Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy College Preparatory
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam For the Greater Glory of God
Address
4701 North Central Avenue Phoenix, Arizona, (Maricopa County), 85012 USA
Coordinates	33°30′22.06″N 112°4′24.05″W
Information
Type	Private, all-male
Established	1928
CEEB Code	030-265
President	Rev. Edward A. Reese, S.J.
Principal	Robert E. Ryan
Faculty	124
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1270  (2009-2010)
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Red and White
Mascot	Bronco
Accreditation(s)	Western Catholic Education Association; North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Average SAT scores	606 (Math) 576 (Writing) 585 (Critical Reading)
Average ACT scores	26.1 (English) 26.8 (Math) 26.4 (Reading) 25.4 (Science)
Publication	BLAM (Literary and Arts Magazine)
Newspaper	'The Roundup'
Yearbook	'The Tower'
Affiliation	Jesuit (Roman Catholic)
Website	www.brophyprep.org

Brophy College Preparatory is a Jesuit high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is currently limited to all-male enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. The school's web site states that Brophy historically has produced more National Merit finalists and semifinalists than any other school in Arizona, and reports that 97 percent of Brophy's graduates attend four-year institutions.

The school has four campuses: the main academic campus in north-central Phoenix at Central Avenue and Camelback Road, a retreat campus called Manresa near Sedona, the new Brophy Sports Campus east of the academic campus in Phoenix and contiguous to the campus of Xavier College Preparatory, and The Dottie Boreyko/Brophy East Swim Campus, located near 28th Street and Campbell Avenue. Brophy is entirely self-sufficient, with no diocesan or government financial assistance.

Its chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

History

The school was founded in 1928 by Mrs. Henry Brophy in memory of her late husband as a Jesuit high school with first year college courses. The Regis Hall building (re-named Frank C. Brophy Jr. Hall in 2006), the Jesuit Residence and the Chapel were completed in 1928, and the school began operating that same year as a college and high school. The school operated successfully for a year but the subsequent Great Depression put a major financial strain on the institution, forcing it to close in 1935. Most of the male students who previously attended Brophy transferred to another local Catholic high school, St. Mary's, which had become an all-girls school once Brophy opened. The boys brought their athletic gear from Brophy with them to St. Mary's, causing St. Mary's to change its colors from red and white to green and white, the previous Brophy colors. In 1952, 17 years after its closing, Brophy College Preparatory reopened exclusively as a high school. They purchased used athletic equipment from Santa Clara University, whose colors happened to be red and white, the old St. Mary's colors. This is also how they became the Brophy Broncos, using the Santa Clara Mascot. Brophy expanded its downtown Phoenix campus by adding Loyola Hall (1959), Robson Gymnasium (1967), Keating Hall and the Steele Library (1986). In recent years Brophy's president has been able to raise a lot of capital through the major gifts campaign which has allowed for the construction of the Information Commons (2001), the Eller Fine Arts Center (2003), the McCain Colonnade (2003), the Piper Center for Math and Science (2005), and the Harper Great Hall (2006). The Ethel and Kemper Marley Information Commons replaced the Steele Library as the information source on campus.

In November 2002, Brophy acquired the former Phoenix Swim Club for use as a sports campus. It is now called The Dottie Boreyko/Brophy East Swim Campus. The facilities of this 10-acre (40,000 m²) campus include two outdoor swimming pools (one of them Olympic and equipped with two underwater viewing rooms), a 400-meter training track, a soccer field, a running track and locker rooms. The school now leads the state in football, lacrosse, and swimming.

In 2010, Brophy completed construction on the state-of-the-art Brophy Sports Campus, featuring a synthetic turf field, a track formed with material used at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, and an expansive natural turf practice field. The completion of the Brophy Sports Campus marks the first phase of a plan to upgrade all of the school's athletic facilities to a state-of-the-art.

Academics

Brophy Prep's courses rely on a combination of liberal arts principles and Roman Catholic theology. Honors and Advanced Placement sections exist in each of the curricular disciplines. Brophy offers 22 Advanced Placement subjects. For the class of 2009, Brophy's average SAT was a 1767 and its average ACT composite score was a 26.2. Admissions are selective and are based on grades, an entrance exam, essays, and a required interview. Students may also take classes at Xavier College Preparatory, a Catholic girls' college preparatory that is adjacent to Brophy. It is the only Jesuit high school in Arizona.

