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“Our Common Home” Summit in Oakland Offers Ways to Integrate Spiritual Ecology and Education With Joanna Macy and Corrina Gould Date: April 13, 2019, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cost: $100 for educators, $25 for students; scholarships available Location: Bishop O’Dowd High School, 9500 Stearns Avenue, Oakland CA Bishop O’Dowd High School is co-hosting “Our Common Home,” a unique, day-long summit on spiritual ecology on Saturday, April 13, geared for educators, students, faith leaders and activists. Inspiring keynote speakers at the event include ecologist Joanna Macy and indigenous activist Corrina Gould , who will introduce the core tenants and history of the spiritual ecology field, which emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life. Summit participants will gain practical tools to integrate spiritual ecology into their curricula and educational practices. In addition to the keynote addresses, attendees will have an opportunity to engage with presenters from the University of San Francisco, Weaving Earth, SustainUS, Project Wayfinder, Marin Academy, Earth is Ohana and Lead to Life. And they will build important relationships through networking with attendees from a number of Northern California high schools, universities, NGOs and local faith communities, as well as tour O’Dowd’s award-winning Center for Environmental Studies and the Living Lab, a four-acre certified wildlife habitat and outdoor classroom committed to reconnecting students with the natural world. The O’Dowd community has a long-standing and deep commitment to social justice and Kinship with Creation. “At O’Dowd we recognize the sacred urgency of this moment on our planet, and are honored to welcome this event to our campus,” Religion and Spiritual Ecology teacher Michael Downs said. O’Dowd is co-hosting the summit with Black Mountain Circle , a Point Reyes Station nonprofit cultivating resilience, community, and earth stewardship. “We’ll build relationships and alliances to work through the challenges of implementing spiritual ecology education and action in each of our unique settings and provide practical tools, connections, and inspiration to educators,” Black Mountain Circle co-founder and co-executive director Steve Costa said. Fee is $100 for educators/adults and $25 for students, and includes lunch and a closing reception. Scholarships are available. About Joanna Macy PhD, author & teacher, is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology. A respected voice in movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with learnings from six decades of activism. About Corrina Gould, spokesperson for the Confederated Villages of Lisjan, was born and raised in Oakland, (the territory of Huichin). She is the co-founder of Indian People Organizing for Change , a community-based organization that works to accomplish social and environmental justice including the preservation of the Bay Area Shellmounds, the sacred burial sites of the Ohlone Nation, whose homeland is the San Francisco Bay Area. Spiritual Ecology Network Coordinating Council: Steve Costa & Ruby Fisher-Smith | Black Mountain Circle Michael Downs | _ Bishop O’Dowd High School Kailea Frederick | _ Earth is Ohana _; _ Spiritual Ecology Fellow Kyle Lemle | _ Lead to Life_ ; _ Spiritual Ecology Fellow

The founding principal of a local energy engineering and management consulting firm, Ann L. McCormick, was welcomed to O’Dowd during MP on January 26. The second Sustainability Guest Speaker of the semester, Ann provided a fascinating and interactive discussion on energy efficiency and clean power. She explored these important topics with students while navigating through California’s rich history of environmental politics and progressive policies. Ann brought a great deal of knowledge and experience to her presentation. With a background in mechanical engineering focusing on building science, Ann has been an active member of the energy efficiency community in Northern California for more than 25 years. As founding principal of San Francisco-based Newcomb Anderson McCormick, Ann works to solve energy and sustainability issues in both the public and private sectors. She is serving her fourth term as a Commissioner on the City of Alameda’s Public Utilities Board which provides local control of Alameda Municipal Power (AMP). The Board’s comprehensive work has promoted the establishment and implementation of renewable power policies. As a result, AMP’s future power portfolio will be more than 95% carbon free resources. Ann provided an overview of the steps California has taken through the years to place energy efficiency at the forefront of its state law and policy. These include strictly defined building codes, utility decoupling policy, policies to push zero emission vehicle usage and green policies, such as public investment in solar technology. Students were inspired to think critically about the success and challenges of these strategies. Equipped with this history, the presentation transitioned into a discussion on the field of renewable portfolios. Participants familiarized themselves with the diverse types of power, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of their use. The semester will continue to feature a wealth of guest speakers, including O’Dowd alumni, parents and greater Bay Area community members. All O’Dowd community members are invited to join us for these talks, which take place from 1:50 – 2:50 p.m. on the following dates: Thursday Feb 16th, 2017 – Zero Waste Thursday Mar 30th – Climate Change Tuesday April 25th – Alumni Panel

