The annual O'Connell soup drive and living rosary dates back to the 1974-1975 school year, when students collected 1,153 cans to donate to Christ House.

For 42 years, the O'Connell community has continued this annual tradition--coming together to support the local Catholic Charities food needs, and always capping off the collection week with a Living Rosary to pray for those who will benefit from their efforts.

In 2016, the number of cans of hearty soup collected exceeded 13,000. Read more about how O'Connell students carry on this tradition.

RETURN TO 60TH ANNIVERSARY PAGE

From the 1993 Shield Yearbook:

With buoyant expectations, 147 couples danced on the waves of the Potomac during a three-hour Prom cruise on May 27. The Potomac Spirit, the boat leased by the senior class for the event left its dock from D.C.'s Maine Ave. at 8 p.m. and sailed down to the shores off Mount Vernon, returning at 11 p.m. After a buffet meal, the two levels were cleared for the disc jockey and dancers, who swayed to the prom's theme song Forever Young. Prom goers could also relax under the starry sky on the upper deck.

Ms. Nancy Marrinucci, the class' moderator, inquired about the possibility of holding the prom on the boat in June 1992. "The class officers and I wanted to stop the tradition of the prom just being an hour event. In recent years couples would show up around 10:30 and be gone by midnight. This way, by being on the boat, they enjoy unique prom with one another." Most seniors shared Ms. Marinucci's excitement. "I'm so glad our prom was on this boat. It was great," said Julie Warner. "I hope that every senior class does this from now on," said junior Carsten Kranzer. Mr. John Gutter and his wife, two of the ten chaperones celebrated their wedding anniversary that evening also It was truly a night that most will never forget.

Did you know you know that the O'Connell prom continues to be held on a boat each spring?

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR DJO MEMORIES, TOO!

Dates and times for the first day of fall sports tryouts are listed below. Please contact the team coach if you have any questions.

Thursday, Aug. 3
JV/Varsity Football at 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 15
Boys and Girls Cross Country at 8 a.m.
JV/Varsity Boys Soccer at 8 a.m.
JV/Varsity Girls Soccer at 10 a.m.
Freshman Volleyball at 10 a.m.
JV/Varsity Volleyball at noon
Girls Tennis at 3:30 p.m. (Bluemont Park)
JV/Varsity Field Hockey at 6 p.m.

Service to Community - Giving of Themselves
from the 1966 Bishop O'Connell Yearbook - The Shield

The spirit which flows through every phase of O'Connell life finds another outlet in the various service clubs. These worthwhile organizations perform several valuable services to our community. Whether it is the Red Cross stuffing candy into Christmas stockings, the Inner-City group braving the early morning air, or the Keys and Keyettes collecting for cerebral palsy--one will always sense the feelings of duty and responsibility that characterize these teenagers' admirable work.

Photo below: The Red Cross Club fills Christmas stockings with candy for the poor. Seated: M. Morton, C. Hill, R. Marinoble, Sr. Patrick Joseph, N. Wells, K. Yourshaw. Standing: M.A. Dry, N. Smith, M. Mangum, L.A. Chuculate, P. Brady.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

The Royalette Dance Team joined more than 300 dancers from 20 area schools at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) summer camp on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The camp offers teams an opportunity to come together as a group, learn new skills, meet other dancers and showcase their first routine.

"Our team was challenged this year with more difficult routines," said Head Coach Chrissy Salvador '95, who is a Royalette alumna. "They certainly stepped up and rose to the occasion, with every O'Connell dancer earning individual blue ribbons on all three routines they performed."

When they performed their home routine for the judges, the Royalettes were rewarded with a blue ribbon evaluation, second place and a bid to Nationals. They were also awarded a superior trophy as the team with the highest averages of individual evaluations earned through the duration of camp.

All six Royalettes who were nominated for All-American were selected and invited to perform at the London's New Year's Day Parade--Erika Williams '18, Haley Breaux '18, Katarina Visek '18, Julia Stievater '19, Caroline Brenninkmeyer '19 and Gaby Dominguez '20. In addition, the team's officers were invited to perform at the Varsity Spirit Spectacular, and the entire team has been invited to perform at the pre-gram show for the 2017 Citrus Bowl.

