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2017 Transforming Lives Dinner » Event Raises Nearly $280,000 As a freshman at a public high school, Cameron Lee ’19 was a straight “A” student, but was frustrated because he was unable to secure space in honors classes. He applied to O’Dowd because he was seeking a more academically challenging environment. Cameron was accepted to O’Dowd based on his outstanding grades, test scores and recommendations. But in order to hold his place, Cameron’s mom, Cynthia, had to pay a $1,000 deposit – money she didn’t have. Money is tight in the Lee house, with Cynthia working two jobs to support Cameron and his 22-year-old sister with Down syndrome. Fortunately for Cameron, O’Dowd was able to offer his family financial aid and make his dream of attending a college preparatory high school a reality. “Dr. Phelps called my mom to tell us that I could become a Dragon because of generous donors like you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, because you have opened up a whole new world to me,” he said. Cameron was one of several speakers who shared their moving stories at O’Dowd’s signature fundraising event, the Transforming Lives Dinner, held on Nov. 3 and attended by almost 250 people, which raised nearly $280,000 for O’Dowd’s financial aid program. The event was chaired by O’Dowd parents Imelda and Alan McIntosh. Alan is a member of the Board of Regents. “Education is a blessing and a gift. I am grateful for this opportunity to grow, not only as a student and athlete, but as an individual. O’Dowd allows me to practice and deepen my Catholic faith and teaches moral and personal values to guide me in this confusing world,” Cameron said. “Thank you for investing in my future and for noticing my potential to do great things. Without your generosity, the access to such an amazing school would not be possible. My mom and sister and I will always be thankful to you.” Event attendees also heard from two other students – Ruby Perez ’18 and Emily Mattoon ’18 – whose lives have been dramatically changed by the opportunity to attend O’Dowd. And alumnus Michael Perry ’04, a successful entrepreneur in the technology arena who was named to the 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30 list (in the marketing and advertising category) and was named a 2013 New Business Innovator of the Year, was the featured alumni speaker. Perry urged event attendees to continue to create educational opportunities for students like Cameron, Ruby and Emily. “O’Dowd was a foundational part of my success in business and a launching pad for life,” he said. He kicked off the “Fund-A-Need” portion of the program, making a donation of $2,004, in honor of his O’Dowd graduation year. It’s not too late to help deserving students. Visit our website to make an online gift. The Transforming Lives Dinner Committee included PJ and Alex Bernstein, Leeann and Mike Cobb, Amy Duffy Hester ’89 and Kevin Hester ’88, Kevin Leader, Tina Canales and Greg Onken, and Maria and Tom ’74 Powell. Special thanks to the O’Dowd String Orchestra, led by Director of Instrumental Music Fred Randolph, for providing musical entertainment at the event.

With this in mind the Design Hub is up and running for the Fall of 2016. The vision behind the Hub is not so much to be a “There” as to be a “How.” The Hub provides materials, supplies, tools, guidance, for students to direct their own design efforts and then execute on those ideas. The Hub supports classroom projects, club activities, personal undertakings, student government, campus ministry and other co-curricular needs – it is for the student to decide. While the Hub is intended as a student resource, teachers and staff can make use it for curriculum development and classroom support. In order to get the Hub off the ground, the school is piloting use of the Physics room as a place to begin, as many of the materials and tools needed are already there in support of the Science classes in the room. The room is available before and after school and at MP. There is a collection of ready-to-go projects to get the students started using the Hub as they get the hang of being student directed. One project is a foam board box for recycled copier paper and another is an ornithopter made from reused materials. The hope is to make the supplies used as sustainable as possible by reusing materials. Materials for reuse are always welcome. You can bring your yogurt cups, TP tubes, old art supplies, green strawberry baskets, scrap cloth, coat hangers, and the like to room 110. Unfortunately, space is limited so smaller items are better.

