Brophy has the best, most unique school spirit

By Carter Santini ’15
THE ROUNDUP

I vividly remember the day almost four years ago when I was cramped into a gym and told to spell out Brophy.

All I could think was how awesome the chant was.

This year, I led that chant both at cheer camp and standing with a C painted on my chest in the stands of Phoenix College.

From the rails of Phoenix College it was easy for me to see that Brophy has and always will have the best school spirit in the state.

People have said that the facts are against me; we’ve had poor attendance at games, no one knows the fight song and we have only hosted a few rallies in the last four years.

Is that really how we should be measuring how passionate the students are about the school?

Brophy has the best spirit because students are eager to contribute to the community and learn more about those around them.

What I saw when I screamed at an audience through a megaphone wasn’t a fan base, it was a family.

The concept of brotherhood is stressed from the moment a freshman steps foot on campus. It’s a concept that you get out what you put in.

It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t bought into it at least a little by senior year.

Brotherhood is unique to Brophy’s community and the members take pride in it. It’s led to a community that has crazy amounts of support for each other and diverse friend groups.

Lacrosse players will ask debaters about recent competitions with genuine interest and vice versa. While they may not have been there to support, they take pride in what other people are doing.

If that’s enough evidence that we have the best spirit, look at dances and events, Brophy still wins.

Events like The Fine Arts Extravaganza or the Spring Fling, both promote our school’s artists and musicians and both are heavily attended. Other schools sadly leave these talents in the shadows, but we bring them into the spotlight.

Almost every student who has been to homecoming or prom has a picture on their phone for the sole purpose of showing other schools we do it bigger and better.

They weren’t teaching me how to do chants back in the gym, they were teaching me how to be part of something bigger than myself.

That’s what school spirit is about.

School spirit needs strength on more than one field

By Anthony Cardellini ’17
THE ROUNDUP

I am nothing short of a proud Brophy student.

I certainly love and respect the community that it builds.

And yet I write this column hoping to extend that community further.

It is no doubt that Brophy shows tremendous support for football games. I attend almost every home game and am proud to say the student section is always near full.

Similarly, I went to “Footloose” March 19 and the Xavier Performing Arts Center needed to open the back wings because of the huge influx of students that attended.

Even the Fine Arts Extravaganza surprised me in the amount of people that attended my small prose reading in the Faculty Lounge.

But whenever I attend a baseball game, which I admit is rare, there is the same number of people from the other team as there are people at Brophy’s home field.

How can we claim to have the best school spirit if at a home baseball game, the only ones there are the families of the players?

Even my friends have implored me to attend cross country and track events, which the Red Army doesn’t cover.

Other than hoopcoming, what basketball games do we go to? Other than senior night, what soccer games?

I am certainly not saying there aren’t exceptions. There are definitely those who show fantastic school spirit. But I am simply saying that I don’t think all events are as well attended as they should be.

Why is the only sport with the majority of the school body at every game football when most people I talk to go only for their friends, not the game?

If everyone goes to see their friends, why can’t we all have a great time at volleyball games, golf events or mock trial competitions?

I think it’s very difficult to say that Brophy has the best school spirit if we don’t all attend these events. I love football, but it’s not the only game in town.