidt died on August 24, 2016. He had been a regular participant in the tree planting event.

Read more about the event on our website at www.bishopodowd.org/annas-tree-planting

Alums remembered at the tree planting event.Photo by Tom Tyler.

Summer Magazine 2017 // 19

O’DOWD News

Tony Green. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.

TONY GREEN Celebrates 30 Years at O’Dowd

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O’DOWD NewsDuring his 30-year career as a social studies teacher, coach and Black Student Union (BSU) moderator, Bishop O’Dowd High School’s Tony Green has im-pacted thousands of students.

Green was honored for his work at a faculty meeting held on March 15, with his wife, Assistant Director of Student Activities Marguerite Green, speaking on his behalf.

“For 30 years, whether it was in Room 213, on the football field, or on the track, Tony has made a differ-ence in the lives of students,” she said. It’s estimated that Green has taught and/or coached 9,000 since he’s been at O’Dowd.

During his tenure, Green developed and taught sev-eral new classes – including African American Histo-ry, Black Nationalist Movement – as well as Geo-His-tory, U.S. History and Government. He also started the BSU, which plans and presents the annual Black History Month Assembly, and serves as moderator of Brothers Making a Change (BMAC), a mentorship program that seeks to set a positive foundation for college.

On the field, Green has served as head coach for track and cross country, junior varsity football coach, and assistant women’s basketball coach.

From 1986-2007, the women’s track team went un-defeated under Green, and one of his teams won a national championship. He’s been named National Coach of the Year, State Coach of the Year, Section Coach of the Year and League Coach of the Year.

Recently, Adam Herndon ’92 returned to campus as a guest speaker in Green’s African American History class.

One of Green’s former students, Herndon admitted that he didn’t take his studies seriously and Green wasn’t having it. “Mr. Green had the nerve to call my mother!” Herndon said. “He told her I was under-achieving and not working as hard as I could.”

That phone call, though it infuriated Herndon at the time, served as a wake-up call. “He believed in me,

and tried to push me to achieve more,” he said. Today Herndon is an award-winning insurance agent and author.

It’s not surprising that Green went into teaching, as he comes from a family of educators and always respected the teachers and mentors who were so influential in his life.

Green says the most rewarding aspect of his work is playing a part in molding the future of the country. “My proudest moments have been making students and athletes believe in themselves. The students we touch continually have a real impact on the city, country and world,” he said.

Others acknowledged for service anniversaries at O’Dowd included:

5 YEARS Damian Barnes Cindy Conley Sherisse Dozier Dominic Henri Audrey Irwin Cathy McFann Anthony Murphy Carlos Trujillo Jase Turner

10 YEARS Marc Dominguez Briana Loewinsohn Greg Moore

15 YEARS Mark Lederer

20 YEARS Lina Schoendorf

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“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”

This epitaph, carved on baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s headstone, resonates with Don Knauss. “When you think about one’s ability to impact a lot of lives, I don’t think there is a better way to do it than by endowing a scholarship and trying to help a number of kids get an education,” he said.

Earlier this year, Don and Ellie gifted O’Dowd a $500,000 matching gift that netted $1 million for endowed support of financial assistance.

In all, 14 new funds were created in honor or in memory of loved ones. These funds provide a broad spectrum of financial support for the roughly 30 percent of O’Dowd students receiving assistance. The match not only grew O’Dowd’s endowment fund but also inspired 180 new alumni donors to support tuition assistance at the school.

Endowment funds provide a unique opportunity for O’Dowd. The principal is invested and grown with the intention of keeping up with inflation and the cost of living and each year a distribution is released to support the school. Programs that are vital to the school’s values and mission are supported in perpe-tuity through its endowment.

Ellie, a civic leader and current Regent at O’Dowd, says the couple firmly believes in supporting the long-term financial sustainability of O’Dowd because of the school’s incredible impact on the community. “We’ve been able to see, first hand, that the school has a true commitment to educating children from very diverse backgrounds,” she said. “When you bring kids together during the high school years, a time in which they are so open to growth and learn-ing, they realize they aren’t so different from one

Past Parents Don and Ellie Knauss’ Gift Inspires Others to Give$500,000 Matching Gift Nets $1 Million for Financial Aid Endowment

another. To me, O’Dowd represents how our world is going to look in the next generation – a truly global society.”

The former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for the Clorox Company, Don understands the impor-tance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. “If you can compete in the diverse O’Dowd environ-ment, then you can compete anywhere in the world and be successful,” he said.

Don and Ellie feel fortunate that they have the resources to help others. “There’s a big responsibil-ity in having had blessings in life, and it’s really an honor to help kids who want to work hard to achieve their goals,” Don said.

The couple was pleasantly surprised at the response from the O’Dowd community. “It encourages us to do more, and I think anybody that participated in the match probably feels the same way,” Don said. “Whether you gave $100, $1,000, or more, I think what the match did is show how this kind of giving can snowball and really add up quickly, and make a significant difference in the lives of lots of kids.”

And, Ellie and Don are hopeful that their generosity creates a long-lasting ripple effect. “We aren’t just hoping to encourage other parents at the school to give with this matching gift, but also all the students who will be helped over the generations to come,” Don said. “People who receive help are more likely to pay it forward and keep the philanthropy going.” Both Ellie and Don noted that they were scholarship recipients as students.

Ellie is certain that once a donor experiences the reward of helping others, he or she will continue to give. “I really feel that we get more out of it than the people who are receiving it,” she said. “It makes you feel incredibly warm and fuzzy.”