Ruth Abbe, the president of Zero Waste USA, the U.S. national affiliate of the Zero Waste International Alliance, visited  O’Dowd earlier this month to participate in the Sustainability Guest Speaker Series. A Zero Waste practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in recycling and composting program and facility development, Ruth focused her discussion on defining waste, its environmental consequences and emerging prevention methods. She explored these important topics with students, demonstrating the many ways in which a young generation can make active change in their community. Ruth was an inspiring speaker, encouraging students to see a future in zero waste both local and beyond. As the principal of Abbe & Associates LLC, Ruth is currently working with municipalities across the U.S. to develop the social and physical infrastructure to achieve Zero Waste. In her home city of Alameda, she is a grassroots leader with Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA). Ruth has also assisted in the development of the U.S. EPA’s new online planning tool Managing and Transforming Waste Streams, identifying over 100 policies and programs to reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills and promote waste prevention and materials reuse across waste generation sectors. This particular speaker series event explored the Zero Waste philosophy. Ruth provided an overview on the different forms of waste and its effect on the environment. She focused on plastics, in particular, showing students their pervasiveness and detrimental effect on waterways. The Zero Waste concept of “Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” was also explored in depth. Students were encouraged to rethink their current consumptive lifestyle habits and take smalls steps to make a difference. Ruth’s discussion also delved into the opportunities for people to make structural changes in their communities, cities and the world. Campaigning and organizing in order to implement purchasing fees, local bans, taxing and the use of ordinances are all options that were presented. The semester will continue to feature a wealth of guest speakers, including O’Dowd alumni, parents, and greater Bay Area community members. All of the O’Dowd community is invited to join us for these talks, which take place from 1:50 – 2:50 p.m. on the following dates: Thursday Mar 30th, 2017 – Climate Change Tuesday April 25th – Alumni Panel

O’Dowd celebrated Earth Week April 24-28, 2017, with a variety of fun and educational activities, daily themes, an alumni guest speaker panel and an all school assembly, featuring representatives from Generation Waking Up – a global campaign to ignite a generation of young people to bring forth a thriving, just, sustainable world. At the assembly, student leaders in S-Corps talked about the effects of environmental degradation, including deforestation, ocean acidification, rising sea levels and species extinction. Director of Sustainability Andra Yeghoian noted that O’Dowd has made great strides over the last four years to educate the community about these issues, as well as reduce the school’s ecological footprint, save money and create lasting social change. Generation Waking Up representatives Joshua Gorman and Barbara Jefferson encouraged students to continue to be leaders in the effort to secure the future of our planet. O’Dowd stands out as a beacon in the area of sustainability education, Gorman said. “We work with a lot of high schools and colleges throughout the country, and your school is a shining example,” he said. Watch the video recapping O’Dowd’s work in the area of sustainability created by Reece Mladjov ’17 below:

On January 12, current and alumni families gathered at the Living Lab for this very special O’Dowd tradition that honors families’ deceased loved ones by planting memorial trees in the Living Lab. This year’s planting marked the 30th anniversary of the Costa family gathering in the Living Lab to plant trees in Anna’s honor. After a welcome and procession down to the Living Lab’s Memorial Circle, Anna’s father Steve Costa and other family members spoke to all participants and families had an opportunity to remember and share the loved ones they had lost. Families shared stories of beloved grandfathers, siblings, children, and spouses. The crowd joined together in prayer and former O’Dowd teacher Tom Tyler spoke to the meaning of this event for our community. Each year students who take a significant role in the Living Lab are recognized and awarded the Anna Costa scholarship. Last year’s recipients–Joe Sweeney ‘20 and Shuming Xu ‘20–were recognized for their contributions at this year’s event. This year, participants planted 35 trees and smaller plants around the pond to create a riparian zone. The planting sites were well-prepared with holes and compost thanks to O’Dowd’s student Ecoleaders. Annie Prutzman gave a demonstration and guests chose a tree and worked together on planting. After the trees were planted, everyone enjoyed hot cider and treats were. One participant shared, “Planting trees each year gives new life to the earth and has helped heal our grief.” Many thanks to all of the families who attended this year’s Anna Costa ‘90 Memorial Tree Planting. Coming together in remembrance of loved ones and helping to enhance and sustain the habitat of O’Dowd’s Living Lab with love is truly good work.

