Brother Martin High School
Brother Martin High School is a private, Catholic, all-male college preparatory school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was established by the brothers in 1869 as St. Aloysius College. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans. School mascot and colors. The school's mascot is a crusader and the colors are crimson and gold. Campus. Brother Martin High School is located on Elysian Fields Avenue in Gentilly, an established residential neighborhood in New Orleans. The school campus includes Cor  Jesu Hall, the oldest building on the current campus; built in 1954, the Conlin Gymnasium (now fully air-conditioned), the largest high school gym in the city, and the newest components on campus; the Thomas F. and Elaine P. Ridgley Fine Arts and Athletic Center, commonly known as the "Ridgley Center", E. A. Farley Field, used for Soccer, Baseball and non-varsity football, the Roland H. & Macy Paton Meyer Science and Mathematics Building, and the James B. Branton Chapel. Renovations were also made to the Cor Jesu building, second-floor resource center, Library, Benson Mall, and Food Services. Thomas F.  and Elaine P. Ridgley Fine Arts and Athletic Center. In January 1999, over 400 alumni, Brothers and friends attended the dedication ceremony for the Thomas F. and Elaine P. Ridgley Fine Arts and Athletic Center. The dedication of this facility was presided over by Bishop Gregory Aymond, CJ’67, hosted by Brother Ivy LeBlanc, S.C. President of Brother Martin High School and was the realization of the goal of the first phase of the Campaign for Brother Martin High School. The entrance to the Ridgley Center Lobby is on a diagonal. The diagonal sits on the Faubourg-Darcantel line, one of  the oldest boundaries in the city. Upstairs in the second floor lobby, a wall of windows frame E.A. Farley Field. E. A. Farley Field. Between 1945 and 1947 the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, looking toward the future had purchased more than of property, primarily from the Farley family, in the growing residential area of Gentilly. By 1952 Brother Martin Hernandez as provincial planned and supervised the construction of Cor Jesu High School on the Gentilly site. Through his Youth Progress Program Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel contributed $475,000 toward construction and furnishings of the new school. From 1980 through  1983 the school purchased parcels of land from the Farley Family which was bordered by Mandeville Street, Gentilly Boulevard, St. Aloysius Drive (formerly Stephen Girard St.) and Cor Jesu Drive (formerly Marigny St.) for use in their athletic and extracurricular programs. The field underwent a renovation as part of Phase II of the Capital Campaign during which a baseball field was constructed and additional athletic storage and restrooms were added. The playing surface was redone and drainage and a sprinkler system were installed, allowing the lower level teams to play home games on campus, although the varsity plays its home  games at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium at nearby Delgado Community College. This is especially where the football team practices. And also the baseball teams. Roland H. & Macy Paton Meyer Science and Mathematics Building. The Roland H. & Macy Paton Meyer Science and Mathematics Building opened for the 2007–2008 school year on August 17. The Meyer Building is located at the corner of Elysian Fields Avenue and Sumpter Street, the former site of the Brothers’ Residence (circa 1955). This building houses computer, chemistry, physics and biology labs. For flexibility, eight science classrooms adjoin the three state-of-the-art lab spaces on the  second floor. The first floor has seven math classrooms and a computer lab. The James B. Branton Chapel. The James B. Branton chapel is settled in front of the Roland H. & Macy Paton Meyer Science and Mathematics Building. Academics. Brother Martin High School is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school offers college- preparatory classes to young men in grades 8–12. There is a program specially designed for eighth grade. Eighth grade students are required to carry a minimum of six courses. The Placement Committee will place students into the appropriate level of English, math  and science. An eighth grade student who fails any subject during the regular school session must successfully complete remedial work in the subject area at Brother Martin summer session before he may advance to the freshman year at Brother Martin. It also provides a curriculum designed to develop skills and create options for higher education. Eighth grade students are required to carry a minimum of six courses including Religion 8, English 8 or English 1 honors, Introduction to Algebra, Algebra 1 or Algebra 1 honors, computer application, earth science, physical science or physical science honors, world geography and honors, health /PE, Fine Arts Survey, and electives. To graduate, students must earn a minimum of 24 credits. Each course is equal to one credit. