Julie Davis Butler Awards
San Domenico proudly acknowledges the legacy of Service Learning and the Julie Davis Butler Award Winners. Granted to San Domenico juniors, the awards provide financial assistance in the students’ service-learning project endeavors carried out during the ROSE (Real Opportunities for Service in Education) Program in their senior year.
Rooted in the Dominican values of study, reflection, community, and service, the ROSE Program invites students to marry the processes of inquiry and purpose-driven action to give back to their communities in a meaningful way. This multi-year process is a graduation requirement and an essential component of each student’s commitment to finding purpose in their education and beyond ~ and it does!
What is the Julie Davis Butler Award? This student service grant was created to honor Julie Davis Butler, the 1959 San Domenico High School graduate who dedicated her life to service, community and family before her untimely death in an airplane crash in 1987. It was the spring of 1988, when a group of Julie’s classmates and family members established the Julie Davis Butler Award in her honor. This award affords the recipient funding toward their service project, special leadership training, and experiences which enable them to grow in their concern for peace, social justice and selfless love - qualities Julie exemplified.
Today the award is determined by a dedicated group of alumni who review, interview, and assess the applicants. Who then are presented with their awards at a school-wide assembly.
Here is a video featured in the 80’s on local KPIX that shares a little insight into the impact of Julie’s life on her friends, classmates, and family:
2024 JDB Alumni Luncheon
(Photo: Jeanne Leonard '59, Julie's classmate/co-founder of JDB Award; Cathy Davis Marsten '63, Julie's sister/co-founder of JDB Award; Sister Gervaise Valpey, OP, former Head of School; Christina Klein '03, current JDB panelist; Natalie Ashby '08, current JDB panelist.)
Prior to the ROSE Senior Showcase, where every senior delivers a final presentation of their service-learning projects to the entire SD community, the 2024 Julie Davis Butler (JDB) Award winners joined a very special group for lunch in the Hall of the Arts.
Founding members of the JDB Award, including Julie’s sister Cathy, and current alumni panelists (who donate their time to review, interview, and select the winners) shared their thoughts on the importance of the award, and how it remains at the heart of San Domenico’s dedication to service.
Still Making a Difference
We reached out to previous Julie Davis Butler Award winners, to see what our impressive alumni are up to now.
Here’s what they told us!
![Anika Selhorst]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721941084/sandomenico/lrr2i4l6mypgxgpifdxj/AnikaSelhorst-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721941084/sandomenico/lrr2i4l6mypgxgpifdxj/AnikaSelhorst-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721941084/sandomenico/lrr2i4l6mypgxgpifdxj/AnikaSelhorst-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721941084/sandomenico/lrr2i4l6mypgxgpifdxj/AnikaSelhorst-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
For my ROSE Project funded by the JDB Award, I traveled to Belize with a group of high school students...
![Hannah Fitzpatrick]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721945470/sandomenico/pdyy3kxvdjqetj9pr9hi/HannahFitzpatrick-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721945470/sandomenico/pdyy3kxvdjqetj9pr9hi/HannahFitzpatrick-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721945470/sandomenico/pdyy3kxvdjqetj9pr9hi/HannahFitzpatrick-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721945470/sandomenico/pdyy3kxvdjqetj9pr9hi/HannahFitzpatrick-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
The Julie Davis Butler Award actually had a profound impact on my life, and I would say it inspired my career...
![Shanna Kohn and Burt]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721945328/sandomenico/x3f9di3xyjzmt3r87oql/SHANNA_KOHN-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721945328/sandomenico/x3f9di3xyjzmt3r87oql/SHANNA_KOHN-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721945328/sandomenico/x3f9di3xyjzmt3r87oql/SHANNA_KOHN-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721945328/sandomenico/x3f9di3xyjzmt3r87oql/SHANNA_KOHN-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
For my Julie Davis Butler Award, I created a scholarship program between my ballet school at the time, Stapleton School of the Performing Arts, and an NGO, Performing Stars of Marin...
![Melika Mai ’14 and Grace He ’14]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721945265/sandomenico/jt4j6xupxtibebgbrpyn/MelikaMai-GraceHe-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721945265/sandomenico/jt4j6xupxtibebgbrpyn/MelikaMai-GraceHe-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721945265/sandomenico/jt4j6xupxtibebgbrpyn/MelikaMai-GraceHe-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721945265/sandomenico/jt4j6xupxtibebgbrpyn/MelikaMai-GraceHe-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
Our Julie Davis Butler Award project involved a visit to a rural village in Sichuan Province, China...
![Sophie Keith-Brown]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721945185/sandomenico/lwlmoxr7tfpvihlsqrvo/SophieKeith-Brown-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721945185/sandomenico/lwlmoxr7tfpvihlsqrvo/SophieKeith-Brown-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721945185/sandomenico/lwlmoxr7tfpvihlsqrvo/SophieKeith-Brown-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721945185/sandomenico/lwlmoxr7tfpvihlsqrvo/SophieKeith-Brown-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
I won the Julie Davis Butler award for my work with the women’s health crisis in the Dominican Republic...
![London Meckfessel]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1721944133/sandomenico/ehjtsrg4ihclglvb9t5f/LondonMeckfessel-thmb.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1721944133/sandomenico/ehjtsrg4ihclglvb9t5f/LondonMeckfessel-thmb.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1721944133/sandomenico/ehjtsrg4ihclglvb9t5f/LondonMeckfessel-thmb.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1721944133/sandomenico/ehjtsrg4ihclglvb9t5f/LondonMeckfessel-thmb.jpg","width":810}])
London and two of his classmates designed and constructed two teacher-ready fire prevention learning labs for SD's Lower School as their JDB Award winning ROSE Project...