New O'Dea Principal Named

The O’Dea High School Board of Directors announced today that Archbishop J. Peter Sartain has approved Jim Walker, who was named acting principal prior to the start of the current academic year, as principal of the school.

“O’Dea represents the very best of our longstanding tradition of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Seattle, and Jim Walker is uniquely prepared to carry that tradition forward,” Archbishop Sartain said. “As I have grown to know Jim, I have been especially impressed by his commitment to maintain the strong Catholic identity of the school, as well as O’Dea’s commitment to academic excellence, Christian service and athletic excellence. I am deeply grateful to the board for their decision to name Jim as O’Dea’s principal. Although Jim will be the first non-Christian Brother to serve as principal, he is committed to maintaining the extraordinary gifts and spirit of the Brothers well into the future.”

Walker has been a math teacher, counselor and administrator at O’Dea since 1991. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in political sciences/history at the University of Washington, and a master’s degree in collegiate administration from the University of Hawaii. Walker earned his educational specialist degree from Seattle University in 1995.

“The board, parents, faculty, staff and student body have witnessed Mr. Walker’s leadership and commitment to O’Dea High School, its traditions and its future goals,” said Zach Lell, chairman of the O’Dea board of directors. “Jim is someone who has roots in our past and has our full confidence as we move forward with plans for O’Dea’s future.”

O’Dea High School, which has been staffed by the Christian Brothers since its inception in 1923, is owned by the Archdiocese of Seattle.

A spokesperson of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers Network, a consortium of Catholic schools staffed by the Christian Brothers, stated: “We congratulate the O’Dea community on this appointment as they inherit the charism of Brother Edmund Rice. Each of our school communities strives to embody the values of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the essential elements of an excellent education by working together to benefit the students and families they serve.”