2009-10 Approved Clubs and Organizations
Like building robots? Love to watch Bollywood films? Proud to be
Armenian? Hooked on Harry Potter? Committed to freeing political
prisoners? Hoping to establish rugby as an official school sport? Then there’s a club for you at Bishop O’Dowd High School.
Clubs are a hallmark of student life at O’Dowd forever, and this year there were over 50 clubs.
“The philosophy behind our clubs is in line with our philosophy as a
school,” says Director of Student Activities Katie Pittman. “We think educating the
whole person is a crucial part of your learning process while at O'Dowd.
Providing different outlets for student expression, as well as
opportunities for leadership, is an important part of our students'
development.”
Which club is the right one for you?
ACLU Club
Moderator: Fritz Blume
Amnesty International
Moderator: Sara Bauermeister
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Amnesty International members actively work to end injustice around the world. Key issues include the death penalty, violence against women, prisoners of conscience, and genocide. Activities will include letter writing campaigns, video previews, and guest speakers.
Aquatics Club
Moderator: Dennis Dougherty
Armenian Club
Moderator: Sara Bauermeister
The Armenian Club has been created to raise awareness about Armenian culture and history. We will learn about Armenia through a variety of channels, not the least of which is enjoying Armenian food! Join us to expand your cultural horizons.
ASA
Moderator: Ashley Nulph
The Asian Student Alliance (ASA) is open to all students interested in learning about Asian cultures and participating in fun events throughout the year. ASA holds an annual Halloween party, Asian Film Festival, Chinese New Year celebration, and several events connected with Multicultural Week. The ASA seeks to involve a wide range of students in order to educate our students about Asian culture and connect our diverse community.
Badminton Club
Moderator: Laurie Thirion
In the Badminton Club, members are going to learn the rules of badminton. Members will have the opportunity to build on strengths, weaknesses, and character. Together we will collaborate demonstrating sportsmanship and determination. There will be tournament play for members who are interested.
Baking Club
Moderator: Julie Guilfoy
The Baking Club, new to O’Dowd this year, has a two-fold mission that encourages baking for fun and learning about new recipes, while also holding bake sales to raise money for animal shelters.
The Baking Club will hold sales and events throughout the year, and is open to all students.
BBQ Club
Moderator: Gary Mason
The BBQ Club holds monthly barbecues during the school lunch period on campus in an effort to support different causes on campus and drum up support for events. For example, a barbecue is held on the last day of the marking period as a celebration, and barbecues are held during Spirit Week and the Mission Drive. Proceeds from specific events go to worthwhile causes in our community.
Black Student Union
Moderator: Tony Green
The Bishop O’ Dowd BSU was established 20 years ago to educate the Bishop O’Dowd community on the milieu of cultural and historical experience that represent African American life.
The club explores the historical impact of African Americans on many aspects of daily life throughout the United States and the world. The club remains diverse in its makeup and promotes stellar academic achievement among its membership
BMAC (Brothers Making a Change)
Moderators: Tony Green and Gary Mason
BMAC is a mentorship program designed for and by young males to help them navigate their way successfully through O'Dowd and set a positive foundation for college.
Book Club
Moderator: Annette Counts
Now it its second year, the immensely successful Book Club selects one book per month to read as a group and holds book discussions at MPs that are open to anyone in the Bishop O’Dowd community.
Bowling Club
Moderators: Jodie Jonas and Kevin Cushing
Fans of Bowling unite! You do not have to be a great bowler to be a part of this active club. This club will meet twice a month on campus to discuss bowling dates, possible venues, and even some healthy competition with area high schools with bowling clubs!
California Scholarship Federation
Moderator: Candy Promes
California Scholarship Federation, or CSF, seeks to recognize students living in the state of
California
who possess high standards in academic scholarship, community service and citizenship.Members of the California Scholarship Federation are eligible for a variety of tuition
scholarships
available at universities across the state and in select colleges nationwide.
Caribbean Islanders Club
Moderator: Michael Turnacliff
The Caribbean Islanders club is inclusive to but not objectively or exclusively for people who have Caribbean or West Indies roots. It promotes knowledge on culture, customs and food of the many Caribbean islands. It invites people of all nationalities to join in activities. Overall, it represents a minority of the West Indian population of our school.
