Talk:Bishop O'Dowd High School

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refs and pics? Victuallers 13:47, 13 August 2007 (UTC)

This article reads way too much like an advertisement. Note in the technology section: "We are working on..." It needs to be revised so that some *cough* tech crew kids stop vandalizing it for their own promotion. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.121.149.159 (talk • contribs) 22:47, 11 February 2007.

History section looks like a possible copyright violation from http://www.bishopodowd.org/about/history.htm. Removing... Zedla 01:45, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

Technology section still not right. "Among the most advanced in Califirnia" is unsubstantiated. The section also includes out-of date (and thus time-sensitive) information. Suggest revising to "Bishop O'Dowd has a well-developed educational technology program. The school implemented a one-to-one laptop program in the fall of the 2008-2009 school year. All students and faculty at Bishop O'Dowd have access to computer labs on campus and in-house technology support. A wireless technology environment allows students and faculty easy access to the Internet, and encourages student-centered learning." Also, the school re-structured their webpage, so the best link I can find for that citation is here (http://www.bishopodowd.org/s/770/portal.aspx?sid=770&gid=1&pgid=721). 04kerba (talk) 22:52, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

GA review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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This review is transcluded from Talk:Bishop O'Dowd High School/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: CostalCal (talk · contribs) 05:44, 16 May 2026 (UTC)

Reviewer: TrademarkedTWOrantula (talk · contribs) 04:16, 9 June 2026 (UTC)


Ooh, a Californian high school! I have a knack for researching those because I always wonder what life could've been at a different, larger school. Anyway, this is part of the June 2026 backlog drive. Comments to come shortly. —TWOrantulaTM (enter the web) 04:16, 9 June 2026 (UTC)

@TrademarkedTWOrantula Thanks for starting to review my page. I understand the overuse of SPS, and I replaced 3 SPS that had better coverage outside of the website. CostalCal (talk) 03:56, 12 June 2026 (UTC)
Taking a second skim, I notice an overabundance of subheadings in the academics section, and seeing as though these sections are supported by SPS, I would say this needs to be cut. I will have to see other high school GAs to get an idea of how the section is to be written. The same can be said for the extracurriculars section, as its scope could be narrowed. —TWOrantulaTM (enter the web) 05:47, 13 June 2026 (UTC)
@CostalCal: Finished. —TWOrantulaTM (enter the web) 01:22, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
@TrademarkedTWOrantula Thank you, I have done everything you asked. You worked so hard, and I pretty much did a lot of the easy work. CostalCal (talk) 00:52, 30 June 2026 (UTC)
Passed Brilliant work! Now, if you'll excuse me, it's practically almost high noon, and the plants need to be watered. —TWOrantulaTM (enter the web) 17:43, 30 June 2026 (UTC)

Initial comments

  • Nominator is the primary author, per this report.
  • Per Earwig, the highest similarity score is at 18%, meaning copyright violations are unlikely.
  • I'm noticing a bit of SPS being used to cite the school's extracurricular activities. These are likely to change over the years, so unless they're notable in some way, I'm sure they're not worthy of being mentioned.
Rate Attribute Review Comment
1. Well-written:
1a. the prose is clear, concise, and understandable to an appropriately broad audience; spelling and grammar are correct. A thorough copyedit has ensured that the prose is clear and concise. Any typos and grammatical errors were corrected by me.
1b. it complies with the Manual of Style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation. The lead section accurately reflects discussed content. Layout is correct per MOS:LAYOUT. No words from the WTW list have been spotted. Fiction and list incorporation policies do not apply.
2. Verifiable with no original research, as shown by a source spot-check:
2a. it contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline. The article has a reference section, and no bare URLs were spotted.
2b. reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose). While the article relies on primary sources, they are used to verify basic information, such as the school's selection of extracurriculars. Secondary sources are aptly cited for controversies.
2c. it contains no original research. Based on my spotcheck, there are some factual inaccuracies. However, the majority of this article's content is true to the sources. The source-text integrity has improved.
2d. it contains no copyright violations or plagiarism. See Earwig comment mentioned above.
3. Broad in its coverage:
3a. it addresses the main aspects of the topic. There is extensive coverage on the high school's history, academics, extracurriculars, and controversies.
3b. it stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style). Through the review, extra information has been cut from the article, certifying that the article keeps focus.
4. Neutral: it represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each. The article is neutral, as it does not use promotional language and does not take a side while describing controversies.
5. Stable: it does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute. The article is stable. No edit wars are occurring.
6. Illustrated, if possible, by media such as images, video, or audio:
6a. media are tagged with their copyright statuses, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content. Each image is tagged with a copyright status, and a fair use rationale is provided for the school's logo.
6b. media are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions. Each image is relevant to the topic and provides a sufficient visual aid for the reader while also having a suitable caption.
7. Overall assessment. Ever read The 57 Bus? If you're interested in learning more about Oakland through a real-world event, check it out.