"One of the team's proudest moments, was when they were named as the 110% Award winners," added Salvador. "The UDA staff awards this to the team who displays the most leadership and teamwork during the course of the week. The last time O'Connell received this award was in 2010."

The Royalettes met up with several familiar teams at this year's camp, including fellow dancers from Paul VI in Fairfax. The two teams made time in their busy camp schedule to attend Mass together (see photo below).

The O'Connell dance team is on a short break until mid-August. Be sure to catch their half-time performances during the football and basketball seasons.

In the middle of their summer vacations, 13 O'Connell students, including five incoming freshmen, joined up with our school chaplain, Fr. Gregory Thompson, and religion teacher, Mr. Dennis Dwyer, for a three-day youth conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio). The annual Steubenville Youth Conferences bring over 50,000 Catholic teens together at conferences around the country to experience the joy of following Christ.

"The conference theme was 'Elevate,' and included dynamic speakers, great praise and worship music along with powerful encounters with the Lord in the celebration of Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and opportunities to go to confession," said O'Connell's chaplain, Father Thompson.

You can find out more about these conferences at steubenvilleconferences.com/youth.

Pictured below is the O'Connell group at the conference, joined by their diocesan friends from St. Mark's (Vienna) youth ministry.

From the 2000 Bishop O'Connell Yearbook - The Shield

The Marching Band has long been a favorite pastime of many DJO students, boasting over 60 members this year. They have played at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Washington, D.C. and the Vienna Halloween Parade, in addition to their annual participation in the Spring Break tournament in Florida.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

Did You Know?

The original school jacket emblem was not what you might expect. The Bishop O'Connell Knights logo was depicted with a sailing ship, similar to what might be associated with the Knights of Columbus. These jackets were available for purchase at the school store in the fall of 1958, after the "Knights" mascot had been chosen by a student vote during the previous year.

According to an alumnus from the first graduating class, the association with the Knights of Columbus is not surprising, given that the organization was very supportive of the new school and it's sports programs. For example, during the first winter, when there were no interscholastic sports, the Knights of Columbus sponsored the intramural basketball leagues for boys and girls. The game were played at neighboring schools in the area.

The sailing ship image appears to be short-lived at O'Connell. When the team letter jackets came out in the spring of 1959, the emblem on the sleeve was a chess Knight. The rest is history. Go Knights!

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

Photo from 1962 Shield Yearbook

Dan and Monica Stabile once again proved that moss never grows under their feet. Dan is one of Bishop O'Connell's 11th and 12th grade counselors, and Monica is a long-time German teacher in the world languages department. This year's summer adventure took them on a five-week journey through Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Italy, including stops at some of their favorite, often-visited places, such as Munich and the Alps, Monica's ancestral city of Bamberg, and the Moselle Valley.

We thank Monica for sharing the following highlights with us:

As global citizens, we set out to increase our awareness of the cultural components of each country and region. Border checks are gone, but each place visited had unique characteristics. As ambassadors for the US, we engaged in many conversations with relatives and old and new friends about their political systems, religious constructs, and social and economic systems. There is concern about American political policy and support of Europe, namely NATO, climate change, trade issues and security issues. While visiting schools, we learned that Europe's challenges are common with the US with misuse of social media and drug abuse on the rise. There is an increase in church attendance among young men and women. This is attributed to the pastoral leadership style of Pope Frances as he is referred to as "the peoples' Pope."

There is always a spiritual pilgrimage component to our trips and 32 churches were visited. We attended mass at the Regensburg Dom and heard its world-famous boys choir sing, stood in amazement below the Chagal window in Metz, France and walked through the splendor of the Vatican's St. Peter. High on a hill, overlooking the beautiful Moselle valley, we found a pilgrimage church. At the altar was an open book with a prayer for visitors. The prayer asked to find strengthened faith and hope and to carry it back to families, friends and the workplace.

Highlights and new experiences included the magnificence of the German Alps, visiting the city of Karlsruhe where we met in 1976, driving through the battlefields of Verdun, touring the Pilsner Urquell brewery in the Czech Republic, and purchasing antique religious art in Munich and Rome.

