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By Kathy Canty Brown ’84 | O’Dowd Senior Director of Development Daughter of Tim Canty ’58, Parent of Joshua Brown ’12 & Rebecca Brown ’18 I’ve walked these halls as a student. I’ve stood on the sidelines as a parent. I’ve shown up each day as a staff member, first as a math teacher and later in the development office, committed to giving back to a place that gave so much to me. I’m one of many in a three-generation O’Dowd family - and I know I’m not alone. Over the past 75

Ava Bright ’28,   Tony Varni ’57, Sara Varni Bright ’96. Tony Varni ’57 traveled from Hayward each day to attend Bishop O’Dowd High School. A graduate of All Saints Catholic School, he and his family were committed to continuing his Catholic education. “O’Dowd was the new Catholic high school,” says his grandson Graham Ramiza ’17, “and was a natural landing place with our family’s roots in the East Bay.” That legacy drew in Tony’s daughter, Sara Varni Bright ’96, who also

The Beito Family poses on the O’Dowd football field. L-R bottom : Asziyah Sapp-Beito ’24 , Jay Beito ’92, Drew Beito ’03 . L-R top: Xzavier Sapp-Beito ’21 , Diane Beito ’66 . Diane Radich Beito ’66 was one of nine children in a devout Catholic family. “We followed our faith, and it was expected that we would go to Catholic school from kindergarten through high school,” she says. When she started at O’Dowd in 1962, the school was still relatively new—but for the Beitos, it wa

When Bishop O’Dowd High School opened in 1951, it didn’t yet have a campus of its own. Classes were held at St. Louis Bertrand in Oakland, where eighth graders Joyce Allencastre and Frank Souza (both Class of ’57) were already “going steady.” “O’Dowd was co-ed, whereas St. Joe’s and St. Mary’s were all-boys,” Joyce recalls with a smile. “That’s why I wanted to go there.” Her family’s commitment to Catholic education ran deep. “I babysat and cleaned houses all four years to

The O’Dowd Theater Department will be performing Lost in Yonkers from February 6-8 and the 12-15. Don’t miss out! Rehearsals By: Ocian Floyd-Haskell, Editor in Chief of The Crozier Lost in Yonkers is a play written by the esteemed Neil Simon, American screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama. The story follows two brothers, Jay and Arty, and their move to Yonkers, New York, to live with their grandmother and aunt during World War II. Meanwhile, their father stresses

Each year, the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice brings together students who believe that faith is not only something to be studied, but something that must be lived. This past November, 14 members of O’Dowd’s Solidarity in Action (SIA) team traveled to Washington, D.C. with Mr. Downs and Ms. Servais to take part in that call. The group joined more than 2,000 students from across the country who are learning how to turn compassion into action. For SIA, the Teach-In is not

Inside O’Dowd’s Gilded Age Project What does it mean to write with purpose — to use language that shapes a moment and moves an audience? For students in O’Dowd’s AP Language and Composition course, these questions fuel a dynamic project that blends historical research and original storytelling. “The primary skill for AP Language & Composition is rhetorical analysis,” explains Lindsey Ashlock, a seasoned educator who joined O’Dowd in 2019. “It’s about understanding that every

From Quarry to Classroom, Students Have Transformed O’Dowd’s Landscape and Its Legacy For a quarter of a century, O’Dowd’s Living Lab has stood as a beacon of innovation, resilience, and environmental leadership. What began in 2000 as a bold idea from students has flourished into a 4+ acre native plant community, certified wildlife habitat, and sustainable garden  that now shapes the lives of every Dragon who steps onto campus. From Quarry to Kinship with Creation Two decades

One Night, One Student, Infinite Possibilities The Transforming Lives Dinner celebrates the power of an O’Dowd education and the generosity that makes it possible. This year’s gala embraces the theme, “One student can change the world, one night can make it happen,” honoring both the students whose lives are transformed and the supporters who help make that transformation possible. The evening also celebrates our 75th anniversary and the decades of academic excellence, leade

Celebrate our 75th anniversary with us! Each month on social media  and in our O’Dowd In Brief  newsletter, we will have a trivia related to our school’s history and community. The answers and information about the trivia will be shared here. February 2026 Which of the following bands/music groups was NOT founded by an O’Dowd alumnus? A: Hall and Oates B: The Matches C: Counting Crows D: Souls of Mischief For many alumni and current students, music has played an integral role