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part of countless things that are interwoven
into the history of Bishop McNamara. First
starting at McNamara as a young, single man in
his twenties bursting with energy, Mr. Odierno
had an abundance of time to get involved in
numerous aspects of school life. He moderated
the school newspaper for ten years during a
time where every article was typed, photographs
were glued, and rub-on letters were used for
headlines before it was sent to the printer. Mr.
Odierno also coached JV soccer for a few years
where he says he learned how important of a
role sports can play in the life of a young person.
Mr. Odierno was the English Department Chair
for 15 years and led the department through two
Middle State Accreditation processes.
“Mr. Odierno was my first department chair, and
an invaluable mentor. Not a week goes by when
I don’t reflect on something that I learned from
him to improve my practice as a teacher,” said
current English Department Chair, Mr. Charles
Shryock. “Later, as his Department Chair, I was
able to observe his class a number of times, and
it was always thrilling. He had a way of keeping
each student actively engaged, and creating a
culture of respect for others and reverence for
literature.”
He was also very involved in creating a smooth
transition from the single-sex days of McNamara
to the coed combination with LaReine. “He
helped the girls feel like part of the community,”
said Senior Guidance Counselor, Ms. Clare
Treichel. “He made us feel like family.”
Mr. Odierno also served on the admissions
committee for a number of years, where in
typical English teacher fashion, his favorite
part of the application was the essay because he
saw it as the most telling aspect of a particular
applicant. “I served on more committees than
I could ever count and enjoyed working with
teachers as much as I enjoyed working with
students,” said Mr. Odierno. He also created and
moderated the Moreau Scholar Society and the
McNamara Shakespeare Festival which both
continue to this day and are important parts of
many McNamara students’ four years.
Most people know how involved Mr. Odierno
was in school life however, very few know how
school spirited he was and the extent to which
he made school spirit possible for everyone else
as well. Very few people know that the author
of the alma mater we still sing at every pep rally
was actually Mr. Odierno. “When we went coed
I knew we had a long standing Mustang fight
song but I couldn’t understand why a school
as good as ours had no alma mater, so I wrote
one," Mr. Odierno said. Mr. Odierno was also
responsible, along with another teacher, for
approaching the principal at the time to ask for
permission to hold a raffle to purchase the first
Mighty Mac costume the school had ever had.
Continuing to make spirit an important part of
McNamara life, Mr. Odierno also moderated
the pep club under various names as well as a
coed cheerleading squad of McNamara boys
and LaReine girls when the schools were still
separate entities.
the reminder that if she missed the trashcan
with her makeshift paper basketball she would
receive a detention. All of his students will
forever remember the word “terpsichorean”.
Whatever the memories that students have from
their time with Mr. Odierno, the impact of his
teaching at McNamara are widely felt and will
be collectively missed.
“Mr. Odierno is one of the most gifted teachers
I have ever encountered. [He is] a very
knowledgeable professional and colleague,”
said Freshman Guidance Counselor, Mr. Rick
Middleton, who worked closely with Mr.
Odierno over the years.
The school community will miss Mr. Odierno
as he will miss being a part of the school
community. “I miss and will continue to miss
the vast range of great kids that I have taught
over the years and the fellowship and inspiration
of the colleagues with whom I have worked for
so many years,” Mr. Odierno said.
However