After returning our rental car at the Munich airport, we extended our layover in Rome to a week in the true Roman neighborhood of Trastevere (across the Tiber). There we immersed ourselves into the daily activities of the Italian lifestyle. We ate at small, family-run restaurants and explored the tiny streets. Dan took his daily morning walk to St. Peter's square. Rome was experiencing a drought and there was much talk of water-rationing. Some fountains were dry. After revisiting the Vatican museums, the Pantheon, the Borghese Gallery, Piazza Navonna and the Trevi Fountain, we agree: the Eternal City is our eternal favorite.

Photos - (Above) Dan and Monica at the top of the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany. (Below) Dan and Monica visiting the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome; and Monica at the Fuggerei Settlement in Augsburg, Germany, the oldest social housing complex in the world that is still in operation today. It dates back to the 14th century. Find out more about this interesting walled village at http://www.fugger.de/en/fuggerei.html.

Victorious Girls Score High
From the 1961 Visor Yearbook, page 104-105

"New team, the devoted coaching of Mrs. Bergan and a relentless mind to win are the ingredients that fashioned a most successful season for O'Connell's girls. Led by Bergan, Inc. (Doss and Pat), O'Connell's girls achieved a very respectable 6-2 log in the Washington Metropolitan League. This season indicates many more victorious years to come."

The team finished with an over all 11-5 record:

Washington League

vs. St. Patrick's, 70-23 (W)
vs. Notre Dame, 28-21 (W)
vs. St. Mary's, 49-22 (W)
vs. Trinity, 41-40 (W)
vs. I.C.A., 57-44 (W)
vs. St. Cecilia, 26-36 (L)
vs. Holy Cross, 52-39 (W)
vs. Immaculata, 39-51 (L)

Richmond League

vs. St. Paul's, 61-41 (W)
vs. Norfolk C., 40-42 (L)
vs. St. Paul's, 61-22 (W)
vs. Norfolk C., 53-39 (W)
vs. Cathedral, 37-57 (L)
vs. St. Patrick, 43-24 (W)
vs. Cathedral, 51-44 (W)
vs. St. Patrick, 49-55 (L)

Six O'Connell students traveled this summer with Spanish teacher, Faryde Yanine, to the University of Salamanca in Spain for a two-week study abroad program. The students began their experience with an initial test to be placed in appropriate levels for their immersive study program in the language, literature, culture, business and much more.

The study abroad program immersed the students with rigorous academics in the mornings and excursions in the afternoons. With guided tours by the university's own professors, they visited the important sites, including churches, palaces, museums, libraries and convents in Salamanca, Madrid, Toledo, and Segovia. While in Madrid students toured the famous El Prado Museum to see masterpieces from Velazquez, Goya and el Greco. At the Reina Sofia museum, they saw the famous painting of Picasso "El Guernica." Other highlights included walks to the Plaza Mayor to enjoy the local food and the monuments in the streets, and a flamenco show in Salamanca.

The University of Salamanca is one of the oldest universities in the world. Built in 1218, the university will mark its 800^th anniversary next year. Yanine, who received her master's degree in literature in 2014, is invited to return next year for this landmark celebration.

"I am so proud of these students," said Yanine. "They took full advantage of every experience during this very special program. Their hard work and their enthusiasm payed off earned them two college credits and a once-in-a-lifetime memories."

Congratulations to Gabriella Grimaldi '19, Karen Hidalgo '17, Ryley Howard '18, Zacharias Muleta '18, Marinna Rodarte '19, and Benjamin Swoopes '18.

Photos - (Above) The O'Connell group on the main campus of the University of Salamanca; (Below) The Plaza Mayor at night.

Dates and times for the first day of fall sports tryouts are listed below. Please contact the team coach if you have any questions.

Thursday, Aug. 3
JV/Varsity Football at 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 15
Boys and Girls Cross Country at 8 a.m.
JV/Varsity Boys Soccer at 8 a.m.
JV/Varsity Girls Soccer at 10 a.m.
Freshman Volleyball at 10 a.m.
JV/Varsity Volleyball at noon
Girls Tennis at 3:30 p.m. (Bluemont Park)
JV/Varsity Field Hockey at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 24
Boys and Girls Crew at 3 p.m. (large field shed)

Service to Community - Giving of Themselves
from the 1966 Bishop O'Connell Yearbook - The Shield

The spirit which flows through every phase of O'Connell life finds another outlet in the various service clubs. These worthwhile organizations perform several valuable services to our community. Whether it is the Red Cross stuffing candy into Christmas stockings, the Inner-City group braving the early morning air, or the Keys and Keyettes collecting for cerebral palsy--one will always sense the feelings of duty and responsibility that characterize these teenagers' admirable work.