On January 25, 2020, two days before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, nearly 150 students and teachers from ten Bay Area high schools gathered at Bishop O’Dowd High School for the 5th Annual Bay Area Teach-In for Justice, with the theme, “Rooted in Justice, Growing for Change.” Participating schools included Berkeley High School, Bellarmine College Preparatory, Notre Dame Belmont, Archbishop Mitty High School, Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, Hayward High School, Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School, Cristo Reye De La Salle, Piedmont High School, and Sacred Heart Atherton. Participants spent the day exploring and learning about key issues and actions related to environmental and social justice. Organized and led by O’Dowd’s Solidarity-in-Action student leaders, sessions addressed regional issues and actions related to those raised at December’s Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C. which O’Dowd students, along with 2,000 others, attended. The day began with leaders from Enact Leadership , Managing Director Pamela Hopkins (parent of Luci ‘20) and Executive Coach Plácida Gallegos, challenging students to reflect on their leadership journeys by sharing their intentions for the day. O’Dowd Solidarity-in-Action leader Sophia Childs ‘20 shared, “Each person got a sticky note and wrote their intentions for the day and placed the notes on a large poster of a tree, like leaves. Throughout the day you could revisit your intention. I thought it was beautiful how the tree started off with no leaves and was then beautifully filled up.” Students held these intentions throughout the day as they attended break-out sessions on environmental justice, minority inequality, and law and policy. O’Dowd Solidarity-in-Action leader Reilly Wilson ‘20 was impressed by those who attended. “Everyone was extremely engaged. They came ready to talk and have challenging conversations.” Solidarity-in-Action leader Justin Walker ‘20 shared one such conversation: “After attending a session on environmental racism, I had a conversation with a man who questioned why Greta Thunberg is the face of the climate change movement and why there are few people of color shown as those leaders. We discussed the perspective that if something is not regarded as being by black people it’s often not for black people.” Solidarity-in-Action leader Keiani Allen ‘20 facilitated an art and activism workshop, and shared her experience: “Seeing how the art I do every day can be taught to people and give them an opportunity to show activism by making posters or printing t-shirts is a really positive way to get people to become directly engaged.” After enjoying vegan soul food barbeque provided by Vegan Mob , students enjoyed a rap performed by Matt White ‘22, reflecting on black history, progress, and activism. The day culminated in a presentation and ceremony led by Lead to Life founders Kyle Lemle and brontë velez. Their organization expresses unique activism by transforming weapons into shovels for tree planting ceremonies at sites that have been impacted by violence or carry spiritual significance. After their keynote, students viewed tools created from guns and conducted a tree-planting ceremony near the Center for Environmental Studies, on the land of the Ohlone. Individuals impacted by gun violence were invited to participate in the tree planting. Solidarity in Action member Emma Lancaster ’20 shared, “It was really meaningful to see people who had been impacted by gun violence in some way coming together to plant new life with shovels made from guns.” Erin Brown, Program Director with the Ignatian Solidarity Network, shared her excitement about the January Teach-In: “Through our D.C. conference, we hope that students are inspired to create change and momentum in their own communities when they return home. And that is exactly what Bishop O’Dowd has been doing year after year–bringing people together to learn and take action.” Thank you to all of the students and teachers from Bay Area schools participated in the day, to our keynote speakers for inspiring us to act, and to O’Dowd’s Solidarity-in-Action student leaders for delivering a memorable experience to spark positive change.