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are required to carry and successfully complete all required courses and a minimum of six credits each year, seniors must carry and complete all required courses and a minimum of five credits. Students enrolled in all four honor courses during their sophomore year are invited into the Honors Program. A student that is participating in the Honors Program will be required to continue taking honors or advanced placement courses in English, math, science , and social studies. In addition, a student must also complete three consecutive credits of the same foreign language. The successful participation of a student in the Honors Program earns him an honors diploma at graduation. School organization and administration. The official governing body of Brother Martin High School is the school's board of directors, which is responsible for setting school policy and regulations and hiring the school president and principal. The administration of Brother Martin is a president, the principal, dean of students, assistant principal for academics, assistant principal for admissions, and assistant principal for student services. Athletics. Brother  Martin athletics started back in the early 1900s with basketball and baseball. Now over 100 years later, Brother Martin has more than 12 varsity sports for students to choose from. Brother Martin's years of athletic traditions have yielded numerous State and District Championships over the years. Brother Martin is a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and participates in District 9-5A, also known as the Catholic League for the number of Catholic schools in the district. The Crusader football team was coached for 27 seasons (1970–96) by Bobby Conlin, who compiled a 204–99–5 record, the most  wins for any Catholic League coach, and the most for any New Orleans-area coach in Louisiana's highest classification. He led Brother Martin to the 1971 Class AAAA state championship with a 23–0 victory over archrival St. Augustine. The Crusaders also reached the championship game in 1989, losing 35–7 to Ouachita Parish. Conlin was posthumously inducted into the LHSAA Hall of Fame in 2003. Brother Martin's basketball teams won state championships in three of its first five seasons following the merger of St. Aloysius and Cor Jesu. The 1969–70 team went 36–0 and was named a mythical national  champion. In 1974, the Crusaders defeated the Catholic League rival Holy Cross in the championship game, led by the future University of Kentucky and NBA player Rick Robey. The school has teams in baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and wrestling- which is regarded as one of the best wrestling programs in the state, with 20 state championship titles since 1979. All teams except tennis, swimming, golf and bowling consist of four levels of competition: eighth grade, ninth grade, junior varsity and varsity. The school has had a bowling team as a club sport for  many years, but in the 2007–08 school year, it came out with a varsity bowling team. The team competes as a member of the LHSAA. Teams are selected through a tryout process. Championships. 1974-1975 - District, State Runner-up 1983-1984 - State 1984-1985 - State Runner-up 1988-1989 - District Tournament 1990-1991 - District 1995-1996 - State 2007-2008 - District 2009-2010 - District 2012-2013 - Undefeated District, State Quarterfinalist 2013-2014 - District, State Quarterfinalist 2014-2015 - State Semifinalist 2018-2019 - District, State Semifinalist In addition to the listed school championships, the 1983 American Legion baseball team sponsored by Brother Martin  won the Louisiana state championship and Mid-South regional and placed fourth at the American Legion World Series. 1969-1970 - District, State, National 1970-1971 - District, State 1972-1973 - District 1973-1974 - District, State 1978-1979 - District 1982-1983 - District Runner-up; State Semifinalist 1986-1987 - District 2002-2003 - District, State Runner-up 2003-2004 - District, State 2004-2005 - District, State 2006-2007 - District 2009-2010 - State 2011-2012 - District, State Semifinalist 2012-2013 - State Quarterfinalist 2016-2017 - District, State Runner-up 2017-2018 - State Quarterfinalist 2018-2019 - State Semifinalist 2019-2020 - State Semifinalist 1973-1974 - City 1977-1978 - City  1987-1988 - City 1988-1989 - City 1991-1992 - City 1994-1995 - City 1997-1998 - City 2008-2009 - State Runner-up 2009-2010 - Bi-Regional 2010-2011 - State Runner-up 2013-2014 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State Semifinalist 2014-2015 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State 2015-2016 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State 2016-2017 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State Semifinalist 2017-2018 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State 2018-2019 - Undefeated District, Bi-Regional, State 2019-2020 - Undefeated District (Regional and State canceled due to COVID closure) 1969-1970 - City 1970-1971 - City, District 1971-1972 - City, District, State 1972-1973 - City , District, State Runner-up 1973-1974 - City, District 1974-1975 - City, District 1975-1976 - City, District 1976-1977 - City, District 1977-1978 - City, District 1978-1979 - City, District 1979-1980 - City, District, State Runner-up 1980-1981 - City, District, State 1981-1982 - City, District, State 1983-1984 - City 1984-1985 - City, State Runner-up 1986-1987 - City 1991-1992 - City, District, State Runner-up 1992-1993 - City, District, State Runner-up 1993-1994 - State 1994-1995 - City, District, State Runner-up 1995-1996 - City, District 1997-1998 - State Runner-up 1998-1999 - State 1999-2000 - District, State 2000-2001 - City , District 2001-2002 - City 2002-2003 - City, District, State 2003-2004 - City, State Runner-up 2004-2005 - City, State Runner-up 2005-2006 - City, State Runner-up 2006-2007 - City 2007-2008 - City, State 2008-2009 - City 2011-2012 - District, Metro, State Runner-Up 2012-2013 - District Runner-Up, Metro 2014-2015- State Runner-Up 2015-2016- Metro 2016-2017 - District, Region 2017-2018 - District, Region 2018-2019 - District, Region, State Runner-Up 2019-2020 - District, Region 1969-1970 - Miracle Strip Bowl 1971-1972 - District, State 1972-1973 - District 1975-1976 - Shrimp Bowl 1977-1978 - District 1978-1979 - Turkey Bowl  1983-1984 - District 1985-1986 - District 1989-1990 - State Runner-up 1992-1993 - District 2007-2008 - District 2008-2009 - District 2014-2015 - State Semifinalist 2018-2019 - State Quarterfinalist 2019-2020 - State Semifinalist 1969-1970 - District 1970-1971 - District 1971-1972 - City 1976-1977 - District, Regional 1985-1986 - District 1988-1989 - District, Regional 1992-1993 - Regional 1993-1994 - Regional 1995-1996 - Regional 2001-2002 - District, Regional 2003-2004 - State 2006-2007 - District, Regional 2012-2013 - District 2018-2019 - Catholic League 1992-1993 - District 1997-1998 - District 1999-2000 - State 2000-2001 - State 2001-2002 - State Runner-up 2011-2012 - Co-District  2012-2013 - Co- District, State Semifinalist 2013-2014 - Undefeated District, State Quarterfinalist 2014-2015 - State Quarterfinalist 2016-2017 - District 2019-2020 - District, State Quarterfinalist 1987-1988 - District, State Runner-up 1988-1989 - District, State Runner-up 1994-1995 - State Runner-up 1995-1996 - State Runner-up 1977-1978 - City 1984-1985 - State Runner-up 1985-1986 - City, District 1986-1987 - City, District, State 1987-1988 - State Runner-up 2011-2012 - Regional Doubles, Regional Runner-up 2012-2013 - District Runner-up, Regional Runner-up 2013-2014 - District Runner-up, Regional Runner-up 2014-2015 - District Runner-up, Regional Runner-up 2015 -2016 - District Runner-up, Regional Runner-up 2016-2017 - Regional Singles, Regional Runner-up 2017-2018 - District and Regional Champions, State Runner-up 2018-2019 - District and Regional Champions, State Runner-up 1971-1972 - District 1972-1973 - District 1975-1976 - District 1978-1979 - District 1979-1980 - District 1982-1983 - District 1983-1984 - District 1984-1985 - District 1986-1987 - District 1990-1991 - Indoor State Runner-up 1994-1995 - Indoor State Runner-up 1995-1996 - Regional 1996-1997 - Regional 2003-2004 - District, Regional 2005-2006 - District, Regional 2007-2008 - District, Regional 2008-2009 - District, Regional 2011-2012 - District 2012-2013 - District 2013 -2014 - District 2014-2015 - District 1977-1978 – District, State Runner-up 1978-1979 – City, State 1980-1981 – State Runner-up 1981-1982 – City, State 1982-1983 – District, State Runner-up 1983-1984 – City, State 1984-1985 – District, State 1985-1986 – District, State 1986-1987 – District, State 1989-1990 – District 1995-1996 – District, Regional, State Runner-up 1996-1997 – District, State Runner-up 1998-1999 – District, State 1999-2000 – District, State 2000-2001 – District, State 2001-2002 – District, State 2002-2003 – District, State 2005-2006 – State Runner-up 2006-2007 – District, State 2011-2012 – District, State 2012-2013 – District, City, State  2013-2014 – Undefeated District, State 2014-2015- District, State 2015-2016- District, State 2017-2018 - District, Regional, State 2018-2019 - District, State 2019-2020 - District, State Crusader Fight Song. "We're gonna' fight for our alma mater, for Brother Martin crimson and gold. We're gonna' fight 'till the skies resound it! We're gonna' win over foes untold. The Crimson Crusaders are our heroes, they are the men who never say, "Die." So while the whole gang is here let's stand up and cheer for Brother Martin High." Extracurricular activities. Some extracurricular activities offered include  Academic Games, art and design club, book club, Bands- Marching, Concert, and Symphonic Bands, a pep and stage band, cheerleading, chorus, CSPN (Crusader Streaming & Programming Network), Culinary Crusaders, Close-Up, cyber patriot, drama club, Excalibur National Honor Society, fishing club, intramurals, Key Club, lacrosse, a literary magazine ("The Pen and the Sword"), literary rally, martial arts medical support staff, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, NJROTC, quiz bowl team, rugby team, speech and debate club, student ambassadors, student ministry, student recruiting team, student council, tabletop gaming club, ultimate frisbee, world culture club, and yearbook ("Yesterday"). Hurricane  Katrina. Hurricane Katrina forced the school to close in August 2005. Brother Martin opened a temporary facility at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge for their students. Catholic High allowed students and faculty of Brother Martin to use their facilities during its after hours. Displaced Brother Martin students continued to learn here for the remainder of 2005. Brother Martin High School reopened its doors in New Orleans in January 2006 sustaining minimal flood damage to the bottom floors. Many faculty and volunteers helped renovate and repair the damaged sections of the school Notable alumni. NOTE: Some of those listed below  graduated from one of Brother Martin's forerunner schools, St. Aloysius (1869–1969) and Cor Jesu (1954–69)