Christian Brothers Academy (New Jersey)
Christian Brothers Academy (also known as CBA or "The Academy"), located in the Lincroft section of Middletown Township, New Jersey, is a private, all-boys preparatory school for grades nine to twelve, with a focus on Christian education. The school is run by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. Christian Brothers Academy was originally a farm owned by the prominent Whitney family of New York City, and home to their renowned Greentree Stable. The land was eventually given to the Christian Brothers for the  purpose of teaching. The school opened for the first time in September 1959 and was blessed by the Bishop of Trenton on October 11, 1959. Christian Brothers Academy operates independently from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton and is governed by a board of trustees. As of the 2019–20 school year, the school had an enrollment of 876 students and 66.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. The school's student body was 83.4% (731) White, 10.2% (89) Hispanic and 4.5% (39) two or more races, 1.5% (13) Asian, 0.5% (4) Black. The  school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1967. History. The site of Christian Brothers Academy was originally a farm owned by the prominent Whitney family of New York City, and home to their renowned Greentree Stable. Christian Brothers Academy was founded in 1958, when a group of devoted laymen, including Doctor George A. Sheehan, realized the need for another Catholic high school in Monmouth County. With the approval of the bishop, they initiated a drive to raise funds for the purchase of a piece of property. The  Brothers of the Christian Schools, under the leadership of their provincial, Brother Anthony John Halpin, agreed to staff the school and finance its construction. The former Whitney Greentree Stables, a farm, was purchased and one building was converted into what is now Henderson Hall. With six Brothers on the teaching staff, the school opened for the first time in September 1959 with an inaugural ninth grade class of 140 students, with classrooms built in a converted horse stable. The school was blessed by the Bishop of Trenton on October 11, 1959 A brick school building with 12 classrooms and science  labs, constructed at a cost of $1.8 million (equivalent to $ million in ), opened in September 1962 with 700 students in grades 9-12. Over the years, the school has undergone many additions and renovations, including the building of the Henderson Theater, three science labs, two large gyms, and extra classrooms. The school's Christian emphasis is noted by a sign in the lobby which reads: "Jesus is the reason for this school, the unseen but ever-present teacher in its classes, the model of the faculty and the inspiration of its students." Before school begins and at the  start of every class, prayers are offered in the Lasallian manner, beginning "Let us remember we are in the Holy Presence of God" and ending with the invocations, "St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us." "Live Jesus in our Hearts. Forever!" Awards, recognition, and rankings. During the 1983–84 academic year, Christian Brothers Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. The school was honored a second time when it was one of eight private schools recognized in 2017 by the  Blue Ribbon Schools Program as an Exemplary High Performing School by the U.S. Department of Education. Academics. Advanced Placement courses offered include AP Art History, AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP French Language, AP Human Geography, , AP Music Theory, AP Physics C, AP Physics 2, AP Psychology, AP Spanish Language, AP Statistics, AP United States History, and AP World History. In addition to the 22 AP course offered at Christian Brothers Academy, the institution offers  nearly 90 other courses that spread throughout the disciplines. In order to receive a diploma, a student must successfully complete four years of each of the following: English, Health, and Theology. He must also complete three years of the following courses: History, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science, and Physical Education. Furthermore, students are required to complete two years of Computer Science. Students who excel in CBA and who meet particular standards of academics, service, leadership, and character may apply for entry to the National Honor Society. Extracurricular activities. Some activities at CBA include: The CBA chess team won the shore title  in 2003, 2006 and again in 2007. In 2007, the team won the New Jersey state championship as it also did in 1980 and 1985. The team also placed 14th in 2007 at the U1500 at the National High School Chess Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The school offers the Lasallian Youth program, a way for students to perform service to surrounding areas within the context of the spirituality of the school's patron, St. John Baptist de La Salle. Athletics. The Christian Brothers Academy Colts have competed since 1982 in Division A North of the Shore Conference, which is  comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties on the Northern Jersey Shore. The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). Since entering, the Colts have won over 240 Shore Conference championships. With 1,386 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools). CBA