The O’Dowd community of staff and students brought O’Dowd’s value of kinship with creation to life in unprecedented ways for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this April. As we increasingly hear the cry of the earth amid climate change and respond as a community to Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home, this year our Eco Leaders student group and staff showed unique knowledge and leadership to create a more beautiful future for us and our planet. Educating Student leaders created the Earth Day video below that combines documentary footage and education with personal stories from O’Dowd’s own Annie Prutzman and former O’Dowd teacher and Living Lab advocate Tom Tyler. Thanks to our student leaders for bringing both a global perspective personalized by O’Dowd leaders. View the O’Dowd Earth Day documentary Engaging Student Eco Leaders brought a combination of two of our school’s values, joy and kinship with creation, to enrich O’Dowd’s Earth Week with joyful recipes, games, and tools to encourage and educate us all in supporting a more sustainable future. You can see some of these in the teaser film they shared with students about the week. View the Eco Leaders’s Earth Week teaser: More than a dozen activities are organized for each day, including daily overview videos ( Monday – Energy , Tuesday – Land , Wednesday – Animals ,  Thursday – Water ,  Friday – Climate Action ), a Home Waste Audit Challenge, scavenger hunts, quizzes, try vegan for a day, music playlists, and reference to many information resources. Sharing Innovation O’Dowd was given great opportunities this year to share more about our Living Lab programs, student leaders, and how our school enacts our value of kinship with creation What does climate change demand of Catholic education? An article featured by the National Catholic Reporter highlights the ways O’Dowd students learn to care for our common home by examining this essential question Read now Journeying With Youth Toward a Hope-Filled Future A live conversation featuring Michael Downs, O’Dowd’s Director of Justice and Kinship with Chris Kerr, Executive Director of Ignatian Solidarity Network was hosted by the Ignatian Solidarity Network Watch here

This summer, O’Dowd is installing a campus-wide sustainable solar power system! We estimate that in our first year the solar panels will generate 500,700 kilowatt hours, which translates into 391 tons of avoided greenhouse gases. That offsets emissions from almost 40,000 gallons of gasoline OR 392,196 pounds of burned coal! We will sequester the same amount of carbon as almost 6,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years OR 435 acres of forest in one year! We are proud to be in kinship with creation, doing our part to protect our common home. Go Dragons! Follow progress below (click to enlarge image).

Inspired by O’Dowd’s Living Lab and our charism of Finding God in All Things , local artist Hannah Mode , whose work intersects art, science, sustainability, and spirituality, has been commissioned to create a mural on our Center for Environmental Studies building. On July 19, Hannah visited O’Dowd’s 4-acre Living Lab to begin cyanotypes, an eco-friendly photographic printing process to make blue monochromatic prints using plant clippings from our gardens. The cyanotypes will be one of the three layers needed to make each of the 30 tiles that will be installed on the CES building. Hannah toured the Living Lab with O’Dowd teacher and Lab co-founder, Annie Prutzman, who shared about the native plants found throughout the gardens and their unique characteristics. Hannah collected a bevy of plant clippings throughout the tour, and collaborated with the Living Lab team to group her findings and prepare for the cyanotype process. “I take each plant and try to show the spirit of it, from stem to flower,” Hannah explained, arranging the plants on a cyanotype paper. “By carefully layering the flowers, they will uniquely block the sun’s layers to create a pattern. The entire exposure process takes about 20 minutes.” When Hannah removed the paper and rinsed it in water, the exposed parts of the paper transformed into hues of cerulean blue. The result? Stunning impressions of the plants at O’Dowd’s Living Lab. Hannah will then transfer the cyanotype images onto tiles, which will be used as part of the base layer of the mural. Hannah’s interest in art, science, and spirituality is strongly aligned with the lessons of former O’Dowd teacher and another co-founder of the Living Lab, Tom Tyler, who taught at O’Dowd from 1979 to 2005. Hannah is inspired by the geology of the Bay Area and will incorporate a portion of the United States Geologic Survey map that includes O’Dowd’s campus in her mural. “By highlighting a geologic map, the design collapses human and geologic time scales, emphasizing that we are all tied into interconnected Earth systems,” said Hannah. “Hannah Mode’s artwork is fascinating, clever, and beautiful,” remarked Tom Tyler. “We are definitely kindred spirits—I totally embrace her ‘sense of place’ framework for weaving together the geologic, human, and spiritual dimensions of O’Dowd’s unique story.” See Artist Statement and final artwork .