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RIPPLETHE EFFECTTHE KNAUSS FAMILY ESTABLISHED A MATCHING GIFT

TO SUPPORT FINANCIAL AID.

30% OF O’DOWD STUDENTS RECEIVE AID WITH AN $8,197 AVERAGE AID AWARD.

THE O’DOWD COMMUNITY RESPONDED. $500K GIFTS + $500K MATCH = $1,000,000 IN ENDOWMENT FUNDING

THESE GIFTS SECURED ENDOWMENT FUNDS, SUPPORTING FUTURE GENERATIONS OF O’DOWD STUDENTS.

730 DONORS MADE A GIFT,180 ALUMNI GAVE FOR THE FIRST TIME,14 NEW ENDOWMENT FUNDS WERE ESTABLISHED.

OF THESE STUDENTS WILL GO TO COLLEGE ANDWILL CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND IN THE WORLD.99%

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By Annette Counts Head Librarian

I have a friend who regularly asks, “Why do we need libraries anyway?” I know he says that to tease me, but in these days of Google, his question certainly has crossed everyone’s mind. However, you just need to peek into O’Dowd’s Burke Family Library any time of day to see that our library is stronger, more rele-vant and more important than ever.

There are many reasons the Burke Family Library is thriving when other libraries are suffering from dwin-dling use. First and foremost, O’Dowd recognizes

Annette Counts. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.

Burke Family Library Undergoes Renovation

how vital information literacy is for our students. Our teachers design inquiry-based lessons that encour-age students to evaluate information as they research thorny issues. These research projects not only en-gage students but also provide real world skills such as determining the credibility of sources, understand-ing the roots of expertise and authority and making effective use of different information types.

Just as important, our administration funds student access to the best instructional and research materi-als available, including a strong print collection, over 120,000 e-books, and the same research databases they will encounter in college. The administration keeps library staffing at levels that allow us to serve all students. We are blessed to have a full time teach-er-librarian, a library assistant and teachers who keep the library open Monday through Thursday, from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., and on Fridays until 4 p.m.

While our library has always been at the forefront of providing quality materials, instruction, and projects, we’ve lagged in providing students the space they need to do their work. This summer, however, the Burke Family Library begins a path to reno-vation that will better align the much-used physical space with the intellec-tual pursuits of our students.

To bring our physical space up to date, we’ve been working with Noll & Tam architect Trina Goodwin (parent of Stephanie ’10 and Matt ’13) who specializes in library design. Trina knows how modern libraries work, and we in the Burke Family Library know how our community works. Together, we’ve come up with a plan that turns our crowded, fixed space into a flex-ible area that will serve more students and provide the environment they need to grow their brains and meet their academic challenges.

Because many assignments require students to col-laborate, we are transforming the “reference section” (all of our quality reference works are available in

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e-book format) into a small group conference room. The room will be equipped with white boards and moveable furniture allowing students to set up the room to be most conducive to their task: study group sessions, project creation, presentation practice or club meetings.

As we continue to replace printed materials with readily available digital versions, we create space that allows the expansion of the fiction reading area with additional upholstered seating and side tables to create a more homey and comfortable environ-ment for students to read and study.

Our students love to sit on the stools and use the high computer tables for work. We’ve noticed the stool and bar-style seating area is usually the first to fill up when the library opens each morning. Our new plan increases the number of stools and bar-style seating for students. Not only is the set up a favorite of our students, but it also takes less space than the traditional table and chairs adding more spots for studying.

The library will also get a fresh coat of paint, some snazzy new carpet tiles and other aesthic touches to carry us over until we are in ready to do more sub-stantial renovations.

Keep in mind that these important changes are just phase one of the Burke Family Library renovation plan. Our architect has drawn plans to bring the li-brary space up-to-date in a series of projects that take advantage of other capital repairs. For example, when the time comes to replace the library roof, the library ceiling, lighting, windows and ventilation system will be updated.

We are thrilled with the direction the library space is taking. We remain committed to creating a welcom-ing environment that supports the important goals of life-long learning, reading, and information literacy. While the library may be in the same location as when the school opened in 1951, we are creating and re-creating a new and different space and we look forward to working with the students and teachers in our updated, flexible and fabulous Burke Family Library.

We’re grateful to the parents and friends who have made gifts in sup-port of this renovation work.

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ALUMNI NewsALUMNI TASK FORCE Assembled

The 2016-2017 Alumni Relations team (from left to right): Director of Alumni Engagement and Philanthropy LizaDawn Ramirez, Senior

Philanthropy Officers Dylan Brown, Maddy Farrington, Jessica Delaney and Tamarik Rabb, and Alumni Relations Intern Alyssa Rollins ’12.

Photo by Donovan Rittenbach

As O’Dowd continues to emerge as the premiere East Bay Catholic high school serving a dynamic and di-verse community, its alumni continue to bridge and strengthen the school. O’Dowd’s admissions this year reflects the community’s recognition for O’Dowd’s unmatched capacity for serving a range of students, and this sentiment is reflected by our alumni en-gagement: there are 120 legacy students at O’Dowd (students with alumni parents or grandparents); the number of alumni donating to the school has in-creased 35% percent over a two year period; alumni volunteering, and attendance at events such as the Alumni Beer Garden, the alumni night at the musi-cal and reunions continues to grow; and alumni now represent 20% of the O’Dowd Board of Regents.