Club Eye to Eye
Moderator: Eva Marlatt
Club Eye-to-Eye was founded this year to support Project Eye-to-Eye, a program that allows O'Dowd students with Learning Disabilities and/or ADHD to be mentors for Middle School students with similar disabilities. Club Eye-to-Eye raises funds for our mentors to bring art materials and snacks to Montera, organizes events to educate the O'Dowd community on issues around disability rights and Learning Differences, and promotes awareness about cognitive diversity in the society at large. Students in Club Eye-to-Eye do not have to have a learning disability or ADHD, but are interested in the issues surrounding learning differences and love to organize and get involved in social justice and diversity issues.
Computer Gaming ClubModerator: Thien Pham
The CGC gives students the opportunity to gather during MPs and after school to play computer games. Competitions are held throughout the year, including a Guitar Hero contest. Interested students are given access to a wide range of gaming systems and games themselves.
Computer Programming Club
Moderator: Thien Pham
Cycling Club
Moderator: Tom Beatty
The cycling club is new to Bishop O'Dowd this year. The goal is to help foster a lifelong interest in cycling. Anyone with an interest in cycling is welcome. Club members include both mountain bikers and road cyclists. We plan to do a few rides, both during the week and occasionally on weekends. We will meet during MPs to discuss issues that are of interest to members, such as rules of the road/safety, good places to ride, training techniques, and bicycle maintenance. In addition, we will show videos of cycling events, such as the Tour de France, and share our experiences on the bike.
Disney Club
Moderator: Starr Saunders
Disney Club is a new club to O’Dowd this year, spearheaded by students who have a love for Disney movies, television shows, and Disneyland itself. Members meet periodically at MPs to watch Disney movies together and also plan some off-campus events.
Divinity Steppers
Moderator: Marguerite Green
Divinity steppers are a group of multi-ethnic students coming together tolearn and perform stepping, a form ofpercussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps.The word divinity was chosen because it carries connotations of goodness, beauty, beneficence, justice, and other positive, pro-social attributes.They plan on performing at different events on campus.
Dragon Ambassadors
Moderator: Tyler Kreitz
The BOD Dragon Ambassador Program is for students who are looking to not only represent Bishop O’Dowd High School, but also ingratiate new students and families into the Dragon Community. Dragon Ambassadors will help host official functions and events, such as Navigating O’Dowd, Campus Tours and Open House, as well as run the Bishop O’Dowd Week of Welcome Orientation.
Dragon Squad
Moderators: Romeo Baldeviso, Gavin Maeda, Ron Beck, Brian Payawal
A new club to Bishop O'Dowd, the Dragon Squad Tech Team is a group of students learning about technology support and repair. Students will have opportunities to assist the Bishop O'Dowd Technology Department with a wide variety of tech-related activities.
Dumbledore’s Army
Moderator: Annette Counts
Dumbledore's Army is a club for Harry Potter fans. The club meets regularly to discuss all things Harry Potter and to watch Harry Potter movies. All true blooded Harry Potter fans are welcomed to join.
Esoterikos
Moderator: Renee Early
Esoterikos, BOD's expressive arts club, hosts creative writing workshops, expressive arts open mike MP's, and poetry slams. The club also produces the literary and art publication,
The Muse, which provides print copy of student work, including poetry, short stories, and art.
Earthbound
Moderator: Annie Prutzman
An environmental organization on campus for several years now, Earthbound seeks to educate students about the issues facing our earth, and ways that we can protect the environment.
Filipino Club
Moderator: Cora Antonio
The Filipino Club is open to all students who wish to learn about Filipino culture and traditions, whether they are Filipino or not! The club holds meetings frequently at MP, is very active in Multicultural Week, and holds several events where they serve Filipino food to attendees
Hacky Sack Club
Moderator: Briana Miller
The Hacky Sack Club is comprised of students who share a passion for hacky sack, and they meet at MPs to play hacky sack together.
