At its Feb. 6 Power Breakfast, Brophy’s president Bob Ryan joined Mike Hazen (Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager), Brophy senior Charlie Hazen, Sean McLaughlin (CBS5/3TV), Torey Lovullo (Diamondbacks manager) and Brophy’s principal, Jim Bopp (photo by Allison Johnson).
Power Breakfast hosts Diamondbacks leadership
Brophy College Preparatory hosted its 19th annual Power Breakfast Feb. 6, with Mike Hazen and Torey Lovullo of the Diamondbacks as the guest speakers, along with emcee Sean McLaughlin from CBS5/3TV.
Hazen is the executive vice president and general manager of the 26-year-old Phoenix MLB franchise, and Torey is the manager. They talked about the challenges and successes of the last few seasons, including the team’s trip to the World Series in 2023; how crucial strong, consistent and loving leadership is to any team; and how Brophy’s athletics help guide their students toward becoming those kinds of leaders. Athletic Director Josh Garcia, class of 2007, also spoke, leaving the audience with this great takeaway: “Opposing teams can plan for how we play but not for who we are.”
Charlie Hazen, class of 2024, was the student speaker and received a standing ovation for his heartfelt account of overcoming adversity and finding his place in the Bronco baseball program.
Proceeds from the event will go toward enhancements of Brophy’s sports facilities. For more information about the event, visit www.brophyprep.org/giving/power-breakfast.
Arizona School for the Arts’ Robotics teams competed in the recent FIRST Tech Challenge tournament (submitted photo).
ASA robotics team competes in tech challenge
The High School Robotics teams of Arizona School for the Arts competed at the FIRST Tech Challenge Palo Verde Qualifying Tournament Jan. 13 and won two coveted awards.
Team Voltage, consisting of Fernando Villatoro Acevedo, Vincent Baker, Abbygail Gaffke, Ryan Jones, Charlie Mandigo, Atharva Sharma, and Bryce Vu, took home the Design Award, and Team Power Outage, comprising of Zeffrey Ferman, Ume Konishi, Scout Leigh, Sophia Long, Ezra Martinez, Jose Noriega, and Justin Pansing, Amaya Vigenser, won the Motivate Award.
Both teams succeeded in moving on to the Valley of the Sun Qualifier, which took place on Jan. 27 at the ASU West Campus.
Brophy coalition increases sustainability efforts
Sam Skrovan, Brophy class of 2024 and a member of the Student Climate Coalition (SCC), recently reported on SCC’s most recent successes as the organization works to increase sustainability at Brophy College Preparatory.
Through various food waste audits, the SCC has been monitoring the efficacy of Brophy’s food waste system since the initiation of the school’s partnership with a new food service provider. The school provides bins for compostable waste, recyclable waste and landfill waste. The SCC reports that waste contamination remains below 10 percent, which meets the school’s goal for sub-10 percent contamination. Additionally, Brophy is currently under consideration for a grant, which, if secured, will fully fund the purchase and installation of cardboard and aluminum balers to help Brophy improve the efficiency of its recycling system.
In addition, because the production of clothing uses a huge amount of water, the SCC and the Brophy Varsity Shop debuted the JV Shop (Just Vintage) with community members encouraged to donate gently used Brophy gear to sell for $5 per item. Skrovan reports that in just two drives, Brophy has saved 122,850 gallons of water and raised $945 for charity. A bonus is that students were able to buy Brophy spirit wear at a much-reduced price.
School project encourages kindness
During the 2023-24 school year, Phoenix Christian elementary accepted the challenge to build a culture of kindness. Through partnerships with The Be Kind People Project, staff and students focused on 10 essential skills of kindness. The year started with the BE KIND Dance crew and Baxter from the Arizona Diamondbacks hosting an interactive assembly to teach attendees what kindness means.
During the assembly, the school pledged to: Be Encouraging, Be Supportive, Be Positive, Be Thankful, Be Helpful, Be Honest, Be Considerate, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be a Friend.
Each month, the school highlights a different “Kindness” skill in chapel and the classroom. Mornings start with shout-outs for teachers and students who were “caught” demonstrating kindness skills. The administration visits the classes to teach specific character education lessons. The month culminates with Star Student awards, where each grade recognizes a student who best exhibits that month’s kindness skills.
Colattur named Coca Cola Scholar
Xavier College Preparatory senior Sonya Colattur has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Scholar. The Coca Cola Scholar program is an achievement-based scholarship awarded to students in their final year of high school. Students are recognized for their capacity to lead and serve, as well as their commitment to making a significant impact on their schools and communities.
Colattur is one of 150 students nationwide named a Coca-Cola Scholar — from an application pool of more than 100,000. As a member of the 2024 class of Coca-Cola Scholars, the student will receive a $20,000 scholarship award. She also is a National Merit Scholar semi-finalist.
Sonya Colattur, Annabel Ohman and Monica Nitu (pictured left to right) were named candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program (photo courtesy of Xavier College Prep).
Students named candidates for scholars program
Xavier College Preparatory seniors Sonya Colattur, Monica Nitu and Annabel Ohman have been named candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. This is a significant honor as students are selected on the basis of their achievements and may not apply to the program.
Each year, up to 161 students are named U.S. Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The majority of students are selected on the basis of broad academic achievement and having scored exceptionally well on the SAT or ACT.
In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars reviews the applications of all semifinalists and selects the final Presidential Scholars.
Brophy addresses human dignity
Brophy College Preparatory will host its annual nine-day Summit on Human Dignity on campus from Feb. 26-March 7. This year’s topic is on debt and dignity.
The Summit will examine debt and the ways that it shapes our lives and our world. Student debt, medical debt, sovereign debt of developing countries and various hidden forms of debt are often “issues behind the issue” for a range of social inequities. At the same time, predatory loans, disparities in mortgage lending and a lack of financial wellness resources often contribute to keeping people in poverty and disproportionately affect communities of color. On a more macro level, there are real questions worth exploring about the ethical dilemmas that come from living in a debt-based economy like ours.
The Brophy community will explore the complexities of the phenomenon of debt and reflect on how people are called to respond to it in their personal, economic and community lives. Learn more at www.brophyprep.org/2024-summit-on-human-dignity.
Xavier athletes sign letters of intent
Nine Xavier College Preparatory student-athletes signed their National Letters of Intent in February.
The student-athletes and their colleges include Reese Bozak, Volleyball, Dominican University of California; Cara Schillinger, Crew, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Julia Russo, Cross Country & Track, Santa Clara University; Sofia Zielinski, Softball, Saint Francis University; Lena Durette Golf, Rollins College; Tabitha von Kolen, Softball, Canisius University; Mackenzie Lopez, Track, Brown University; Samantha Aulicino, Pom, University of Oklahoma; and Camila Cornejo-Farmer, Volleyball, Westmont College.
Sister Lynn Winsor
Director receives ‘lifetime’ award
Sister Lynn Winsor, BVM, Xavier College Preparatory’s vice-principal of Activities, athletic director, and co-head Girls Golf coach, was one of five recipients of the WeCOACH 2023-24 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, presented by Jostens.
The award is presented to women in sports who succeed at the highest levels in their respective careers, while also displaying an unwavering commitment, pioneering spirit, and trailblazing leadership to empower and pave the way for girls and women in all sports and levels to break through for many generations to come.