Images

  • The school's logo seems to have no traceable source, as its URL is inaccessible. I checked the official website of the high school, and the logo featured in the article seems to not be in use.
  • The aerial views should have a URL directing to the image's source if found.

History

  • Could "permanent" in "permanent campus" be removed?
  • "The administrator was transferred" - Who was the administrator again?
  • When was the American football field added to Bishop O'Dowd?
  • The Lay Leadership section could be merged with the "religious administration and growth" section above. I wouldn't recommend separating a small portion of its history.
  • "4.5 acres of its perimeter" - Hold on. "Perimeter" implies that the project was held on the edges of the campus. Is that correct?
  • Why suddenly introduce a units conversion for the Bishop John S. Cummins Center?
  • "Since its founding, Bishop O'Dowd had graduated more than 17,000 alumni." - Where does the number of graduates come from? The source you chose to cite was from 2015. I would consider a primary source to be acceptable here because it is a statistic not often noted by secondary publications.

Namesake

  • "who served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Francisco" - During which specific time period, if known?
  • "later appointed Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese" - In which year?
  • "at the age of 42" - Is his age worth mentioning? We already have his birth and death date written in parenthesis at the first sentence.
  • Well-written section, but it could be merged to the history section and placed before "founding and early years".

Student body

  • "US$3 million annually" - Why the sudden need to specify American dollars?
  • "primarily due to more students identifying as Hispanic or Latino, Asian, and two or more races" - How is this verified by the two cited sources?
  • "The school often prioritizes applicants who come from Diocese of Oakland elementary schools." - The source you've cited doesn't seem to mention the increased chances of selection.

Academics

  • Taking Cheyenne Mountain's layout as an inspiration, we could reduce the number of subheadings and merge them into a single "curriculum" section. I've taken the liberty of grouping some of these subheadings into similar topics.
  • "Bishop O'Dowd offers academic programs in humanities, STEM, religious studies, language and culture studies, and visual and performing arts." - This is already implied by the list of graduation requirements you describe in the first sentence of the "curriculum" section. It could be removed.
  • "The school also offers AP and honors courses across major subject areas." - APs and Honors courses are already mentioned in the last sentence of the "curriculum" section, so once again, this sentence should be removed.

Extracurricular activities

  • Why are some sports linked in the first paragraph, but some aren't? Either have them all linked or don't.
  • "The school has won 16 CIF State Championships." - Since when?
  • How up-to-date is the information on the school's basketball teams?
  • "Following a rebuild" - Teams don't get "rebuilt". I'm not sure what the correct wording is, but I figure it's somewhere along the lines of "reworked".
  • "The team then won the NorCal Division I Championship" - In what year or season? (I assume this year, but you can never be too sure.)
  • The problem with school clubs is that they are subject to change. A club can exist one year but be fully disbanded in the next. Seeing as though there is a lack of secondary coverage, I think we can remove this section from the article. If these clubs were to have shown any impact on the city, then this section could be rewritten.
  • IIRC, some of the information mentioned in the "Environmental studies" section is already described in the "History" section. I would recommend scrapping this section as well, due to the lack of secondary coverage.
  • The "Student leadership" section can go, too. It seems skewed towards being promotional. Same for "Visual and performing arts".
  • Spirit Week is fine to include since it is a long-standing tradition.
  • Summary: A lot of this section's contents can be cut because of the lack of secondary coverage. If these clubs and extracurricular activities have shown impact (such as participating in a national competition or being recognized for an award), they can be included.

Campus

  • The rest of the article doesn't seem to employ the acre unit conversion.
  • I'd recommend moving this section up to before the school's history is described.

Transportation

  • I don't think transportation bus routes are relevant to a high school article. Travel information is best suited for Wikivoyage, and I think that type of information is run-of-the-mill. I would recommend removing this section.

Controversies

  • "conform their lives" - Bit of a confusing phrase here. How does one "conform" their life? Do you mean that they adopt the beliefs they were given?
  • "senior students" - Goodin and Bruhmuller technically aren't seniors anymore, so I think adding "former" before "senior students" would help.
  • "sustain pressure on the administration" - Umm... I'm not sure how to rephrase this, but something feels off. What was the intended idea with this sentence?
  • "Many critics have regarded the school's status as an elite preparatory academy with little socioeconomic diversity and its relationship with the surrounding neighborhood." - Some direct quotes from the cited quotes would help to frame this perspective from the critics.
  • Huh, imagine if my high school was featured in a novel. That would be so cool. Anyway, well-written section.