This past fall, the Board of Regents assembled a task force to develop a plan to leverage and respond to the needs of our alumni community. Led by John Valva ’84 and Rhonda Morris ’83, as well as Regent and current parent Chris Johnson, the task force has reviewed best practice and developed a plan to gather input and ideas directly from you, our alumni community. On May 6, a group of alumni met on campus for an Alumni Advisory Summit. This group participated in a day of discussions and feedback on the O’Dowd alumni experience and provided invalu-able feedback to the task force.

Through an online survey, we gained feedback from a much broader group of you. This survey is also available through this edition of the Dragon maga-zine for those of you who haven’t responded through the online version. Please take a moment to provide vital feedback as we strive to strengthen our efforts even further. The plans and priorities would bene-fit from the input of additional alumni, particularly those who have already shown interest in engaging with and supporting the O’Dowd community.

The O’Dowd alumni community is stronger than ever. We’re excited about all the possibilities and hope you are, too! As always, stay connected with us to give us your updates and so we can keep you up-to-date on our plans.

The mission of O’Dowd Alumni Relations is to enrich the lives of alumni and engage them as volunteers,

advocates and contributors who bridge and strength-en the Bishop O’Dowd High School community. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the level of engagement with our alumni community through new events such as the Alumni Beer Garden, alumni night at the musical and Career Day.

After conducting informational interviews with alumni departments from peer Bay Area institutions and local universities, a task force which included O’Dowd alumni and staff was assembled. The group met over the span of six months to discuss what we’ve learned from other alumni programs, results from informal focus groups, and the experiences our task force members had in assisting with building alumni programs for their university alma maters. Through this extensive work, we created the first draft of an O’Dowd Alumni strategic plan. We need-ed input, though, from more alumni to fully under-stand if this plan met the needs of our alumni body and would strengthen our O’Dowd community. Their feedback, along with yours, is the vital first step in fulfilling our Alumni Relations mission.

We emailed a survey to all alumni in May. We under-stand, though, that we may not have current email address for everyone and that some people prefer to communicate in a different way. So, we’ve included an insert with the survey in this magazine. Please complete the survey and use the remittance envelope which is also included in this magazine to return it.

Your opinion matters and we sincerely hope to have yours. Your collective feedback will help cultivate a meaningful and successful O’Dowd Alumni Relations program.

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ALUMNI News

Class of 1957 is celebrating its 60th re-union at O’Dowd in Dominican Lounge and Court-yard. Please contact Joyce Souza at jbeeniebear@netzero.net with any questions or if you are inter-ested in planning.

Class of 1962 is celebrating its 55th re-union at O’Dowd in the Center for Environmental Studies. Please contact Pam Mack at macksj43@gmail.com or Wes Smith at wes_smith@comcast.net with any questions or if you are interested in planning.

Class of 1982 is celebrating its 35th re-union at O’Dowd in the small gym. Please contact Debbie Furino at dnd87@aol.com or 510-828-1730 for more information.

Other classes celebrating reunions and reunion coordinator contact information:

1967: The 50th reunion for the Class of 1967 is set for Oct. 14, 2017. Suzy Arnhart, (510) 776-1336 or sarnhart@gmail.com.

1968: Pat Sinnott, sinnottpj@gmail.com.1977: The date is set for August 26, 2017, at Oakland’s Sequoyah Country Club. Kelly Tatum, rosieemom@yahoo.com.

1987: Tim Rosefield, tj.rosefield@gmail.com.1992: Lisa Wright, lisabaskinwright@yahoo.com.

1997: Sabrina Shell, sabrina.shell07@gmail.com.

2002: Liz DiGiacomo, lizdigiacomo@hotmail.com.

R E U N I O N S

Facebook: LizaDawn Ramirez

Instagram: odowdalumni

Twitter: odowdalumni

LinkedIn: LizaDawn Ramirez

LinkedIn Group: O’Dowd Alumni

O’DOWD ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND Coming Soon:This O’Dowd Reunion Weekend is fast approaching! Alums, mark your calendar for Friday, October 20, for our 5th annual Alumni Beer Garden. This event is open to all alumni (21 years and older) and held on campus. From there, we move to the football field to cheer on our varsity football team.

The festivities continue the next day with alumni coming back on campus Saturday, October 21st, to celebrate their reunions. Classes of 1957, 1962 and 1982, we are ecstatic to have you back on campus!

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CLASS Notes1962Last September, Dr. Matthew Malerich, left, had the honor of playing the Beethoven Sonata for Piano and Violin Opus 24 in F Major “The Spring” at Oxford Uni-versity, England, Green Templeton College, in the Tower of the Winds with Dr. Richard Gullen, the Con-cert Master of the European Doc-tors Symphony Orchestra assisted by page turner extraordinaire Dr. Byron O’Neill.

1970John Bushell brought his perfor-mance “Johnny B.’s Rhythm of the North,” which tells the story of his travels to Alaska, to the Castro Valley Center for the Arts in Jan-uary. More than 60 of his O’Dowd classmates were in the audience that totaled nearly 300 people. The day before, John performed at Creekside Middle School. John has traveled all 50 states with his piano in the back of his van, stopping along the way to play for children and others. Get more information about him at www.johnnyb88.com.

1979Regina Evans was invited to the United Nations 61st Commission on the Status of Women, which took place March 13-24, to speak about sex trafficking. She is a dele-gate for the UN Peace Messenger Organization Pathways to Peace Panel.

