We are excited to share that the Archdiocesan School Board and Office for Catholic Schools has selected O’Dea High School as the 2016-2017 Outstanding Catholic School. Awarded to one of 74 Catholic schools in the Seattle Archdiocese on behalf of Archbishop Sartain, the recipient of this annual recognition demonstrates “commitment and dedication to Catholic education.” In a letter from Superintendent, Dr. Haggarty, he stated “I am reminded, often, of the banners that hang outside the school. Brotherhood. Excellence. Diversity. Tradition. Catholic. Service. Responsibility. These are not only words adorning the exterior of the campus, they are verbs, that permeate the school culture. They remind us all that O’Dea develops students into young men of character, faith, and service.” Thank you to our entire O’Dea community for supporting us as we work to advance O’Dea’s mission of providing a quality Catholic education. Go Irish!

On Saturday, March 25th, senior Ben Beale attended the Joint Training Facility to present them with a new firefighter memorial he created to honor the men lost during the Mary Pang warehouse arson.  Ben is a member of West Seattle Troop 282. His project will be permanently displayed in the main hallway of the Joint Training Facility.

To read the full article in the West Seattle Blog, please click here.  Nice work, Ben!

Members of the Black Students United for Excellence (BSUE) club at O’Dea invited Mr. Nate Miles, the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and State Government Affairs for Eli Lilly and Company, to be the guest speaker during the annual O’Dea MLK Assembly.  Mr. Miles blessed the students with an unforgettable message on “Dreaming Big” and the important role it has played in his life.

Congratulations to our Irish Grapplers as they earned their 22nd Metro Championship! The young men blew away the competition defeating second place Roosevelt by 120 points! The Irish had 8 wrestlers in the finals and 5 Champions! Dominic Gjurasic, Skylar Kloth, Jack Markowitz, Dustyn Camacho, and Chris Manning all took home the Gold while Nate Balinbin, Alan Badley and Marcutio Hamaker came away with 2nd place finishes. Overall, the Irish advance 22 wrestlers to the Regional Tournament, this Saturday, February 11th at 10AM at Chief Sealth High School.

In individual accolades, Jack Markowitz won the Outstanding Wrestler award for the Metro League in the upper weights, O’Dea alum Derek Lopez won the Metro Coach of the Year award for his work at Rainier Beach HS, and O’Dea alum Coach Balinbin was awarded the Metro Assistant Coach of the Year. Great job to all the wrestlers, parents, fans, and coaches! Go Irish and Go Grapplers!

Congratulations to the Fighting Irish Freshman Basketball team on winning the O’Dea Freshman Tournament yet again!  The young hoopers finished their season with an impressive 19-1 record.  The future is looking bright!  Go Irish!