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.“ Mark 12:31 O’Dowd is surrounded by the Oak Knoll, Castlemont, and Toler Heights neighborhoods. Like many of the city’s neighborhoods, O’Dowd is in a food desert. “A food desert is a region where the residents don’t have easy access to healthy and affordable food,” reports Griffin Osser ’22, an O’Dowd EcoLeader. “And right in the middle of this area, we have our Living Lab. It only makes sense that we find ways to make this a connection point with our neighbors.” Welcoming Neighbors O’Dowd’s Living Lab includes a robust fruit orchard, which grows figs, pomegranate, persimmon, and pineapple guava. We also have an expansive vegetable garden, harvesting  broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, collard greens, lettuce, arugula, carrots, beets, radish, and snap peas in the winter and spring, and over 50 varieties of tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, eggplant, summer squash, winter squash, pumpkins, melon, garlic, onions, beans, potatoes, and artichokes in the summer and fall. “We also created garden beds outside our fences with the specific intention to grow food for our neighbors to access,” shares Otis Johnson, Lead Ecological Gardener. “We welcome our neighbors to come by and pick fruit. We share our vegetable bounty, too. It creates an opportunity to not only provide healthy options for families in a food desert, but it’s also a powerful way to build community.” Along those lines, O’Dowd’s Creation Care Team planted and grew over 100 pumpkins last summer and fall. In October, the team invited local families to come pick a pumpkin to carve for Halloween. “Sharing together in the harvest is a deep way to honor our school’s Catholic mission and charism,” says Michael Downs, Director of Kinship and Creation. Bee-utiful Friendships In all healthy relationships, each member gives to enrich the life of the other. O’Dowd’s gardens need bees to flourish, and luckily, one of O’Dowd’s neighbors, James Griffith, is a bee expert. Since 2018, James has worked with O’Dowd’s Creation Care Team to share research studies, best practices, and his experiential knowledge. With James’ help, the Living Lab has a thriving bee colony. “Taking care of bees is not easy,” exclaims Otis. “Our neighbor has been a tremendous resource, helping our hive pollinate our fruits and vegetables, which helps us produce stronger crops.” In turn, James has enjoyed teaching students about beekeeping and regularly attends O’Dowd’s bee club meetings. “It’s been truly wonderful to connect with this community,” he shares. “O’Dowd’s Harvest Festival, in particular, is a really fun way to celebrate everything the Living Lab grows. And that’s not just food, it’s relationships, too.” A Hillside Transformed Since 2003, when O’Dowd broke ground to transform one of the school’s hillsides into a Living Lab, we’ve seen amazing growth. Food from the Living Lab is given to the cafeteria to make healthy meals. Any food waste goes into compost bins, which go back into Living Lab soil. “It’s a closed-loop system,” states Devra Laner, one of the Living Lab educators. “By doing everything on-site, we reduce our carbon footprint, and we help address the food desert.” And we’ve built a stronger community. Sharing food together, sharing ecological knowledge, sharing traditions – these practices have knit our relationships with the Oak Knoll, Toler Heights, and Castlemont neighborhoods closer. “It’s really been special for us students to gain expertise from the local community,” says Griffin. “Each generation gathers new information and passes it down to the younger generation.”

