On October 16, the first day of Bishop O’Dowd’s 2023 Spirit Week, students of all grades dressed in black and gold to celebrate Unity Day. Unity Day is a celebration of Bishop O’Dowd’s strength as a community and the harmony of each student, faculty, and staff member. Being the first day of Spirit Week, Unity Day allowed students to come together as one before days with themes separated by class. Furthermore, the idea of all members of the school dressed in black and gold symbolizes the acceptance, kindness, and inclusion that the O’Dowd community strives to represent.

Today’s mid-day rally was a celebration of each class as students aimed to prove that they had the most school spirit. The sounds of classes chanting, “I believe that we will win,” and, “We got spirit, yes we do! We got spirit, how about you?” filled the gym as students jumped and cheered in the bleachers. This rally’s friendly competitions tested the abilities and passion of each class, with activities including a music knowledge contest and a costume fashion show. In the end, the seniors won the most points for today’s assembly, but there are still 4 more chances for other classes to win spirit points!

Overall, this Unity Day proved Bishop O’Dowd’s strong sense of community, and was a great start to what will be an amazing Spirit Week!