DRAGON SPIRIT
A Legacy of Relationships
O’Dowd has a long history of changing lives. Our multicultural community fosters deep, transformational relationships between students, faculty and staff. Those relationships nurture our students’ unique identities, passions, talents, and spirit, and empower them to reach their highest aspirations. It is a testament to the love and belonging our students feel on campus that so many alumni return to serve as teachers and coaches, program directors and administrators. The spirit of O’Dowd is the strength of our community. Through our mission and our faith, students build positive relationships that impact them forever.
Community Time
O’Dowd’s deep commitment to community means that we intentionally build time into the weekly schedule for relationship building, creativity, and collaboration. We designate time for liturgies and Mass, special assemblies and events. We create space for clubs to meet, students to work on group projects, or seek out teachers. Our commitment to community means that we put our values into action to focus on strengthening relationships across campus.
Spirit Week
Led by the Associated Student Body, Spirit Week is one of our favorite weeks at O’Dowd! With a celebration of activities, including day rallies, the class olympics, and the tradition of night rally, students bond deeply with their classmates, express their full voices, and let themselves shine.
Multicultural Celebrations
To highlight and show appreciation for the many beautiful cultures and traditions our students and their families come from, O’Dowd hosts a number of student-led events throughout the year, including our week-long Multicultural Celebration. Through dance, art, music and food, students collectively share and experience the rich diversity of our community. Our week-long celebration ends with an all-school assembly, including student cultural performances and a Flag Ceremony, where students walk across the quad proudly carrying their country flag.
Black Student Union Assembly
A tradition for almost 40 years, O'Dowd's Black Student Union Assembly is an opportunity for our entire school community to gather and celebrate the history and contributions of the African Diaspora in the United States and around the world. Led by our creative students, O'Dowd's BSU Assembly is a vital learning experience that has inspired many of our graduates to build careers in African-American Studies, Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives, and more. The BSU is moderated by Tony and Marguerite Green, whose deep impact in the Oakland community has been honored by the NAACP.
Starr Gray '98, Director of Student Activities
Originally from Oakland, Starr graduated from O’Dowd in 1998 and went on to earn a BA in Radio, TV and Film from Cal State Northridge. She loves supporting young people to reveal their creativity.
Marguerite Green, Associate Director of Student Activities
Originally from Berkeley, Marguerite has worked in O’Dowd’s administration for 20 years. She is a co-moderator of the Black Student Union, and loves to work closely with students, encouraging them to reach out of their comfort zones, learn from each other, and never stop growing.
Starr Gray