“Not only did we get to help our environment, but we also connected as a community,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch two different schools working together to succeed in one goal.” Mary Lee ’22 “As a global community, we use 420 million metric tons of paper a year,” reports Mary Lee ’22. “It made me wonder: What am I doing to offset the paper usage in my own community?” Mary has been interning for the non-profit Keep Oakland Beautiful since October 2021, serving as a youth advisor on the board with another student from Oakland Tech High School. The two were assigned to develop a capstone project. “I immediately thought about paper usage and ways to offset it,” Mary explains. The duo launched an initiative to plant 295 trees, engaging O’Dowd and Oakland Tech High Schools, as well as the broader community. Partnering with Treeplenish, Mary and Ava sold apple, olive and cherry tree saplings for $10 each to enthusiastic East Bay residents who supported the girls’ environmental cause. “We made sure to be inclusive in our efforts,” Mary explained. “We designed it so people could pick trees up at O’Dowd or have a student volunteer deliver them.” On planting day, Mary and her team were overwhelmed by the support of the community. “We had so many volunteers,” exclaims Mary. “Over 150 people came to help distribute plants on campus, and deliver and plant trees throughout the East Bay.” Mary and her team hit their goal of planting 295 trees, while achieving exceptional community engagement. “There were complete strangers who connected with our goal and wanted to participate,” notes Mary. Zoe Grbich ’22 participated because she enjoyed the chance to make an immediate impact. Not only did we get to help our environment, but we also connected as a community,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch two different schools working together to succeed in one goal.” Projects like these illustrate why service learning is central to O’Dowd’s mission. “I always thought ‘making a difference’ was a huge feat,” shares Chloe Blume ’25. “Planting trees with other people who share this love for the environment helped me realize how simple it is to make change.” The project also garnered the support of many local leaders, including Assembly Member Mia Bonta, Councilmember Dan Kalb, Councilmember Loren Taylor, and Kyra Mungia from the Mayor’s Office – all of whom joined the event and enjoyed a tour in our Living Lab. “It made me feel proud to share my love for Oakland and keep our city green,” says Mary. “O’Dowd’s Charism call of kinship with creation was really present in our work today. We brought new life to our planet, and built community, together.

Droughts, heat waves, wildfires, tropical storms and hurricanes, rising oceans and shrinking Arctic ice caps. These climate change catastrophes continue to devastate communities. Their effects are inescapable. O’Dowd has been at the forefront of environmental activism since the sixties, when we introduced our first Environmental Studies course. In 1970, students founded the first Ecology Club, and hosted O’Dowd’s very first Earth Day celebration. The school’s deep commitment to our Charism value of kinship with creation ultimately led the development of both our 4-acre Living Lab and LEED Platinum Certified Center for Environmental Studies, which work in tandem to offer students a pioneering education in ecology, environmental science, and environmental justice. Today O’Dowd holds the distinct accolade of being the first Catholic school to earn the highest-level honor – “Green Achiever” – from the California Department of Education. And now we are taking our leadership further. “Because of O’Dowd’s innovative approach to environmental education, we’ve been asked to lead the California Catholic Conference’s Committee on Environmental Stewardship,” reports Michael Downs, O’Dowd’s Director of Kinship and Justice, who is serving as co-chair of the Committee. “O’Dowd and five other Green Ribbon schools are charged with taking our exemplary environmental teaching models and using them to expand environmental literacy across the state, in both Catholic and public schools.” Downs has been pivotal in building O’Dowd’s celebrated Kinship with Creation curriculum since he joined the school in 2016. “Our environmental education program is informed by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si,” explains Downs. “He calls us, very clearly, to care for our common home. It’s our responsibility, our mandate, to take action against climate change.” When 9th graders begin their education at O’Dowd, our Charism value of kinship with creation is woven through the math, science, religion, and service learning courses. It grows from there. Students plant seedlings in our Living Lab, then partner with Oakland Unified School District and CalFresh to give take-home gardening kits to low-income families. Students harvest fruits, herbs and vegetables, and fresh laid eggs from our Living Lab to be used in the school’s cafeteria meals. “We send students to Appalachia to learn about the effects of the coal industry,” Downs describes. “And then we sent students to Washington D.C. to advocate for environmental justice.” The point is to create a holistic, integrated education model where students learn in the classroom and take action in the world. “That’s how we’re going to make an impact,” Downs asserts “Our vision with the California Catholic Conference is to educate all California students in an integrated approach that protects nature, combats poverty, and restores dignity to marginalized communities.” Michael Downs Downs is also a member of the Vatican’s Laudato Si Action Platform Working Committee on Educational Institutions, which aims to design environmental sustainability curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students. He contributes to the National Catholic Reporter and the National Catholic Education Association on issues of environmental education, too. “I fully took Laudato Si to heart,” Downs proclaims. “There was a vocational upwelling when I read it. It was one of the few moments in my life when I truly knew what I was called to do – to work at the intersection of earth and spirit, to stop injustice.” Today, Downs sees school campuses as laboratories for climate resiliency. “We need a radical mindset shift,” he declares. “The model we’ve developed at O’Dowd, it has the power to scale, it has the power to inspire. We’re creating hope, and that has a ripple effect. We can affect people’s hearts and minds, and ultimately protect our common home.” For more information about O’Dowds environmental education programming, click here . Interested in giving to support our work? Donate today!