Jack Russi was elected as Chair-man of the Jefferson Awards Foun-dation’s Board of Governors on February 6, 2017. The Vice Chair-man & National Managing Partner for Deloitte LLP, Jack is responsi-ble within the Deloitte US firms for merger and acquisition activities, divestiture of underperforming assets/services, and accelerating growth of specific market oppor-tunities. Jack and Deloitte were instrumental in developing the Jef-ferson Awards Foundation’s youth leadership programs - Students in Action, GlobeChangers and LEAD360 - reflecting Jack’s unique ability to guide the organization toward greater impact.

1983Rhonda Morris (far left in photo) was part of a Chevron group that rang the New York Stock Exchange opening bell in March. Rhonda is

the Corporate Vice President of Human Resources for Chevron.

1986With the support of her family and friends, Katrece Avery, working with Sleeping Bags 4 Homeless, was recently able to raise enough money to purchase 320 sleeping bags, food and toiletries that were handed out to folks around the Bay Area.

1988Co-founder of Bluemercury, Marla Malcolm Beck was featured on the cover of Inc. magazine. Read the article here: www.inc.com/magazine/201703/kimberly-weisul/inside-job-innovation.html

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1992Jennifer Merschdorf is the CEO of Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an organization dedicated to young women affected by breast cancer, and hosted a YSC Summit in Oak-land in March.

Have you heard of heather/brookes interior organization? The wildly popular LA-based company was co-founded by Heather Perrilliat. Read more about this environ-mentally conscious professional organizing company here: www.heatherbrookes.org

1997Hillary Bernstein joined forces with business partner Ben Arnon to co-found RightSongs Digital, a mu-sic publishing, licensing and rights management company. She’s also a successful songwriter, with some of her music appearing in shows like Glee, America’s Next Top Model, and Modern Family.

JP Stoops is launching his own toy company, Pixl Toys, to develop en-

gaging toys that work with digital devices. Listen to his interview on the Tech Blog Writer Podcast: pix-ltoys.com/blogs/news/we-are-live-on-kickstarter-podcast-interview

2000An assistant coach for the Sacra-mento Kings D-League team, the Reno Bighorns, Garry Hill-Thom-as is also co-CEO (along with his University of Nevada, Reno, college basketball teammate Kevinn Pink-ney) of Pink Hill Properties, LLC which is building the first mixed-use student housing/retail proper-ty in Reno.

2003Did you catch Lance Holloway in the commercial for Burger King’s jalapeno chicken fries? If not, you can check it out here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2vl9XMZH_s&fea-ture=youtu.be

2010It’s a small world. Henry Zaballos was the cinematographer for an American Eagle Outfitters video profile featuring Kai Morton ’17. See video here: www.bishopodowd.org/kai-morton-17

2012Amina Scott recently performed with her quartet at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley.

2015Matthew Powell racked up sev-eral impressive honors after his first soccer season at UCLA. The redshirt freshman earned Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention, was ranked 17th in the country for freshmen college soccer on Top Drawer Soccer’s Postseason Top 100 Freshmen list, and was an all-freshman second team honoree on Top Drawer Soccer’s Best XI teams.

Jazmyne Woffard-Jones recently held an art exhibition at Sweet Adeline Bakery.

CLASS Notes

NEW BABIES

Nathan and Jessica Smith Wall ’03 welcomed their first child, Jackson Bryant Walker Wall, on October 2, 2016. Jackson weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 22 inches. Jackson’s uncles are Ronny ’06 and Peter ’09 Smith. Contributed photo.

Rich Vierra ’85 and Lacie Prince welcomed Robert Landon Erv Vierra (wearing his father’s Oakland Police Department hat) on March 4, 2017. Robert weighed 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Contributed photo.

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ALUMNI Spotlight

Stakeem Young ’09. Photo by Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76.

Virtual reality – technology in which users have fun, immersive and engaging interactions – has arrived in a big way. And Stakeem Young ’09 is at the forefront.

Working for Facebook’s Oculus, as a quality assur-ance analyst, Young spends his days in the thick of VR headsets and next generation touch controllers that allow users to feel as if they are using their real hands to manipulate objects.

“If there is a bug in the program we must find it,” Young explains. “And when developers push out up-dates in the program we have to make sure they are as clean as possible.”

From the Kitchen to Alternative RealityJust four years ago, while he was majoring in graphic design at Cal State East Bay, Young was working as a shipping and receiving clerk at Home Depot and tackling freelance graphic design projects on the side.

PASSION AND WORK ETHIC Lead Stakeem Young ’09 to Exciting Career

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ALUMNI SpotlightHis brother worked for the company that provides culinary services on the Facebook campus, and learned of a shipping and receiving position in the cafeteria there. “I’ve always been into technology and he thought I would fit in well in the Facebook envi-ronment,” Young said.

Young landed the job, and during his breaks and before and after work he began to frequent the cam-pus Arcade, playing Street Fighter games alongside software developers. “Those guys were really good. I decided to put hours into practicing with the goal of being able to beat them in the games,” he said.

He also struck up a conversation with one developer in particular, who worked at Oculus, telling the de-veloper of his interest in technology. “The developer offered to help me learn code. I ended up meeting with him regularly, and was always studying and ask-ing questions,” Young said. “I was so blown away that he gave me so much of his time. I learned that people are willing to do that for you if you are passionate and willing to put in the time and effort.”

Young became convinced that he could land a posi-ton at Oculus if he worked really hard. “I just started coming into work up to six hours early to work on projects that my mentor gave me and to do some self-study about making video games, animation and comic books,” he said.

People began to take notice of Young as he studied frenetically, fueled by coffee and almonds, at all hours of the day and night.