Notable alumni

  • I've never actually seen someone pull off a fully-developed alumni listing before! I'll be sure to keep this template in mind as I edit high school articles myself.

Lead

  • I will review this section last as I feel it could improve with some more summarization, given that this is a longer article. For now, comparing this with the latest high school GA (Cheyenne Mountain High School), the lead could use a summary on extracurriculars and accreditations.
  • Update: Having thoroughly read the entire article, I have taken the liberty to expand the lead myself. I chose to elaborate on alumni a bit more, making sure to include the pop culture reference.

Spotchecking

  • I will check all 68 sources after I come back from a bike ride. Here's a permalink for reference.
  • #1: Green tickY
  • #2: Red XN - I couldn't get a search result from the archived link, so there's no way to verify if this high school is WASC certified. However, the school's about page could replace the source currently cited.
  • #3: Green tickY
  • #4: Green tickY
  • #5: Red XN - The archived source says "More than 12,000 graduates", not 17,000.
  • #6: Red XN - Source does not mention when or how school was founded.
  • #7: Red XN - Contains the exact same citation as #6 and does not correctly cite initial freshman statistics.
  • #8: Red XN - The events mentioned are correct, but the source does not seem to mention the first principal nor any of the original faculty.
  • #9: Green tickY
  • #10: Green tickY
  • #11: Red XN - Does not mention the transition to a president-principal model.
  • #12: Green tickY
  • #13: Red XN - Does not mention the science center's cost or the year of opening, which are covered by this source and this source respectively.
  • #14: Red XN - No need to mention the area or what the facility includes because they are not mentioned in the original source.
  • #15: Green tickY
  • #16: Green tickY
  • #17: Green tickY - AGF.
  • #18: Green tickY
  • #19: Green tickY
  • #20: Red XN - Better to cite a page from the official school website instead of citing the HSPT website themselves. Perhaps this page might be best.
  • #21: Green tickY - Though I feel you could do without this citation, as #22 best cites the sentence.
  • #22: Green tickY
  • #23: Green tickY
  • #24: Green tickY
  • #25: Green tickY
  • #26: Green tickY
  • #27: Green tickY
  • #28: Green tickY
  • #29: Green tickY
  • #30: Red XN - No mention of the number of CIF State Championships competed.
  • #31: Green tickY
  • #32: Green tickY
  • #33: Green tickY
  • #34: Red XN - Dead link.
  • #35: Green tickY
  • #36: Green tickY
  • #37: Green tickY - Incredible list.
  • #38: Green tickY
  • #39: Green tickY
  • #40: Green tickY
  • #41: Green tickY
  • #42: Green tickY
  • #43: Green tickY
  • #44: Green tickY
  • #45: Green tickY
  • #46: Green tickY
  • #47: Green tickY
  • #48: Green tickY
  • #49: Green tickY - This source, along with #47 and #48, will be deleted later.
  • #50: Green tickY
  • #51: Green tickY
  • #52: Green tickY
  • #53: Green tickY
  • #54: Green tickY
  • #55: Green tickY
  • #56: Green tickY
  • #57: Green tickY
  • #58: Green tickY
  • #59: Green tickY - AGF.
  • #60: Green tickY
  • #61: Green tickY
  • #62: Green tickY
  • #63: Green tickY
  • #64: Red XN - None of the names in the sentence are mentioned in the original source.
  • #65: Green tickY
  • #66: Red XN - Dead link.
  • #67: Red XN - No mention of Dennis Montali.
  • #68: Red XN - Redirects to main page.
The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Did you know nomination

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Aerial view of Bishop O'Dowd High School in 2018
Aerial view of Bishop O'Dowd High School in 2018
  • ... that the campus of Bishop O'Dowd High School features a 4.5-acre (1.8 ha) ecological restoration site built by students on an abandoned rock quarry?
Improved to Good Article status by CostalCal (talk). Number of QPQs required: 0. Nominator has fewer than 5 past nominations.

CostalCal (talk) 20:01, 1 July 2026 (UTC).

  • GA, in time, long enough, sourced, no apparent copyvios, no QPQ needed. The image does not indicate the source of the CC license, and so is not currently appropriate. CostalCal, where does the article say that the ecological restoration site was built by students on an abandoned rock quarry? --Usernameunique (talk) 21:24, 1 July 2026 (UTC)
    • Note: Dragon Hoops was bold, but it doesn't appear to be eligible for DYK. I assume the bolding was accidental, and I unbolded it. MANdARAX • XAЯAbИAM 04:30, 2 July 2026 (UTC)