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150 Years in the Making: Waterville Holds Ceremony Recognizing History

150 Years in the Making: Waterville Holds Ceremony Recognizing History
On Thursday, May 16, the Waterville Central School District celebrated 150 years since the district was recognized by the New York State Board of Regents. There was a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. at the Waterville Jr./Sr. High School athletic stadium.

Highlights of the program included showcasing students, alumni, teachers and a keynote speaker.

The keynote speaker is Stephen O’Dowd, who graduated from Waterville in 1977 and recently completed more than 42 years of U.S. government service – from a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco and culminating as a member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Counselor at the U.S. Department of State.

He also served in the Department of State’s Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in support of the Enduring Welcome initiative facilitating the travel and processing of former Afghan employees of the U.S. government from Afghanistan to the United States for resettlement.  Mr. O’Dowd also was PRM’s Senior Coordinator for Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, assisting refugees and Iraqis who fled their homes during ISIS’s occupation of over one-third of the country.

He has also held multiple overseas and domestic positions in Morocco, Iraq, Egypt, Damascus, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Muscat, and Amman. He holds multiple Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards for distinguished service. He speaks Arabic and French.

O’Dowd holds a Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College and a Master of Science National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School in Washington, DC.  He and his wife, Rhonda Brown, are the parents of four adult children. He is the son of fellow Waterville natives, the late William (“Bill”) and Margaret (“Peg”) O’Dowd. 

The New York Board of Regents recognized the Waterville Union School and Academy on April 29, 1874. The school later became the Waterville Central School District.

For the ceremony, students and staff were given t-shirts in the district’s school colors, highlighting the new logo, at no cost to families.

Photos and a video will be shared on the district website and social media in the days following the event.

150th Anniversary of Waterville Schools
A middle-aged man in a police uniform stands at a podium, speaking passionately to a crowd of people in the background.
A group of enthusiastic young people in sports uniforms cheering and raising their fists in front of a chain-link fence.
A middle-aged man in a purple shirt stands at a podium, gesturing enthusiastically while speaking in front of a large %22Waterville%22 sign.
A group of children wearing colorful shirts, some with their arms raised, appear to be participating in an activity or event.
A group of people wearing matching purple and yellow shirts, posing together in front of a building.
A group of people wearing shirts with the text %22150 YEARS STRONG%22 are walking together on a track surrounded by a grassy field.
A young girl in a purple sweater stands at a podium, speaking into a microphone in front of a scoreboard-style display.
A young person with curly hair is standing at a podium, speaking into a microphone, while two older individuals in the background are observing.
A man in a purple robe stands in front of a crowd, gesturing with his hands as he speaks.
A man in a purple robe stands at a podium, addressing a large crowd of people wearing yellow and purple robes in the background.
A group of people wearing matching yellow and purple shirts stand on a football field, with a stadium and mountains visible in the background.
A large crowd of people, mostly wearing yellow and purple shirts, are seated in a stadium-like structure surrounded by trees and a clear sky.
A group of students in yellow and purple uniforms holding a banner for Waterville Central School, standing on a running track surrounded by trees and buildings.
A man with a long beard and curly hair stands at a podium, addressing a large crowd gathered in the background.
A large group of people, mostly children, are walking together on a red running track surrounded by spectators and a sports facility in the background.
A large crowd of people, some wearing sports jerseys, are seated in a stadium-like setting with a sports field visible in the background.
A group of people in yellow uniforms are walking on a red running track, with colorful balloons and a clear blue sky in the background.
A large group of people, mostly children, wearing yellow and purple shirts, gathered in a stadium-like setting with a blue sky in the background.
A woman in a yellow shirt stands at a podium, speaking to a group of people wearing yellow shirts with the letters %22WCS%22 printed on them, against a backdrop of trees and a cloudy sky.
A large black dog with striking eyes stands on a red running track, surrounded by people in yellow uniforms in the background under a blue sky with fluffy clouds.
Two police officers in uniform stand on a sports field, with a crowd of people visible in the background.
A group of young people in colorful shirts standing on a grassy field with a cloudy blue sky in the background.
A group of people wearing yellow and purple shirts are gathered on a sports field, with some holding musical instruments and others raising their hands.
An older man in a purple shirt is standing at a podium, speaking into a microphone, while a woman in a yellow shirt stands next to him in the foreground. In the background, there is a scoreboard or display board.
A group of children wearing colorful shirts, some with yellow and others with purple, standing together in an outdoor setting with a blue sky in the background.
Two young boys in colorful uniforms playing drums on a sports field with a blue sky and clouds in the background.