Soon, he was invited to apply for a position at Ocu-lus, and he’s been working in his current position – the lead quality assurance analyst for Oculus Arcade - since March 2016.

Young loves the way VR combines technology and art. “Most people think they are complete opposites,” he said. “While VR is very technical it’s also very artistic and creative in the way it delivers immersive experiences.”

Looking to the FutureThe male student voted “Best Techie” for O’Dowd’s Class of 2009, Young has his sights set on becom-ing a software engineer, and eventually would like to own his own company and produce video games, animation and comic books. “I want to be able to lead content generation,” he said.

He says his O’Dowd experience had a major impact on him, particularly the encouragement he received from art department chairperson Thien Pham. “He was the one who taught me how to draw,” Young said. “He really encouraged me and I just kept getting better and better.”

Class of 2006 Holds 10 Year ReunionThe Class of 2006 had a great turnout for their 10 year reunion, held on December 23, 2016, at the Era Art Bar and Lounge in Oakland.

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Carlos Trujillo. Photo by Briana Loewinsohn.

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Carlos Truillo What inspired you to do this kind of work? As a child of immigrants, I have a deep and real appre-ciation for the transformative effects of a great educa-tion. I’ve always pursued my passions and one of my great passions is learning and learning from others. There is no better way to do both than to teach.

What is your position here and how long have you worked at O’Dowd?I am a math teacher and the math department chair-person. This is my 6th year at O’Dowd. I am also the moderator of the Xiang Qi Club.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received (generally—it doesn’t have to be related to O’Dowd)?

“I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing. Through every dark night, there’s a bright day after that. So no matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep ya head up … and handle it.” -- Tupac Shakur

What is your favorite thing about your job? Coaching up the students to become calm and con-fident problem solvers. I have a strong confidence in myself and my abilities that springs from being a doer. By cultivating a growth mindset in our students, and modeling a pragmatic approach to learning, I enjoy every moment that I spend collaborating with my stu-dents on this important task so that they can go forth and do great things in this world.

What about your field or position do you think would surprise people the most? That teaching can be a very rewarding experience. Teaching in Oakland makes it even more rewarding.

What is the most interesting or surprising thing about you? I am an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, cocooned inside a conundrum. Seriously, though, I guess it could be that I love to read and write. I am a huge reader, and I write poetry, short stories and raps. I am a logophile and don’t believe a person could know too many words.

If you could rescue only one thing from your burning office, what would it be? My copy of the Bhagavad Gita -- OM.

Bonus questions:What is your favorite kind of music? What are your favorite bands?I grew up listening to a lot of hip hop, rock and Mexi-can music (Tribe Called Quest, Tupac, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Los Tigres del Norte, Vicente Fernández, Victor Yturbe), then I got into reggae and electronic music (Lee Scratch Perry, Richard D. James, Daft Punk, DJ Shadow), classical music (Strauss, Dvorak, Bach), and, recently, jazz and clas-sical piano music (Miles Davis, Glenn Gould). Most recently I’ve gotten into lo-fi hip hop (Eevee, Juan Rios, Bluestaeb) and some particularly experimental hip hop (Eprom). Music is another passion of mine and I could easily list 100 other important artists like James Brown, J Dilla, Peanut Butter Wolf, Portishead, Squarepusher, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Los Panchos, Los Bukis, Johnny Cash, U2, Radiohead, Oasis …

What is your favorite sports team or who is your favorite individual athlete? My teams are the Oakland Raiders and FC Barcelona. My favorite individual athletes include Diego Mara-dona, Bo Jackson and Kawhi Leonard.

This is an installment in a series of profiles called 7 Things about O’Dowd’s terrific faculty and staff that is regularly featured on our website. Visit www.bishopodowd.org/7things to see more. 

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Men’s Basketball, 9-1, 1st in WACCALL-LEAGUE Elijah Hardy and BJ Shaw (first team); Naseem Gaskin (second team); Will Chavarin and Will Huntington (honorable mention). Player of the Year: Elijah Hardy

Women’s Basketball, 10-0, 1st in WACCALL-LEAGUE Jada Holland and Myah Pace (first team); Daylee Dunn and Zakiya Mahoney (second team); Kayla Hankins and Kristina Wooldridge (hon-orable mention). Player of the Year: Myah Pace

Men’s Soccer, 10-3-3, 2nd in WACCALL-LEAGUE Ryan Anderson and Trey Miller (first team); Liam Carmody, Max Deck and James Murray (second team); Daniel Kjeldsen and Josh Redfield (honorable mention)

Women’s Soccer, 10-0, 1st in WACCALL-LEAGUE Reina Bonta, Julia Kernan-Woitalla, Christina Pirotta and Marina Ramsey (first team); Mariana Alvear, Mary Clifford, Taylor Daniel and Kamryn Rooney (second team); Katie Shiber and Andi Wiley (honor-able mention). Player of the Year: Reina Bonta

Team Records and ALL-LEAGUE HONORSA host of Dragons were recognized as All-League players by the West Alameda County Conference. The All-League selections are listed below by sport:

ATHLETICS NewsMyah Pace ’17 became the second women’s basketball player in O’Dowd history to join the 1,000 point and 1,000 rebound club. KC Waters ’13, who went on to play basketball at Cal, was the first to achieve the milestone.

Pace scored her 1,000th point on February 15, during her Senior Night game against Alameda High School, and grabbed her 1,000th rebound on Febru-ary 21, during O’Dowd’s North Coast Section D3 first round playoff win over Kennedy High.