Each year, the National Hispanic Recognition Program honors more than 5,000 academically outstanding students from the more than 250,000 Hispanic/Latino juniors who take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. To be eligible, students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino (based on the program’s definition) and achieve a minimum PSAT/NMSQT score for their region. Students with cumulative junior year grade-point average of 3.5 or higher are designated as Scholars.

Dylan Brown ’17 will address a crowd of over 1,800 at the 19th Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, scheduled for November 12-14 in Washington, D.C. The annual gathering provides opportunities for attendees to learn, reflect, pray, network, and advocate in the context of the Catholic faith tradition. A significant portion of attendees are young people, ages 16-22, representing Jesuit and other Catholic institutions from across the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and El Salvador. The 2016 Teach-In theme, “Mercy in Action,” will mark the closing days of Pope Francis’s Year of Mercy, inviting participants to “grow in a love which is courageous, generous and real.” [Pope Francis] The program is sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network Watch livestream coverage of the Teach-In. You can view Dylan’s speech at 6:46 PM EST on Saturday, November 12! See full schedule

Six O’Dowd students were at ground zero on Election Day – an election many called the most pivotal moment of our lifetime – serving as poll workers at various locations within Alameda County. Maksymilian Bialek ’17, Elise Cypher ’19, Mark Gravador ’17, Summer Morf ’19, Rouie Shue ’18 and Lauren Singleton ’17 will be putting in full or half days at polling places near their homes. In preparation for their assignments, the students attended a mandatory two-hour training class detailing their responsibilities. Gravador, who is interested in majoring in political science in college, thought the experience would be enlightening. “Working within the election will give me a better idea of the system,” he said. The California State Legislature adopted a law allowing high school students to serve as poll workers on Election Day in August 1996. The Student Poll Worker Program promotes civic awareness and educates about the election process by involving students to serve as poll workers on Election Day. Students must be 16 years of age at the time of the election, must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and must have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale). The students are paid for the efforts and can also earn class credit or community service hours.

Lots of O’Dowd students, faculty, staff and alumni had a rooting interest in this year’s World Series. And it wasn’t because they were avid Cubs or Indians fans. They were curious to see if freshman Connor Garcia Whitehill’s prediction – made last March – that the Cubs would win the Series would come true. After falling behind 3-1, the Cubs rallied and won the Series on November 2, in a thrilling 10-inning Game 7 marked by rain delay, ending a 108 year championship drought. Was Connor nervous when things weren’t looking so bright for the Cubs? Absolutely. “At that point I had kind of given up on the Connor Curve because I felt like it was going to be the Indians who were going to finally walk away with the championship,” he said. “I’m glad that it ended up being correct.” Connor created the Connor Curve for a middle school project, developing a spreadsheet and formulas that analyzed MLB statistics. He used the information to predict rankings of each team, and called the winners of four out of six divisions. “It took 40 hours to complete the project,” he said. “About 25 of those hours were spent on research leading up to the metric and also spreadsheet work and the algorithm. Another 15 were spent making the video.” Connor’s prediction received lots of press coverage – from local and Chicago-area television stations and newspapers to ESPN’s Sports Center. “The whole process was really fun for me,” he said. Family and friends were frenzied after the deciding game of the World Series, Connor said. “My Dad’s phone was blowing up with texts,” he said. “Everyone was so supportive and happy for me. I’ve heard from so many people saying that they were rooting for the Cubs not because they wanted the losing streak to tend but because they wanted the Connor Curve to come true.” Connor’s Honors Geometry teacher Don Goss said the Connor Curve is impressive. “To see someone at that age already finding out what Math can do for him was exciting to me,” he said. “I hope it inspires other students, and shows them that lots of things can be analyzed through numbers.” Connor is already looking forward to making a prediction about the 2017 World Series. “Maybe I’ll create a Connor Curve 2.0 and make it a bit more advanced and add in some new stats,” he said.

