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Bishop O'Dowd High School
motto = Cor unum in Christo trans. One heart in Christ.
Established	1951
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Administration	Stephen Phelps, Ed.D., President Joseph G. Salamack III, M.A., M.S., Principal Barbara Goodson, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Lisa Tortorich, M.A., Assistant Principal for Academics
Location	Oakland, CA, USA
Campus	Urban
Enrollment	1170
Faculty	77
Average class size	27
Student:teacher ratio	15:1
Average SAT scores (2006)	603 verbal 643 math
Athletics	16 CIF Varsity teams
Color(s)	Black and Gold
Mascot	Dragon
Homepage	www.bishopodowd.org

Bishop O'Dowd High School is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory school in Oakland, California, administered by the Diocese of Oakland. Bishop O'Dowd requires all students to participate in Catholic Christian religion classes, but a vast number of students are of other faith backgrounds or do not practice an organized religion. The school has a strong academic program, high college matriculation, and well-known alumni. Bishop O'Dowd is also regarded as a more affordable alternative to secular private college preparatory schools schools such as College Preparatory and Head Royce.

Contents 1 History 2 Recent Upgrades 3 Academics 4 Demographics 5 Student Life 5.1 Clubs 5.2 Athletics 6 Technology 7 Accreditation and Membership 8 Notable Alumni 9 External links 10 References

Bishop O'Dowd High School is named in memory of the former Director of Education of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, Bishop James T. O'Dowd. At the time of his sudden death, the Bishop was in the process of drawing up plans for a new Catholic high school in the East Bay.

Archbishop of San Francisco John Joseph Mitty established O'Dowd as a Catholic, co-institutional high school (boys and girls on the same campus, but separated for most activities). The school opened in September 1951 with 120 freshmen in facilities provided by St. Louis Bertrand School, with a faculty of two Diocesan priests, four Adrian Dominican Sisters and Fr. Mark J. Hurley as the first principal.

In September 1952, classes met for the first time on the present campus. A grade level was added each year until the school reached capacity enrollment of 900 students with its first graduates in 1955. In these early years Diocesan priests administered the school.

After the new Diocese of Oakland was formed in 1962, Bishop Begin transferred the administration of the school to the California Province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1966. Later the school became fully co-educational served by both Adrian Dominican Sisters and the Oblate Fathers.

In 1978 the Diocese transferred the administration of the school to the Congregation of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers). The Adrian Dominican Sisters continued to staff the school until 1994 when they withdrew, citing declining numbers. It was during this era that the school began to see major physical changes to the campus, which included a football field with bleachers, additional parking, new computer labs and expanded library facilities with a computerized on-line system.

In 1991, the science labs were updated and the school was made accessible to the physically challenged with the addition of an elevator. A two-story, ten-classroom addition opened in 1993 to replace the five portables that had served as classrooms since the 1960's.

On July 1, 2005 the Diocese of Oakland established a President/Principal model of governance with a Board of Regents of Limited Jurisdiction designed for the 21st century. Three Basilian Fathers remained in non-administrative roles for the 2005-06 school year, but withdrew in June of 2006 because of declining numbers. For the first time, laymen and women administered Bishop O'Dowd High School.

In the summer and fall of 2006, a science classroom was added, and in more than 10 classrooms, ceiling-mounted projectors were added. The wireless network access was upgraded to provide for whole-campus coverage, and all teachers were provided with a Tablet PC.

Bishop O'Dowd's college preparatory curriculum includes Advanced Placement courses in 19 subjects, and an enhanced range of services to accommodate college preparatory students with learning differences. The curriculum includes honors courses in mathematics, language, English, social studies and science, and computer programming and multimedia design. A fully integrated arts and drama program, an environmental science program, and five languages are also offered. Students participate in a 100-hour service-learning program. A wireless technology environment allows students and faculty easy access to the Internet, and encourages student-centered learning. Students are encouraged to bring and use their laptops on campus.

The average SAT score for the O'Dowd class of 2005 was 1246. The national and state averages were 1028 and 1020.

Approximately 98 percent of graduating seniors enroll in colleges and universities in California and across the nation.

African American 15%, Asian 10%, Euro-American 48%, Latino 7%, other 20%.

An extensive student activities program includes student government, an award-winning Junior State of America program, Dragon Ambassadors, the ski club, and more than 30 student clubs.

Over 800 athletes participate in 16 interscholastic sports on 55 teams. Popular sports include Football, Men's Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Water Polo and Men's and Women's Lacrosse.

Bishop O'Dowd's technology program has increased greatly in its capacity. Teachers are encouraged to integrate technology into the classroom, and students are encouraged to bring laptops to class. All students and faculty at Bishop O'Dowd have access to computer labs on campus and in-house technology support. Technology Department head: Paul Jackson. Department Head of Audio / Visual: Mike Rieder, successor to Owen Derby.

O'Dowd is accredited by and/or affiliated with the following organizations:

• The Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Notable Bishop O'Dowd alumni include:

• Dave Meniketti - Singer/Guitarist of Y&T
• Amaya Brecher - Cast member of The Real World: Hawaii season on MTV
• Eric Bjornson - NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys (1995-2000) and New England Patriots (2000)
• Ryan Drese - Major League Baseball player
• Tarik Glenn - NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts
• Michael A. Goorjian - Emmy-winning actor
• Shawn Harris - Singer/Guitarist of The Matches
• Kevin Maas - Major League Baseball player
• Tajai Massey - Rapper for the hip hop group Souls of Mischief
• Matt Malley - Bassist for Counting Crows
• Kirk Morrison - NFL player for the Oakland Raiders
• Brian Shaw - Retired NBA player, now a Los Angeles Lakers coach
• Langston Walker - NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
• Matt Whalen - Drummer of The Matches
• Aaron Nagel - Trumpet player in Link 80
• Matt Bettinelli-Olpin - Guitarist of Link 80
• The Grouch - Musician in the hip hop group Living Legends
• Justin San Souci - Bassist of The Matches

• Official Bishop O'Dowd High School website

• Official Bishop O'Dowd High School website
• University of California Analytical Writing Placement Exam Results