“It’s really cool to have been able to achieve some-thing that only KC did,” Pace said. “I never got to play with her (Waters graduated a couple months before Pace entered O’Dowd as a freshman), but I heard so much about how great she was.”

Pace didn’t realize she was on track to score 1,000 points and tally 1,000 rebounds until assistant varsity coach Shannon Donahue ’95 mentioned she was nearing the milestones earlier this season.

She’s been more dialed into competing at a high level and enjoying on and off court moments with her teammates. “The last four years have gone by so fast. I’ve played so many games and had a great time,” she said.

Pace says her favorite shot is the mid-range pull up jumper – a shot she’s worked hard on developing over time. “I feel like I’ve really been able to use that as a weapon on offense,” she said.

As far as rebounding goes, Pace says she’s always had a knack for coming up with the ball. “Rebound-ing is not something that has to do with height or size, but desire,” she said. “I’ve always had the desire to just go get the ball, so I think that’s what allows me to rebound so well.”

Women’s varsity basketball coach Malik McCord said Pace’s accomplishment is very significant, and is a testament to the hard work she’s put in over the years. “She’s the first one in and the last one to leave the gym,” he said.

When asked what advice she would give a younger player, Pace said “Enjoy every little moment, work as hard as you can, and really make the best of your experience.”

Pace recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of San Diego, where she is considering majoring in either sports medi-cine/kinesiology or architecture/interior design. “I’m really looking forward to competing at the next level and getting better over the next four years.”

MYAH PACE ’17 Joins Elite Hoops Club

Photo by Donovan Rittenbach.

34 // Dragon

ATHLETICS News

The Bishop O’Dowd High School varsity football team beat Valley View of Moreno Valley, 43-24, on December 17, 2016, to win the CIF-State Division 5-AA title. This is the first state championship for the football program.

Game highlights included Austin Jones ’19 rushing for three touchdowns (26 carries for 196 yards) and Christopher Lucas ’18 returning an interception for a score. Jevon Holland ’18 and AJ Schabbing ’18 each scored a touchdown.

O’Dowd finished the season 15-1 overall.

The team was honored on the Assembly Floor at the State Capitol on February 9, and was recognized by the Oakland City Council on February 21.

Photo by Gerome Wright.

Austin Jones ’19 scored three touchdowns in the CIF-State 5-AA championship game. Photo by Dennis Mockel.

STATE CHAMPIONS!

Summer Magazine 2017 // 35

ATHLETICSCONTINUED

Jazmin Villanueva ’12. Photo by Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76.

A few months into her part-time job in the Special Events Department with the Golden State Warriors, Jazmin Villanueva ’12 eagerly responded to an e-mail blast from the Community Relations Department requesting assistance for a special project at Oracle Arena.

As Jazmin responded “I’m available,” she envisioned assisting at an exciting community event. Instead, Villanueva found herself in a mobile storage unit in the arena parking lot, on a hot summer’s day, sorting through decades-old give away items and apparel.

Rather than get discouraged, Villanueva viewed the situation as a networking opportunity. She dove into the task at hand and chatted with the Community Relations Department staff to learn more about what they did.

Villanueva’s optimistic attitude, hard work and sin-cere interest in learning didn’t go unnoticed. Only weeks later, she was offered an assistant position in

Challenges Don’t Deter JAZMIN VILLANUEVA ’12

36 // Dragon

the Community Relations Department. “I actually think I was being interviewed for the job that day – even though I didn’t know that there was an open-ing,” she said.

Always Up for a ChallengeVillanueva has never shied away from challenges – being the only person from her San Leandro public middle school to attend O’Dowd; taking Honors and AP courses in high school; working 30 hours a week while at the same time taking a full course load of 18 units every semester at the University of San Francis-co; and graduating Cum Laude from college in 3 ½ years.

With a longstanding interest in sports - Villanueva served as the team manager for O’Dowd’s freshman and junior varsity men’s basketball teams – she knew she wanted to pursue a sports-related career. But after participating in a Junior Achievement Social Innovation Camp, in which her team took first place, during her junior year of high school she discovered a passion for business.

At USF, Villanueva majored in Organizational Behav-ior and Leadership with an interest in sports manage-ment. And she actively sought out opportunities to get involved in professional sports.

She worked for the San Francisco Giants as a Junior Giants Ambassador, coordinating the organization’s free, non-competitive and coed baseball program for youth ages 5-18 in her hometown of San Leandro, and assisted with events at AT&T Park. She also had an opportunity to support the team’s Media Relations Department throughout the 2014 World Series.

Subsequently, Villanueva worked for the Oakland Athletics in Stadium Operations before joining the Warriors.

Working to Better the CommunityIn her role as a Community Relations Assistant, Vil-lanueva has worked on programming in the areas of education, health and fitness and citizenship.

One of Villanueva’s initial projects was coordinating a Warriors Chef Academy graduation celebration, held at a San Francisco elementary school. War-riors Chef Academy is a healthy cooking program conducted in partnership with Bay Area non-profit partner 18 Reasons. Former Warriors player Kelenna Azubuike and local radio host Marcus D participated in the event.

Currently her focus is education, and she supports several programs including the Read to Achieve and Future Leaders Financial Literacy programs for elementary, middle and high school students. She is also helping to build up the organization’s mentoring program.

Additionally, Villanueva facilitates and tracks current and alumni player appearances.

Finally, she manages the organization’s donation requests. “We get thousands of request from schools and non-profit organizations for memorabilia for their auctions and raffles,” she said.