has been a member of the New  Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) since the early 1960s. Since winning their first state title in 1965 (basketball), CBA has won over 145 state championships. At CBA, all sports are governed by the NJSIAA, with the exception of crew, rugby and sailing, which have independent governing bodies. Christian Brothers does not field an interscholastic football program. Christian Brothers Academy has been recognized nine times by the NJSIAA as the Group A Non-Public winner of the annual ShopRite Cup, which is awarded for overall achievement by athletics programs in the state. The NJSIAA has recognized the school as Group  A winner of the Shop Rite Cup Championships in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019–20. Fall sports. Christian Brothers Academy offers cross country, soccer, rugby, sailing, and crew as sports in the fall season. Head Coached by Scott Belford. Founded in 2004, the CBA crew team is a dual-season sport. The team won its first New Jersey State Scholastic Rowing Championships in the Novice 4+ event in its inaugural year. In the 2006 season, the team gained national recognition when its newly formed Lightweight 4+ placed 2nd at the Scholastic Rowing  Nationals in Saratoga, New York. The Junior 4+ won the New Jersey State Scholastic Championships in 2008. The varsity double took 2nd place at the 2008 Stotesbury Cup, the largest high school regatta in the nation. In 2009, CBA won the senior 1x event at the New Jersey Scholastic Rowing Championships. In the 2011 spring season, the Lightweight 4+ placed second at the Stotesbury Cup and placed first in Nationals in Camden, New Jersey. The cross country team holds the national high school record for consecutive dual meet wins, having surpassed the 265 streak accomplished by Blackstone-Millville  Regional High School in Massachusetts from 1974 to 1992. After losing a dual meet to Raritan High School, 15–50, to end the 1973 season, the streak dates back to September 19, 1974, with a 15–49 win over Marist High School to start the season. Blackstone-Millville's record of 265 wins was tied on September 28, 2004, with a win against Marlboro High School and the record broken two days later against Middletown High School North. The team is consistently ranked 1st in New Jersey and has been ranked 1st in the United States on multiple occasions. Head coach Tom  Heath '65, who is responsible for building the cross country team to its current dominant state, retired from coaching at the end of the 2015 season. He won 21 NJSIAA Meet of Champions crowns, 27 NJSIAA state championships and went 42 years without losing a dual-meet. In 2016, assistant coach Sean McCafferty was promoted to cross country head coach, in addition to his role as distance and assistant coach for indoor and outdoor track. Rugby formed as a club team in 2011 at CBA, being elevated to varsity status in 2013. The team is coached by Patrick Moroney, the  head coach of the Monmouth Rugby Club. In their inaugural varsity spring season, the rugby 15's won the New Jersey High School state championship, finishing up an undefeated season. In the fall of 2015, the rugby 7's won their first state championship. Another dual-season sport at CBA, the sailing team has existed in some form since 2000, first as a club team beginning in 2000. The 2005 club team qualified for the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA)'s Mallory National Championship. After a year of inactivity, the current iteration of CBA Sailing began in 2007 and was promoted  to varsity status in 2011. Since then, the 16-member varsity squad has been an active member of the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA), a division of the Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Association (MASSA). In 2014, the sailing team won their first-ever NJISA League Championship, and in 2015, CBA was crowned New Jersey State Champions for the first time. The Colts made it back-to-back titles, winning the 2016 New Jersey state championship as well. In 2017, CBA qualified for the ISSA Mallory National Championship for the first time as a varsity team and second time in  school history. The team's longtime coach is Jody Lutz, a Barnegat Bay Sailing Hall of Fame inductee and multiple-time North American sailing champion. From 1978 to 2016, CBA was coached by Dan Keane, who had a record of 545–157–41 in his 39-year tenure with the Colts and built the program to state dominance, having won four group titles, 17 sectional championships and winning the Shore Conference Tournament on ten occasions. The 1992 team finished the season with a 17–1 record after winning the Non-Public A title against Don Bosco Preparatory High School by a score of  2–0 in the tournament final. In 1998, the team finished undefeated with a 20–0–2 record after a win against Delbarton School by a score of 5–0 in the Non-Public A championship game played at The College of New Jersey. The 2000 team finished the season 19–2–1 after a come-from-behind 3–2 win against Pingry School in the Non-Public A finals. The 2011 team was 21–0 and beat Delbarton by a score of 1–0 in the Non-Public A state title game on a goal in the second minute of overtime by future MLS player Scott Thomsen '12 . Keane retired in 2016, winning the 2015 Shore Conference Tournament as his last act. JV and assistant