Photo below: The Red Cross Club fills Christmas stockings with candy for the poor. Seated: M. Morton, C. Hill, R. Marinoble, Sr. Patrick Joseph, N. Wells, K. Yourshaw. Standing: M.A. Dry, N. Smith, M. Mangum, L.A. Chuculate, P. Brady.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

The Royalette Dance Team joined more than 300 dancers from 20 area schools at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) summer camp on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The camp offers teams an opportunity to come together as a group, learn new skills, meet other dancers and showcase their first routine.

"Our team was challenged this year with more difficult routines," said Head Coach Chrissy Salvador '95, who is a Royalette alumna. "They certainly stepped up and rose to the occasion, with every O'Connell dancer earning individual blue ribbons on all three routines they performed."

When they performed their home routine for the judges, the Royalettes were rewarded with a blue ribbon evaluation, second place and a bid to Nationals. They were also awarded a superior trophy as the team with the highest averages of individual evaluations earned through the duration of camp.

All six Royalettes who were nominated for All-American were selected and invited to perform at the London's New Year's Day Parade--Erika Williams '18, Haley Breaux '18, Katarina Visek '18, Julia Stievater '19, Caroline Brenninkmeyer '19 and Gaby Dominguez '20. In addition, the team's officers were invited to perform at the Varsity Spirit Spectacular, and the entire team has been invited to perform at the pre-gram show for the 2017 Citrus Bowl.

"One of the team's proudest moments, was when they were named as the 110% Award winners," added Salvador. "The UDA staff awards this to the team who displays the most leadership and teamwork during the course of the week. The last time O'Connell received this award was in 2010."

The Royalettes met up with several familiar teams at this year's camp, including fellow dancers from Paul VI in Fairfax. The two teams made time in their busy camp schedule to attend Mass together (see photo below).

The O'Connell dance team is on a short break until mid-August. Be sure to catch their half-time performances during the football and basketball seasons.

In the middle of their summer vacations, 13 O'Connell students, including five incoming freshmen, joined up with our school chaplain, Fr. Gregory Thompson, and religion teacher, Mr. Dennis Dwyer, for a three-day youth conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio). The annual Steubenville Youth Conferences bring over 50,000 Catholic teens together at conferences around the country to experience the joy of following Christ.

"The conference theme was 'Elevate,' and included dynamic speakers, great praise and worship music along with powerful encounters with the Lord in the celebration of Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and opportunities to go to confession," said O'Connell's chaplain, Father Thompson.

You can find out more about these conferences at steubenvilleconferences.com/youth.

Pictured below is the O'Connell group at the conference, joined by their diocesan friends from St. Mark's (Vienna) youth ministry.

From the 2000 Bishop O'Connell Yearbook - The Shield

The Marching Band has long been a favorite pastime of many DJO students, boasting over 60 members this year. They have played at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Washington, D.C. and the Vienna Halloween Parade, in addition to their annual participation in the Spring Break tournament in Florida.

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

Did You Know?

The original school jacket emblem was not what you might expect. The Bishop O'Connell Knights logo was depicted with a sailing ship, similar to what might be associated with the Knights of Columbus. These jackets were available for purchase at the school store in the fall of 1958, after the "Knights" mascot had been chosen by a student vote during the previous year.

According to an alumnus from the first graduating class, the association with the Knights of Columbus is not surprising, given that the organization was very supportive of the new school and it's sports programs. For example, during the first winter, when there were no interscholastic sports, the Knights of Columbus sponsored the intramural basketball leagues for boys and girls. The game were played at neighboring schools in the area.

The sailing ship image appears to be short-lived at O'Connell. When the team letter jackets came out in the spring of 1959, the emblem on the sleeve was a chess Knight. The rest is history. Go Knights!

CLICK HERE TO SHARE YOUR OWN DJO MEMORY

Photo from 1962 Shield Yearbook