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 / 33.5061278°N 112.0733472°WCoordinates: 33°30′22.06″N 112°4′24.05″W / 33.5061278°N 112.0733472°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	1286 (October 1, 2012)[1] (2009-2010)
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Red and White
Mascot	Bronco
Accreditation	Western Catholic Education Association; North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
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	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.^[3]

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

Brophy College Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

History

The chapel at Brophy

The school was founded in 1928 by Mrs. Henry Brophy in memory of her late husband, as a Jesuit high school that included first year college courses. The Regis Hall building (renamed 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 before the Great Depression caused a major financial strain, 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. It 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, adopting 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 capital through a 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 $1.6 million to use as a sports campus. It was called the Dottie Boreyko/Brophy East Swim Campus. The facilities of this 10-acre (40,000 m²) campus included 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. In February 2013, Brophy announced it was selling the Brophy Swim Campus to Ryland Homes, and it was vacated in early 2014. The school bought the land for approximately $1.6 million in 2002 and sold it for at least $6.8 million. The school built a pool at its main campus, with further financial assistance from the Class of 2016.

In 2010, Brophy completed construction on a state-of-the-art Brophy Sports Campus, featuring a synthetic turf field, a track of the same material used at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, and a natural turf practice field.^[4] The completion of this Sports Campus marks the first phase of a plan to upgrade all of the school's athletic facilities.

Academics

Brophy Prep is the only Jesuit high school in Arizona Its demanding curriculum relies on a combination of liberal arts principles and Roman Catholic theology. Honors and Advanced Placement sections exist in each of the curricular disciplines, including 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 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.

For the 2013-14 academic year, Brophy's annual tuition was $13,500; financial assistance was available for those who qualified.^[5]

Tablet program

In the 2006-07 academic year, Brophy implemented the Tablet PC program for all incoming Freshman. Under the mandatory program, they must all 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 and work toward 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. In 2012 the school announced that starting with the class of 2016 the Lenovos would be replaced by the more economical Apple iPads, which the school is purchasing in bulk. These will come with AppleCare, bluetooth keyboard, stylus, and case, and all the software needed for classes.

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.^[6] 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-I Football State Championship.^[7][8] 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 state championships in 2006.^[9]

In the 2007-2008 season, the Brophy Bronco Soccer Team won the 5A-1 State Championship and finished the season # 2 rank on the west coast and #8 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.^[10]

The Brophy Lacrosse team has won the Arizona Division I State Championship five times, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013. 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. They have won the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Arizona State Junior Rowing Championships. In the 2010-2011 year, Brophy added a rugby club team, the Brophy College Preparatory Rugby Football Club, becoming one of only a few schools in the state to sponsor its own rugby team. In 2012 Brophy won the 5A Varsity Hockey Championship for the first time.

Student life

Brophy's Student Council as well as over 90 student-led clubs and organizations regularly coordinate activities that involve the whole student body.^[11] Its Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams have shown success. In 2008, 2009, and 2012 Brophy sent teams to the National Science Bowl competition. The basketball cheering section, known as the 6th Man, has recently been compared by Arizona sportswriters to the famous Cameron Crazies of Duke University.^[12] The school newspaper, The Roundup, has won several state awards for its work. It was named the top high school newspaper in the state of Arizona by the Arizona Newspapers Association in 2011 and 2012.^[13]

Notable alumni

Mark Alarie (1982) – NBA basketball player[14] Michael Collier (1971) – poet[14] Mick Ebeling – film producer, philanthropist, and founder of Not Impossible Labs  Scott Garlick (1990) – MLS soccer player[14] Gary Hall Jr. (1993) – Olympic swimmer[14] J. J. Jansen (2004) – NFL football player[15] Glen Keane (1972) – animator[14] Cris Kirkwood (1978) – musician, founded The Meat Puppets[14] Curt Kirkwood (1976) – musician, founded The Meat Puppets[14] Bob Kohrs (1972) – NFL linebacker[16]

Richard Mahoney (1969) – former Arizona Secretary of State[17] Michael Murphy (1956) – actor[14] Trent Murphy (2009) - NFL defensive end[18] Ted Purdy (1992) – PGA golfer[14] John Simons (1979) – Olympic swimmer[14] Justin Speier (1991) – MLB baseball player[14] Shawn Swayda (1992) – NFL football player[14] Evan Whitfield (1995) – MLS soccer player[14] Dean Winters (1982) – actor[14][19] Scott William Winters (1983) – actor[14]

References

1. AIA 2012 enrollment figures
2. NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Retrieved 2009-06-23.
3. Archived May 24, 2006 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Phoenix Brophy Prep's new facilities impress". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
5. "Tuition & Financial Aid". Brophy College Preparatory. brophyprep.org. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
6. "PDF Uploads" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-10-19.
7. "Berens, Lieb connect to lead Brophy to crown | VarsityXtra - Arizona High School Sports". Varsity.evtrib.com. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
8. "5 complete HS careers in big way". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
9. "Aiaonline.Org". Aiaonline.org. 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
10. "Brophy tops Hamilton for 5A-I boys soccer championship". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
11. Students feel economic pinch
12. "Blogs: Richard Obert - Richardobert - Brophy student body still the best". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
13. "Roundup named best in state 2nd year in a row : Brophy Roundup". Brophybroncos.org. 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
14. Stefani, Stephanie. "Notable Alumni". brophyprep.org. Brophy College Preparatory. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
15. "J.J. Jansen". Carolina Panthers. nfl.com. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
16. "Bob Kohrs Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". databaseFootball.com. 1958-11-08. Retrieved 2012-10-19.
17. Scutari, Chip (August 1, 2002). "Mahoney Breaks Political Mold". Arizona Republic. p. B6. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
18. Trent Murphy
19. Walker, Dave (July 11, 1999). "Valley Brothers Find Home on 'OZ' Gritty HBO Prison Drama Crucible of Good Acting". Arizona Republic. p. E5. Retrieved 16 March 2015.