Villanueva says the most challenging aspect of her work is the time commitment. “This is not a 40-hour a week job,” she said.

Her work day can stretch up to 14 hours on game days, and there are upwards of 40 of those each season. “I come into the office at 8:30 a.m., work all day, and then go to the game and help manage whatever program or special event we have going on that night,” she said.

That includes the Oracle Zone program on home game days which provides Bay Area community groups the opportunity to sit lower level, tour the arena and watch shoot-around. “It’s an unforgettable experience for them,” Villanueva said.

And, being a huge Warriors fan growing up, Villanue-va admits it was hard not to “Fan Girl” when she first started working for the team.

Villanueva remains passionate about her job in Com-munity Relations and feels she’s found her niche.

“I would love to continue working with the Warriors, expanding our community impact within the Bay Area,” she said. “I also know that wherever I work in the future that I want to be helping the community.”

Villanueva’s advice to others starting their careers? Don’t ever pass up an opportunity and never think work is beneath you. “Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty,” she said.

Summer Magazine 2017 // 37

Remembering RICHARD “ROCKIT” ROZALongtime O’Dowd teacher and coach Richard “Rock-it” Roza passed away on February 6, 2017, of lung cancer. He was 81.

A Bay Area native, Roza attended Mount Carmel Grammar School in Redwood City, Serra High School in San Mateo (in 2003 he was bestowed with the Junipero Serra Award, Serra High School’s highest alumni honor) and San Jose State University, where he majored in physical education and played base-ball.

Roza’s tenure at O’Dowd spanned 51 years, and he impacted countless students in the classroom, where he taught history and PE, and on the playing field as varsity baseball coach. He also developed and imple-mented the school’s golf program.

Current O’Dowd PE and health teacher Laurie Thirion ’93 first met Roza when she was a student in his history class, and had the opportunity to work alongside him for many years in the PE department.

“He was a favorite teacher for many, had a great sense of humor, was passionate about his job and his students, and made learning fun,” she said.

Thirion said she will always remember Roza’s wit-ty humor. “He had several funny one-liners that he always used. My favorite that I still use today as a teacher is ‘Uno, Dos, Adios!’” she said.

“He was my teacher, mentor, colleague, but most of all, friend. There was a 40 year age difference be-tween us, but we were like best buds. Even after he left O’Dowd, a group of the ‘old O’Dowd crew’ would meet for dinners, sometimes even go to A’s games. He was the one always organizing these events, making sure we all made time in our busy lives to come together, catch up, joke around and have fun,” she said.

Roza was not only David Rinetti’s ’82 favorite teacher at O’Dowd, but a great friend as well. And Roza was instrumental in providing Rinetti, the Vice President of Stadium Operations for the Oakland Athletics, his start with the A’s in 1981.

“All of the positive experiences and memories that I have been blessed with in my career with the A’s wouldn’t have happened without Mr. Roza. In addi-tion, he sent many recruits to work for me over the past several years, providing them the opportunity to work for a professional baseball organization. I al-ways enjoyed seeing him at our games and our many discussions about our team and baseball in general. I will always be grateful for the opportunity that he provided me,” Rinetti said.

Vice President/Chief Customer Officer, Ballpark Op-erations, for the Colorado Rockies, Kevin Kahn ’82 said that he owes his 36-year career work-ing in professional baseball to Roza. “As a junior, he helped me obtain my first job with the Oakland A’s. I’ll be forever grateful to him for helping me get my foot in the door as well as his support and encourage-ment,” Kahn said.

“Dick was great about encouraging me to work hard and the importance of doing things ‘the right way’ which is usually never ‘the easy way’,” Kahn added.

Dick is survived by his wife of 60 years, Barbara, and children Linda (Ross) Allgrove, Jeanine (Sindy Kirsch) Roza and Mike Roza, as well as three grand-children and one great-grandson.

IN MEMORIAM

38 // Dragon

Remembering DONA MCCABEOne of O’Dowd’s most beloved teachers, Dona Mc-Cabe, passed away on March 28, after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 68.

McCabe served at O’Dowd from 1974-2013, passion-ately sharing her “move it or lose it” philosophy with students and colleagues alike. “I hope I not only edu-cate but demonstrate how moving in some way every day can help you to feel better physically and mental-ly throughout life,” she said in a 2011 interview.

McCabe taught physical education, health education, driver’s education, modern dance, aerobics, yoga, and even a computer course, at O’Dowd. She instructed boys as well as girls.

She also coached JV and varsity volleyball for 13 years, track for one year, and served as junior class moderator and cheerleader/moderator coach.

Former O’Dowd principal Pam Shay said the O’Dowd community is a better place because of McCabe’s long, dedicated history of service at the school.

“In the classroom, Dona modeled what every young person should be: healthy in mind-and-spirit and compassionate to all. I know that her students will

fondly remember her no-nonsense, straightforward approach to physical education which, despite their complaints about changing into proper PE attire or running extra laps around the track or trying out a challenging yoga pose, provided the framework of her incredible concern for their well-being,” she said.

O’Dowd PE teacher Laurie Thirion ’93 says Mc-Cabe sparked her interest in health and fitness as a student, and that interest strengthened when they became colleagues and collaborated with one an-other on curriculum. “She really took me under her wing when I began teaching at O’Dowd. I was young, it was my first teaching job, and she really went the extra mile with me. As a mentor, Dona shared her skills, knowledge and genuine passion for teaching. It is hard to put into words how grateful I am to have had Dona in my life. She was such an inspiration to me, her kindness unmatched, and she will always be remembered,” Thirion said.