Written by students Sam Hokkanen ’23 and Amia Carrillo Ramanathan ’23, joint Editors-in-Chief for The Crozier , O’Dowd’s online student newsletter. As smoke gathered over the Bay Area horizon in September, Bishop O’Dowd High School hosted one stop of the Northern and Central California Green Strides Tour. The tour celebrates schools around the country who have implemented environmentally conscious practices in their communities. The Green Strides Tour also seeks to rekindle the interest and progress surrounding environmental issues and environmentally friendly practices. The O’Dowd event was attended by the U.S. and California Departments of Education, as well as educators and leaders in environmental sustainability from around the Bay Area. An array of people gathered around O’Dowd’s Center for Environmental Studies (CES), which stands above the state-of-the-art Living Lab, a 4-acre hilly plot of land that includes a native plant community, certified wildlife habitat, and a sustainable garden. This acclaimed resource for environmental studies, service learning, and sustainable practices was completed in the year 2000 and has undergone ecological restoration annually ever since. It took a dedicated group of people in the O’Dowd community to complete this project and make sure it has run smoothly for over two decades. Every year, student volunteers as well as volunteers from the community participate in living lab service planting trees, gardening, and fostering connections. The CES features two large science laboratories and a covered outdoor classroom. Per O’Dowd, “Together the Living Lab and CES create an experiential and multidisciplinary learning platform for students…empowering them to become the next generation of environmental and sustainability leaders.” The Living Lab not only provides a space for students, but it also uses 75,000 pounds of compost to fertilize the soil and many vegetables and fruits grown in its garden are used in the school cafeteria. O’Dowd is nationally recognized for these specific achievements, along with the implementation of sustainable practices across campus. In 2014, O’Dowd was nominated for the silver Green Ribbon Award and the gold award in 2015, winning both. According to administration, O’Dowd is implementing sustainable practices on campus in various ways. For example, approximately 50-55% of the O’Dowd campus is powered by solar panels, which are located on the roofs of several buildings around campus. To conserve water, O’Dowd recently surveyed every single pipe across campus and fixed all the leaks. Additionally, O’Dowd is consistently striving for zero waste, primarily through the usage of compostable dishes, silverware, and napkins in the cafeteria. O’Dowd is also providing a plethora of recycling and composting stations across campus, as well as signs to aid people in properly sorting their trash. The O’Dowd campus also includes nine charging stations for fully electric cars and three transportation buses to and from school. However, one of the biggest sustainability projects is O’Dowd’s brand new baseball/softball field, which was completed this past spring. The softball field utilizes an advanced water system that automatically cuts off sprinklers when enough water is applied and takes into account rainfall in how much water is given. The lower field was re-turfed right before this football season using professional-grade synthetic turf, which is made of sand and crushed olive pits. This eco-friendly turf replaced the original turf of crushed tires which is notoriously bad for the environment. George Garcia, the program lead for the California Green Ribbon schools under the California Department of Education, noted, “O’Dowd has all the members of its school community on board with the same vision to bring environmental literacy, sustainability, and health and wellness to the entire school …. from the ground to the roof, from the Living Lab to the classroom environments. This is not a siloed approach. It’s a collaborative approach to environmental literacy, and O’Dowd embodies that.” Mr. Garcia emphasized the fact that O’Dowd is extremely dedicated to environmental sustainability and serves as a prime example for other schools to follow. It was an honor for O’Dowd to host the Green Strides Tour this year, and the O’Dowd community hopes to continue to serve as a sustainability example to schools across the state. For more information about the Green Strides Tour, the Green Ribbon Award, and an in-depth look at environmental sustainability across the country, click here.