coach Tom Mulligan '83 was promoted to head varsity coach in 2016, winning both the state title (with a 1–0 win against Seton Hall Preparatory School in the Non-Public A finals) and conference title (with a 2–0 win vs. Marlboro High School) to finish with a 24–1 record in his first season. Mulligan's Colts finished the 2018 season 21–1–1 after winning a second state title in three years, beating previously undefeated Delbarton by a score of 2–1 on a goal scored  in double overtime in the 100th and final minute of the Non-Public A state championship. Winter sports. Christian Brothers Academy offers basketball, bowling, fencing, ice hockey, indoor track, swimming, and wrestling as sports in the winter season. CBA has reached the Final Four of the Shore Conference Tournament in all but five years since their inclusion in 1982. Vinnie Cox served as the head coach through the formative years, winning CBA's first ever state championship in any sport in 1965 with a 76–59 win against Don Bosco Preparatory High School in the Parochial A finals at the Atlantic  City Convention Hall. Cox's Colts would win four more state titles before his retirement in 1980. Before a crowd of 1,000 spectators, the 1971 team held off Essex Catholic by a score of 70–68 in the championship game to win the Parochial A title and finish the season at 25–2. The 1984 team finished the season with a 29–1 record after winning the Parochial A state title by defeating St. Peter's 59–47 in the championship game. The Colts had a 10-year home win streak vs. division opponents during the mid 1990s to mid 2000s, when the streak  was snapped by the Colts Neck Cougars in December 2006. The team earned a national ranking of #11 in the final 1999−2000 rankings by "USA Today". The team has sent numerous players to Division I programs, including forward Dan Werner, who won New Jersey Player of the Year in 2006 and won a Division I national championship with Florida in 2007. In 2007, head coach Ed Wicelinski retired after 27 years with a 625–116 record and three state championships. Geoff Billet '95, who played on the last CBA state championship team and started at Rutgers, was named the head basketball  coach on August 1, 2007. Billet won conference titles in 2009 and 2010. In 2016, Pat Andree '16 broke the CBA all-time scoring record, which was held by Bob Roma '75 for 40 years. He finished with 1,984 points before playing Division I basketball for Lehigh University, and later NC State University. Varsity basketball championships: Coached by Patrick Reynolds. The first year of Varsity Fencing at CBA was the 2012-13 winter season, coached by Mary Mottola. Fencers from CBA have gone on to fence at Brandeis, Stevens, Sacred Heart and University of Pennsylvania. Coached by Karl Torchia, the  track team is known for its dominance in New Jersey. The track program has more titles at the county, state, and national level than any other sports in the school combined. The Christian Brothers Academy hockey team competes in both the Gordon Conference and the Shore Conference, and is coached by Ryan Bogan. Christian Brothers Academy's home games are played at the Jersey Shore Arena in Wall Township, New Jersey. From 1994 to 1996, the Colts hockey team won both the Gordon Cup and the state championship in three consecutive years, a feat accomplished by only a few teams . On January 31, 2014, the Christian Brothers Academy team played outdoors in a Stadium Series game against Don Bosco Prep at Yankee Stadium; the two teams played to a 1–1 tie. In 2014, the Colts battled with Morristown-Beard School for the Non-Public state championship. After 60 minutes of play, the game ended in a 4–4 tie and the teams were declared co-champions, as per NJSIAA rules, which was only the second time that two teams have been declared co-champions In 2015, the Colts battled back from a 3–0 deficit to Delbarton School in the Non-Public  state final to win the game 4–3 in overtime. Dean DiFazio scored the goal in overtime to give CBA their second straight state title. The team won the title in 2020 with a 4–1 against Don Bosco Preparatory High School in the tournament final. The CBA hockey program has produced four players -- James van Riemsdyk, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Connor Clifton and Joakim Ryan—who went on to play in the National Hockey League. The school officially retired Trevor's number 6 following his 2015 Stanley Cup victory. Varsity hockey championships: The CBA Swim Team has been the Monmouth County and  Shore Conference champions for 28 years in a row coached by Michael Sullivan. Notable CBA swimmers are 2000 Summer Olympics bronze medalist Tom Wilkens, and professional baseball player Vito Chiaravalloti, who is varsity swim coach as of October 2008. The 2009−10 swim team went 12−0 and captured their second ever state championship topping St. Augustine Preparatory School 86−84. The team was the fastest in CBA school history and also the first team to finish top ranked in New Jersey. In 2011 the team took their 21st Shore Conference and Monmouth County Tournament victories and also became the first team in  CBA history to win back-to- back state championships, defeating St. Joseph (Metuchen) 92–78. The 2012 team won another state title. Varsity swimming championships: In 2005–06, the team went 17−4 and made it to the division finals; the Colts finished ranked 15th in New Jersey