Hope for the Homeless
Moderator: Greg Moore
The Hope for the Homeless Club aims to teach Bishop O'Dowd students about homelessness, by setting up volunteering at local Dining Rooms and Shelters, and also giving students information on homelessness by bringing in speakers and spreading awareness on issues involving homeless people.
Irish Club
Moderator: Frank Rooney
The Jam Pack
Moderator: Brian Judd
The Jam Pack is a musical club that invites students to participate in “jam sessions” at MPs. Different from the Jazz Club, the Jam Pack focuses on all kinds of music and musical tastes. Any interested students are invited to all sessions.
Jazz Club
Moderator: Fred Randolph
The Jazz Club is open to all students, and will provide improvisational jazz workshops at MPs to all interested students. Students will have the opportunity to learn about music and the jazz culture, and expand the scope of their musical talents.
Jewish Club
Moderator: Laura Fine
The Jewish Club seeks to provide an opportunity for students of the Jewish faith, or students who are interested in learning more about Judaism and its rich history and traditions, to gather for discussions and events on campus.
JSA
Moderator: Ray Lehner
Updated News
The Junior State of America (“JSA”) is an
American
non-partisan, student-run
youth organization. The purpose of the JSA is to help high school students acquire leadership skills and the knowledge necessary to be effective citizens and voters. JSA holds meetings regularly at MP to discuss issues of importance to the American voter, and also attends multiple conferences and conventions throughout the year to continue these discussions with JSA chapters at other schools.
Key Club
Moderator: Sharon Correia
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the
Kiwanis International
group. Each local Key Club is, in turn, sponsored by a local Kiwanis club. Key Club is active in our community, holding several service-oriented events throughout the year.
Latinos Unidos
Moderator: Julie Guilfoy
Latinos Unidos is a club that celebrates our students’ Hispanic heritage through several different mediums throughout the year. Latinos Unidos members participate in events such as Day of the Dead and Multicultural Week, and also use their club to provide education on Hispanic culture to the greater school community.
Literatura Espanola
Moderator: Rachel Pinette
Little Italy
Moderators: Sara Troyani
The Little Italy Club meets regularly to learn about and celebrate Italian culture. The club holds Italian dinners where members participate in cooking traditional Italian dinners. Students also attend off-campus field trips to expand their knowledge of Italian culture and to see its connection in our greater community.
Mathletes
Moderator: Bruce Amundson
The Mathletes, or Math Club, is made up of higher level math students who participate in various math competitions throughout California. The club is open to all interested students who maintain a passion for mathematics and enjoy competition.
Meditation Club
Moderator: Summer Dittmer
The meditation club is for students who want to learn different techniques for conscious relaxation and stress reduction through meditation. Meetings will involve a short introduction/ discussion of such techniques followed by actually practicing the techniques to achieve relaxation and stress reduction.
National Honor Society
Moderator: Candy Promes
Started in
1921, the National Honor Society, or NHS, is an
organization
whose intent is to recognize middle and high school students who show achievement in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. National Honor Society groups are commonly active in
community service
activities both in the community and at the school. Many chapters maintain a requirement for participation in such service activities.
Native American Pride Club
Moderator: DJ Vierra
The Native American Pride Club is open to all students wishing to learn about Native American culture. The club meets to discuss issues facing Native Americans today, as well as to learn about the history of this unique group.
Outdoor Adventure Club
Moderator: Ray Lehner
The Outdoor Adventure Club invites students interested in outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, and camping to participate in several events and trips throughout the year.
Peer Health Club
Moderator: Laurie Thirion
The Peer Health Team aims to answer questions, offer support, and provide resources about student health concerns. Our goal is to present students with valuable information promoting physical and emotional well-being. We will provide fun and interesting facts regarding the topics students want to learn about in hopes of increasing awareness of healthy lifestyle choices.
Peace Club
Moderator: Romeo Baldeviso
Photography Club
Moderator: Briana Miller
The Photography Club welcomes students who are interested in photography to learn about different techniques and cameras, as well as take pictures of events on campus throughout the year for publication in The Dragon Parent and other Bishop O’Dowd publications.
Polynesian Club
Moderator: Mary Kamian
The Polynesian Club teaches and celebrates the Polynesian culture through Polynesian Dance and food. Club members have the chance to learn about Polynesian customs while experiencing traditional festivities.