Tablet program

In the 2006-07 academic year, Brophy implemented the Tablet PC program for all incoming Freshman. Under the mandatory program, all incoming Freshman must buy a Lenovo Tablet PC, which is a laptop on which the user can both type and write. The tablet allows students to keep their books in one place and, therefore, has resolved previous complaints about having to carry books around. Unfortunately, the policies of some publishing companies regarding digital textbooks has not allowed for Brophy to become completely "bookless" at this time. To support the PCs, the entire campus has been retro-fitted, with Wi-fi access points in most classrooms and in all buildings. The school administration plans to continue the program which supports its goal of a paper-free campus. Additionally, since the 2007-08 school year, the school has become completely Wi-fi accessible and available for all students to use. As of the 2009-2010 academic year, the school completed its Tablet conversion and all students now participate in the program.

Athletics

Brophy fields 26 teams in 11 sports competing in Arizona's Class 5A Division I. The swim team is considered one of the best in the nation and has won 26 out of the past 27 state titles in addition to producing several Olympic medalists. The 2004-05 Brophy swim team won the National High School Championship with captains Chris Voigt, Alexander Righi, Ryan Key, and David Pursley.

Brophy football won the 2005 and 2007 5A-1 Football State Championship. The 2005 football team finished ranked 3rd in the west and 21st in the nation by USA Today and ranked 23rd in the country by Sports Illustrated. The baseball and volleyball programs also took their state championships respectively in 2006.

In the 2007-2008 season, the Brophy Bronco Soccer Team won the 5A-1 State Championship and finished the season with a # 2 rank on the west coast and a #8 rank in the nation. During the 2010-2011 season, the Brophy soccer won its second 5A-1 State Championship in four years ending the season as National Runners-up.

The Brophy Lacrosse team has won the Arizona Division I State Championship three times, in 2007, 2008, and 2010.

In addition, Brophy is one of three high schools in Arizona that has a rowing team. They have rowed at some of the best known regattas in the United States, such as Head of the Charles. They compete in the South West Junior region.

In the 2010-2011 year, Brophy added a rugby club team, the Brophy College Preparatory Rugby Football Club, becoming one of only several schools in the state to sponsor its own rugby team.

Student life

Brophy is known for a very engaging and active student life. The student council as well as over 90 student-led clubs and organizations regularly coordinate activities that involve the whole student body. Its Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams have also had recent successes. Both in 2008 and 2009 Brophy sent a team to the National Science Bowl competition. The school prides itself on its student cheering sections at athletic events, which are often the largest and most effective in the state. The basketball cheering section, known as the 6th Man, has recently been compared by Arizona sportswriters to the famous Cameron Crazies of Duke University.

Notable alumni

• Kevin Kilb (1984) - Colonel Kevin J. Kilb Commander 62nd Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force
• Dana Wells Jr. (1984) - Former University of Arizona and National Football League player; President, CBS Outdoor
• Mark Alarie (1982) - Former Duke University and National Basketball Association player
• Keith Blanchard II (1984) - Maxim magazine's Editor-in-Chief
• Chris Cummiskey (1983) - Arizona legislator and government official
• Scott Garlick (1990) - Professional soccer player
• Gary Hall Jr. (1993) - Olympic swimmer
• Klete Keller - Olympic swimmer (attended but did not graduate)
• Cris Kirkwood - founding member of The Meat Puppets, along with brother Curt
• Curt Kirkwood - founding member of The Meat Puppets, along with brother Cris
• Bob Kohrs (1972) - Former linebacker and defensive for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Richard Mahoney (1969) - Political scientist and writer, former Arizona Secretary of State
• Ryan McNamara (1996) - Artist
• Michael Murphy (1956) - Film/TV actor
• Sean O'Hair, professional golfer; PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2005
• Ted Purdy (1992) - professional golfer
• Stephen J. Pyne (1967) - natural historian; recipient of the MacArthur "genius award", a Fulbright Fellowship, and two National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships
• John Simons (1979) - Olympic swimmer, President & COO of ConAgra
• Paul Lo Duca - Professional baseball player (attended but did not graduate)
• Justin Speier - Professional baseball player
• J. J. Jansen (2004) - Former University of Notre Dame snapper and professional football long snapper for the Carolina Panthers
• Dean Winters (1982) - Actor on 30 Rock, plays character of Mayhem in Allstate commercials
• Justin Robinson (2007) - Founder of Likuid Sound and Zeph Life