This year’s deserving Joseph William Chaminade recipient, Ottilie Valverde, has worked at Archbishop Riordan for 45 years. She has moderated multiple programs and taught numbers of students in mathematics, but, most importantly, she has made a lasting impact on the Riordan community.
Valverde’s involvement at Riordan for over four decades made her a suitable candidate as this year’s Chaminade Award winner. The bestowal of the Chaminade Award is a sign of high recognition.
According to President Tim Reardon, the Chaminade Award is “the highest honor our school bestows on one reserved for those who live out our Marianist mission – faith, service, and enduring commitment to the Riordan community.”
Along with teaching math, Valverde also co-moderates Riordan’s National Honor Society (NHS) chapter starting around 10 years ago. Before moderating NHS, she moderated the California Scholarship Federation, another honor society.
Valverde has lived out the Marianist mission through helping students connect with their faith. She assisted the first ever Kairos, a faith-based school trip for seniors, which she described as finding “the heart and soul of ARHS.” In 1991, she began directing Campus Ministry, which she led for eight years.
Along with Valverde’s faith, her service to the school and its community has proven her worthy of receiving the award. She has taught multiple math classes, including Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Pre-Calculus.
While speaking of her specialty in mathematics, she remarked, “I think that math is fun and I enjoy sharing it with people.”
Others have reflected on her performance as an educator. A former student of hers, Jonathan Pangilinan ’28, shared, “She’s a nice teacher and makes sure that everyone in the class understands the topic before moving on.”
Oliver Tom ’28, a student in Valverde’s Advanced Algebra II class, stated, “I like how she gives us some time to figure out the homework before she teaches us about the next lesson. It has really helped me get a better understanding of what I would need to work on for upcoming tests.”
In addition, she has also had multiple other leadership roles: 10 years serving as math department chair, four years moderating The Crusader newspaper, experience moderating the school’s math club, and past coordinating of two of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges associations.
Her commitment to Riordan can be described as incredible, remarkable, and tremendous. Her reason for remaining loyal to Riordan is because, “It’s such a wonderful place with such good people … The students at Riordan are exceptional people. They are always so kind and thoughtful.”
Valverde’s hard work and exceptional Marianist qualities have not only impacted her students or the people she has worked with, but also future generations of scholars to come. Valverde reflected, “It’s been a journey, work, joy, spirit, but most importantly, it’s been you and your predecessors.”
After 45 years of teaching, she shared her love for the Riordan community, saying, “To the world we are just another team, to us we’re a family.”