Robotics Club
Moderator: Dave Hodul
The Robotics Club is new this year and open to all students (including girls.) All things robotic are on the agenda. There are plans for a competitive team, perhaps Botball. The club is organized like a typical engineering team, with engineering specialties such as mechanical, systems, electronic, and software engineering. Projects on the docket include a robotic dragon mascot and an "planetary lander" to explore the Living Lab.
Sappy Romantic Movies Club
Moderator: Renee Early
What do we do? It is rather obvious, isn’t it? The Sappy Romantic Movie Club is a forum for the viewing and discussion of Sappy Romantic Movies. As any student who has taken sophomore English at Bishop O’Dowd knows, Aristotle describes catharsis as the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer. Aristotle believed this catharsis promoted moral and emotional well-being. Thus in support of Aristotle and the BOD Graduation Outcomes, the Sappy Romantic Movie Club hopes the viewing of Sappy Romantic films will encourage its members to make moral and ethical choices.
SAT Prep Club
Moderator: Don Goss
The SAT Prep Club is for students who want to obtain the highest possible score on the SAT. We will learn strategies for each of the 3 parts of the SAT: Reading Comprehension, Writing (including the essay), and Math. These strategies are the same ones taught at the expensive SAT Prep organizations but you pay nothing! We will practice using real SAT problems from old tests. Don Goss has been teaching SAT prep for more than 10 years. Many of his students have raised their SAT score by more than 300 points! You will need to commit to coming every MP. Open to all students 9th through 12th grade. Why pay thousands when you can get the same quality course for free?
Scream
Moderator: Dorothy Lubin
A chapter of a larger national organization, SCREAM ("Supporting Children's Rights through Education, the Arts, and the Media” tackles issues surrounding child labor practices and seeks to find solutions through social mobilization and empowering young people to m speak out.
Sisters of Success
Moderator: Marguerite Green
Updated News
SOS, or Sisters of Success, was established this year to address some of the concerns and issues that face our young women on campus and to build a sisterhood within the student body. We will meet as a group at least once a month to discuss goal-setting, self-esteem, body image, etiquette and other topics of interests to young women. Also planned are guest speakers, some of them alumni and other professional women in fields of interest to our students.
Ski Club
Moderators: Sarah Bremer and Tyler Kreitz
The Ski Club has been an institution at Bishop O’Dowd for many years. The club takes several trips throughout the year, including several weekend day trips during the ski season, as well as a spring break trip to a locale in the United States or Canada that is determined by the club. All trips are chaperoned by club moderators, and students receive discounted lift tickets and travel costs.
S.L.A.P.S.
Moderator: Starr Saunders
Students for Solar Energy
Moderator: Dorothy Lubin
Students for Solar Energy hopes to increase awareness among the O’Dowd community of the need for exploring and implementing alternative energy sources. We want to be part of a future that includes a shift toward more socially responsible technologies and allows room for innovation and creative problem solving.
Survey Club
Moderator: George Watson
This newly founded club will create and distribute pre-approved surveys to students to gather data that will help guide decision-making for the student body. Topics will range from issues of interest on a national level, to those that are specific to students at Bishop O’Dowd.
Theology Club
Moderator: Brian Judd
Twin Club
Moderator: Steve Phelps and Pamela Wagner
Our mission is to represent school and public functions as twin ambassadors, support student fundraising goals with publicity and double example, support the social integration of twins at O’Dowd, and to support the school in other service projects as requested by Student Activities.
Vegetarian Club
Moderator: Lani Wolf
The Vegetarian Club seeks to promote awareness of the many benefits of a vegetarian diet, including environmental, health, and moral, and to educate students about how to live more fully in "kinship with Creation" through Vegetarianism. Our goals are to expose students the cultural variety and richness of vegetarian food, and to educate students about how Vegetarianism helps promote the well-being of both of planet Earth and ourselves.
Young Americans for Liberty
Moderator: George Watson
The Young Americans for Liberty Club explores why the two major parties have not provided the United States of America the country they need. We question all political assumptions that have led America into its present Economic and Political Crises.