Born in Merced County and raised in Angels Camp, California, McCabe earned a degree in physical edu-cation, along with a teaching credential, at Sacramen-to State College (now Sacramento State University).

She taught PE and seventh grade math at Gustine Junior High School for one year before joining the O’Dowd staff in the fall of 1974.

At O’Dowd she was instrumental in developing the PE and health curriculum, advocated for equal oppor-tunity and respect for girls sports, and was known for her ability to personally connect with students.

With such a long tenure at O’Dowd, it wasn’t unusual for McCabe to run across familiar names on her class rosters – the children of her former students.

Katie Durkin Cronin ’80 and Emma Cronin ’13 also have fond memories of McCabe.

Emma appreciated how McCabe incorporated a different focus in her classes that included yoga and mindfulness.

Katie recalled her kindness and the way she encour-aged a healthy lifestyle.

“I remember her always greeting us with a smile and teaching us the importance of eating healthy and encouraging us to stay active. She was always pre-pared to teach, kept us engaged, was fair, and oh so dedicated,” she said.

Summer Magazine 2017 // 39

99% of O’Dowd graduates go on to higher education, continuing their journey of creating positive change.

Please make a gift today to help transform the lives of students like Tamarik and Maddie

at bishopodowd.org/give.

More Lives Transformed Every Year

MADDIE FARRINGTON ’17

Accepted at University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis,

University of California, Los Angeles … and more!

TAMARIK RABB ’17

Accepted at California State University, Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University,

University of San Diego … and more!

In Memoriam Barbara Souza Camara ’60

John ChinnHusband of Barbara Marie Jopp Chinn and father of Jay Branch Chinn ’77 and Jane Marie Chinn

Mary Cia ’77

Mark ClementHusband of Lisa Clement and father of Chris (Lauren), Kyle (Melissa), Connor ’10 and Stephanie ’13 Clement, and grandfather of Owen, Grace, Finley, Campbell and Christian Clement

Ronald Cole ’77

Lorraine CurottoMother of Richard (Carol) and William (Lisamarie) Curotto and grandmother of William, Kathryn and Robert Curotto

Robert DiDonato ’59 Husband of Susan Aldrich DiDonato, father of Julie (Frank) Gullo and Bob DiDonato, and grandfather of Christopher, Joshua, Drew and Elli

Barry Victor Drogmund ’62

Michele Friedrich ’75 Wife of Steve Bryant

Mary HeafeyWife of Edwin A. Heafey Jr., mother of Mary Kate Moulton, John Henry Moul-ton, Alison Heafey ’87, Matt Heafey ’84 and Ryan Heafey, and grandmother of Eloise, Sadie, Jack, Winters and Teddy

Gary Michael Jones ’70 Father of Chad Michael Jones, grandfather of Jacob and Kylie Jones, and brother of Arleen Jones Narr ’66 and Carolyn Jones Witt ’78

Frank MaitaHusband of Marion Maita, stepfather of Greg (Kathy) ’68, Scott (Jakki) ’72, Linda (Dennis Brady) ‘75 and Dan (Andrea) ’76 Tachiera, and stepgrandfather of Andrew ’09 and Christian ’10 Tachiera, and Kevin and Daniel Brady

Dona McCabe, former faculty member

Tina MollMother of Christopher Moll ’15

David Pouliot ’65 Brother of Donald (Catherine) Pouliot ’66

Paul M. Rivard Jr. ’62 Son of Paul and Ethelyn Rivard, and brother of Kenneth Rivard ’63, Paulette Rivard Cummings ’65, Amelie Rivard Gannon ’66, Madelyn Rivard Owen ’69 and Beth Rivard Pound ’69

Richard Roza, former faculty memberHusband of Barbara Roza, father of Linda (Ross) Allgrove, Jeanine (Sindy Kirsch) Roza and Mike Roza, grandfather of Ashley (Steve) Irvine, Ryan (Chandler Wagner) Allgrove, Chase Roza and great-grandfather of Crosby Irvine

Pat Serpa ’60

Ignatius Thomas SorceHusband of Audrey and father of the late Barry ’70, Barbara ’74 and Todd (Rosemary) ’77 Sorce

Manuel UribeFather of Betty ’11 and Andrea ’13 Uribe

Marlene “Marl” Camacho Weiss ’60 Wife of John Weis ’59, mother of David and Richard Weiss, and sister of Orbia “Orb” Camacho ’57, Mildred Camacho Loverro ’58, Russell Camacho ’58, Fred Camacho ’63, Cathy Camacho Snelling ’67 and Peter Camacho ’70

Bishop O’Dowd High School encourages Dragon readers to forward to the school copies of obituary notices about the passing of O’Dowd community members so that the names of the deceased can be listed in the In Memoriam section of this magazine. Please send the notices to Lisa Coffey Mahoney ’76, c/o Bishop O’Dowd High School, 9500 Stearns Ave., Oakland, CA 94605, or e-mail them to lma-honey@bishopodowd.org. Note: Listings are based on information known at press time and may not include all surviving family members.

99% of O’Dowd graduates go on to higher education, continuing their journey of creating positive change.

Please make a gift today to help transform the lives of students like Tamarik and Maddie

at bishopodowd.org/give.

More Lives Transformed Every Year

MADDIE FARRINGTON ’17

Accepted at University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis,

University of California, Los Angeles … and more!

TAMARIK RABB ’17

Accepted at Califor