O’Dowd students gathered in the large gymnasium on Nov. 1 for the All Saints Liturgy. Celebrated by campus chaplain Fr. Jim Sullivan, the liturgy focused on acknowledging the saints in our own lives and recognizing the impact they have on us and the world. Several members of the Campus Ministry Team shared inspirational, personal stories about the saints in their lives, including parents, grandparents, siblings, coaches, counselors and neighbors.

Students practiced soldering skills by making art on hole printed circuit boards, as practice for an AM transmitter soldering project. Students will solder actual circuit boards to create AM transmitters on October 31, during 5th period, and November 5, at MP. Design Hub completes one hour projects at each MP. The following is a picture of one of the products from the October 27 meeting. It is a box made from foam board. It holds quarter sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper that has only been copied on one side.  The students can take them home or give to their favorite teacher. The next project is a rubber band driven ornithopter.

As part of our Health and Wellness Week at Bishop O’Dowd High School, Dr. Adrienne Candell ’83 will speak to the parent community about adolescent mental health in a presentation titled “Promoting Teen Wellness.” Dr. Candell completed her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley in 1987 and then her graduate degree from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1990. She began her career as a post-doctoral intern at Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa, and was subsequently hired on the Child/Family team in Union City where she has been working for over 22 years. Dr. Candell works with children from 4 to 18 years old treating clinical issues ranging from behavior problems in response to family stressors to ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Her work includes both individual and group treatment. The youngest of four siblings, a mother of two daughters, and an O’Dowd alumna, we are pleased to have Dr. Candell as our evening speaker on Thursday, November 10, from 7-8:30 p.m., in the Annex. Please click this link to RSVP for this event if you plan to attend.

The annual men’s alumni basketball games will be held on Friday, Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving. Veteran alumni (those in the Class of 2000 and older) will play the junior varsity at 1 p.m. Young alumni (those in the Class of 2001 or younger) will take on the varsity team at 3 p.m. Alumni are invited to remain after the games for snacks and to mingle. Contact varsity men’s basketball coach Lou Richie if you are interested in playing or for more information.

The annual alumni water polo game is set for Saturday, Nov. 26, beginning at noon, at Holy Names University pool. All alumni are invited to come and show they still have it in a game against this season’s players. After the game all are invited to stay for a light lunch and social time. Contact coach Neal Hamilton for more information.

Gone are the days when spring sports and school activities that happen in April and May aren’t featured in the O’Dowd yearbook due to publishing deadlines. “It is time to include the whole year in our school self-portrait,” Journalism teacher Damian Barnes said. “We have been innovating with our student publications for the last four years, and this year we are turning it up a big notch!” This year the yearbook staff is introducing new technology so that even events happening very late in the school year – like Senior Prom – will be represented in the yearbook. Yearbook co-editor Sydni Resnick and video editor Reece Mladjov explained that QR (quick response) codes embedded on pages in the printed annual will enrich the yearbook experience by allowing readers to do a quick scan with their smart phone to connect with photos and even videos on the Internet. 2-D coded images, QR codes are commonly used to store data like the barcodes of items purchased in stores. But the ones in the O’Dowd yearbook will take readers on a virtual journey. “Last year we had a hard time getting the softball page together before the deadline. There will never be a time when spring sports are not in the yearbook now,” Mladjov said. “And, in addition to photo galleries, there can be videos of the softball team actually playing. So that’s a cool thing.” Video will include drone footage, Mladjov said. “We’ll be able to have video that gives a bird’s eye view of the middle of the football field during Spirit Week Olympics,” he offered as an example. Modifications to work flow will also make for a more polished yearbook, Resnick and Mladjov said. In the past, for example, individual yearbook staff members were responsible for taking photographs for the pages that they produced. This year, there is a skilled student photography team taking all yearbook photos and professionally editing them using Photoshop and Lightroom. The photography team will also assist staff members in designing the individual yearbook pages and applying filters (like those used in Instagram and Snapchat). Additionally, student artists will be contributing artwork that will be incorporated into the yearbook. “It’s fun to bring a new twist to the yearbook,” Resnick said of the innovations underway. Mladjov is excited he’s part of the team to produce the first O’Dowd yearbook with video. “Other people will definitely be looking to us for examples, so we are going to do the best job that we can,” he said.