and had one state placewinner. The Colts had four district champions and advanced eight to the region 6 tournament. David Santamaria (class of 1998) placed 2nd in the New Jersey high school state wrestling tournament three years in a row; Kevin Mount (class of 1999) placed 4th in the New Jersey high school state wrestling  tournament his senior year. Coach Michael Baldi recently retired after years of service. Head coach is Michael Tomaino who received his first career victory as the head coach in the opening match of the 2006–07 season. The team ended with a 14–10 record with three 20-match winners and James Beshada set a school record of 41 single season victories. In the 2007−08 season, the Colt wrestlers finished second in District 22, beating state-ranked Raritan High School, and coming within one place of beating Ocean Township High School for the championship. CBA sent nine wrestlers to the Region tournament , and had 12 of 14 notch wins in districts. They finished their dual meet season with a record of 14−12, and beat traditional rival St. John Vianney High School 35−22 to send them to the Sectional Semi-finals of the Non-Public A South NJSIAA Tournament where they lost to Camden Catholic High School, 35−19. Their season was capped by a 5th in the State finish by Senior Captain Joe Favia. This is the third consecutive season the Colts placed a wrestler in the state tournament. Spring sports. Christian Brothers Academy offers baseball, crew, golf, lacrosse, outdoor track, rugby, sailing , tennis, and volleyball in the spring. Under the direction of Head Coach Martin Kenney, the Colts have been a dominant force in New Jersey high school baseball since 1974. In 2007, Coach Kenney earned his 600th career win with a victory over Wall High School and eclipsed 700 wins in his 40th season (2014). In 2015, CBA secured their greatest season in history, winning all five Championships that the team competed in: "A" North Division, Monmouth County, Shore Conference, NJSIAA Sectional and NJSIAA State. The 2015 Colts finished #1 in the county, Shore, State and Tri-State. They were also  ranked in two National H.S. Baseball Polls, #23 in the U.S.A Today poll and #21 in the Max Preps H.S. Baseball poll. Founded in 2004, the CBA crew team is a dual-season sport. The team won its first New Jersey State Scholastic Rowing Championships in the Novice 4+ event in its inaugural year. In the 2006 season, the team gained national recognition when its newly formed Lightweight 4+ placed 2nd at the Scholastic Rowing Nationals in Saratoga, New York. The Junior 4+ won the New Jersey State Scholastic Championships in 2008. The varsity double took 2nd  place at the 2008 Stotesbury Cup, the largest high school regatta in the nation. In 2009, CBA won the senior 1x event at the New Jersey Scholastic Rowing Championships. In the 2011 Spring Season, the Lightweight 4+ placed second at the Stotesbury Cup and placed first in Nationals in Camden, New Jersey. The CBA golf team won the state championship in 2005 under the direction of head coach Tim Sewing. They began a stretch of Shore Conference dominance in 2011, winning the next five of six conference tournaments including the 2016 title. Their longtime head coach is Dave Santos  '85. Rugby formed as a club team in 2011 at CBA, being elevated to varsity status in 2013. The team is coached by Patrick Moroney, the head coach of the Monmouth Rugby Club. In their inaugural varsity spring season, the rugby 15's won the New Jersey High School state championship, finishing up an undefeated season. In the fall of 2015, the rugby 7's won their first state championship. Another dual season sport at CBA, the sailing team has existed in some form since 2000, first as a club team beginning in 2000. The 2005 club team qualified for  the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA)'s Mallory National Championship. After a year of inactivity, the current iteration of CBA Sailing began in 2007 and was promoted to varsity status in 2011. Since then, the 16-member varsity squad has been an active member of the New Jersey Interscholastic Sailing Association (NJISA), a division of the Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Sailing Association (MASSA). In 2014, the sailing team won their first-ever NJISA League Championship, and in 2015, CBA was crowned New Jersey State Champions for the first time. The Colts made it back-to-back titles, winning the 2016 New Jersey  state championship as well. In 2017, CBA qualified for the ISSA Mallory National Championship for the first time as a varsity team and second time in school history. The team's longtime coach is Jody Lutz, a Barnegat Bay Sailing Hall of Fame inductee and multiple-time North American sailing champion. The tennis team is one of the most accomplished sports at CBA. The Colts have won over 20 state championships, most recently in 2013. The period of success came under the direction of head coach Dan Keane, who retired after the 2016 season after serving as coach since 1978 , having led the team to 14 state group titles and an overall record of 649–155. Volleyball became a varsity sport at CBA in the 2000s and began seeing success late in the decade behind head coach Monica Slattery. In 2015, Christian Brothers won the Shore Conference Championship for the first time in team history. On April 10, 2019, the team won its 300th win in program history.