Dear Dragons, Catholic Schools Week is coming up, and I’m more proud than ever to serve as president of O’Dowd, where we just welcomed over 800 applicants for the class of 2028 (our biggest applicant pool ever)! Bishop O’Dowd High School was established in 1951, almost 75 years ago. And we continue to grow, attracting students from Oakland and across the East Bay because of how powerfully we enact our Catholic mission and charism. Catholic education is unique. O’Dowd’s charism tells us why. We seek to find God in all things. Here on our campus, students connect to their deepest values, express their voices, explore the subjects that inspire them, stand for justice, serve our communities, compete with pride, and perform with joy. A Catholic education is about the whole person. It’s an education that enriches students spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically and socially. It’s an education that empowers students to become a force for the common good, and to lead the next generation. Here is just one example: Shane Canet ’24 took O’Dowd’s signature class “Science and the Environment” as a 9th grader. The course excited him so much that he went on to take Honors Chemistry, then Advanced Placement Chemistry, and now he is planning for a college major in engineering. Additionally, Shane is President of the Filipino Club, serves on our Campus Ministry Team, participates in Track and Field, and distributes food to Oakland families in need as part of his O’Dowd service learning project. “My education at O’Dowd has encouraged me to embrace what I don’t understand, and to find my own answers,” reflects Shane. “That’s what inspires me.” Every year, O’Dowd sends hundreds of graduates into the world. Each, like Shane, have found their own passion and their own path. And I cannot be more proud to watch our Dragons go out and fulfill our mission - building a more just, joyful, and sustainable world. Thank you, Dragons! Here’s to Catholic Schools Week! Kim Walsh, President Bishop O’Dowd High School

For the third year in a row, the O’Dowd men’s and women’s varsity rugby teams engaged in a community service project, helping the Kairos Prison Outreach Program set up and organize their Fall retreat for women and children who have male family members currently incarcerated. The students transported gear and equipment from storage to the retreat center, then set up all the cots, inflated air mattresses, covered windows, moved tables and chairs, hung banners, and loaded and unloaded groceries and other retreat supplies. “I love that this project has become part of our program and culture.  It is a great way to bond as a team and serve others. I’m really proud of all the kids that took part,” Director of Rugby Ray Lehner said.

O’Dowd’s music students put on a spectacular show for their annual Winter Concert with 5 different groups performing. Check out the great videos below. Special thanks to our school videographer Mr. Rittenbach.

Congratulations to the Jazz Workshop Band for winning unanimous “Excellent” ratings at the Campana Jazz Festival. Dan Molyneaux and Derrick Wang were singled out for Outstanding Musicianship awards.  The band played a great set and learned a lot from the clinic with master saxophonist Aaron Lington.

Each year Symphonic Band joins with MUSE Band to present a concert designed to inspire young people to study music in the schools.   MUSE is an organization dedicated to educating elementary students on the basics of music.  Many MUSE students have gone on to join the growing O’Dowd music program as well as other high school music programs.  This year’s concert was especially exciting with the biggest turn-out ever!

This year’s Lillian Black Festival of the Arts brought together music, dance, choral, and visual arts students from the entire Oakland Diocese to “show their stuff” in an all-day festival on the O’Dowd campus. The String Orchestra and Symphonic Band set the tone of the day by playing excellent sets of music.

This year’s Multicultural Assembly was a big success. After the opening ceremony sung by Tyler Paige, Jazz Workshop Band rocked out with a version of “Oye Como Va” followed by Derrick Wang playing “Jasmine Flower” on the soprano sax.