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After a frenzied week of competition, including theme dress days, hallway decorating, lunchtime activities, wacky Olympic games and the Night Rally, the freshman class was declared the winner of Spirit Week 2016. This is the third consecutive year that the freshman class has come out on top. The point totals were as follows: freshmen 2,256; juniors 2,179; sophomores 2,121 and seniors 2,037 Check O’Dowd’s YouTube channel for videos of Spirit Week fun and the website for Spirit Week photos.

Best-selling author Jennifer Niven made a return visit to O’Dowd last week to talk about her latest young adult novel, Holding Up The Universe, which was released October 4. Several classes were on hand for her presentation, held in the theater. “The best thing about being a writer is getting to meet and talk to readers,” she said. She last visited O’Dowd in January 2015, the day after her first young adult book, All the Bright Places, was released. That book became a New York Times/International best seller, and a movie based on the book, starring Elle Fanning, is set to be released in 2017. Niven is writing the script for the movie. Niven has written nonfiction and fiction, both historical and contemporary, adult and young adult. “At first glance my books are all over the map, but if you look closely they share a common theme: they are stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” she said. English teacher Damian Barnes was thrilled that Niven returned to campus. “She is so approachable with the students, and I love that they feel comfortable enough to ask questions about her process and her career. These book talks from authors invited by Mrs. Counts in the library and the Book Club give students the chance to learn about what it takes to write literature,” he said. The primary creative influence in Niven’s life was her mother, author Penelope Niven. “She taught me to observe life and people, and told me that you can find a story anywhere,” Niven said. Written while Niven was touring for All the Bright Places, Holding Up The Universe is about two teens, Libby and Jack, who meet through a cruel high school game and form an improbable friendship. It’s also about learning to love yourself, Niven said. During a question and answer session, Niven talked about how she deals with writer’s block, shared who her favorite authors are, described how writing a script is different than a novel, the writing process, and her day-to-day life as a writer. Students were curious about the nuts and bolts of writing a novel – particularly if Niven followed any kind of writing formula. “Each book I’ve written wants to be written differently,” Niven said. “I tend to be a combination of pantsing (writing by the seat of her pants) and plotting. But I always leave myself open to detours,” she said.

All photos are accessible by Yearbook as well. View pictures of Theme Day » View pictures of Super Heroes Day » View pictures of Day of the Decades » View pictures of Unity Day » All videos can be found on our YouTube channel » Click photo thumbnail to view in slideshow THEN images can be right clicked and downloaded at 1024px wide by 768px. Olympics Photos by Lisa Coffey-Mahoney Photos by Donovan Rittenbach Morning

All videos can be found on our YouTube channel » View pictures of Theme Day » View pictures of Super Heroes Day » View pictures of Day of the Decades » View pictures of Unity Day »

All photos are accessible by Yearbook as well. View pictures of Class Colors Day » View pictures of Theme Day » View pictures of Super Heroes Day » View pictures of Day of the Decades » View pictures of Unity Day » All videos can be found on our YouTube channel » Click photo thumbnail to view in slideshow THEN images can be right clicked and downloaded at 1024px wide by 768px. Morning Photos by Donovan Rittenbach Photos by Lisa Coffey-Mahoney Break and Lunch Photos by Donovan Rittenbach

View pictures of Class Colors Day » View pictures of Theme Day » View pictures of Super Heroes Day » View pictures of Day of the Decades » View pictures of Unity Day » All videos can be found on our YouTube channel » Click photo thumbnail to view in slideshow THEN images can be right clicked and downloaded at 1024px wide by 768px. Morning Photos by Lisa Coffey-Mahoney Morning Photos by Donovan Rittenbach 1st Lunch Photos by Donovan Rittenbach Day Rally and 2nd Lunch Photos by Donovan Rittenbach