Students participate virtually in Brophy’s Day of Democracy
William Gruwell ’21 and David Albelais ’22 THE ROUNDUP Roughly 1200 students, according to Mr. Pete Burr ’07, participated virtually from their home through ThriveCast on Brophy’s Day of Democracy to become further educated on democracy in the United States.  ThriveCast is an innovative online platform with the goal of informing students on certain topics through reading, quizzing and reacting to different political issues such as climate change, the combination…
Election signage outside the Brophy polling location
Brophy polling site open to public
By The Roundup Staff THE ROUNDUP Polls opened at 6 A.M this morning and Brophy is now a designated polling site for all who are welcome. Brophy is open all day until 7 P.M when the polls officially close in Arizona. This is the first year that Brophy is a polling site. “We are not a democracy without the ability to vote,” said Mr. Pete Burr ’07. “We can’t claim…
Electoral college builds unity in an imperfect system
PRO/CON By Nathan Wise ’21 THE ROUNDUP The “shock” of the 2016 election, an election in which Hillary Clinton was expected to win more swing states and ultimately carry the electoral college, continued a national debate about whether or not the electoral college should decide the presidency. It was argued that like other countries, the presidential election should be decided directly by the people, instead of electors who are selected…
Electoral college mitigates value of countless votes
PRO/CON By Carl Justice ’21 THE ROUNDUP On or before Nov. 3, millions of Americans will submit their ballots for the 2020 election. As they submit their ballots, many focus on their presidential selection. And, while voting is definitely important, especially in down-ballot races, individual voters often have little to no say over who wins the presidency because the electoral college is an inherently unfair institution. It makes some voters’…
Presidential debates outdated, counterproductive method of comparing candidates
By Nick Pecora ’21 THE ROUNDUP Though once a unique opportunity to hear both presidential candidates articulate their positions and debate those policies with one another, presidential debates have devolved into little more than a competition to see who can produce the best 30-second sound bite possible. During the 1960 presidential election, Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon met for three televised debates. This was the first…
Advocacy Club seeks increased youth voting turnout
By George Anton ’21 and Carl Justice ’21 THE ROUNDUP The Brophy Advocacy Club has partnered with Aliento Votes in an effort to increase youth voter turnout for the 2020 election. Aliento has been a partner with the Advocacy Club for almost three years, and is self-described as “a community organization that is DACA, undocumented, and youth-led.”  Four Advocacy Club leaders, Diego Acevedo ’21, Xavier senior Abril Valenzuela, Darian Benitez…
How the Brophy COVID-19 Case Reporting Protocol works
By Owen Wong ’23 THE ROUNDUP Many students on campus know that every Friday, Mr. Bob Ryan updates Brophy’s COVID-19 Dashboard, which tracks positive cases of COVID-19 among students. Students who might show symptoms or have possibly had close contact with someone that has tested positive for COVID-19 will either be sent on a 14-day or 10-day quarantine.  Will Hays ’21, a Brophy senior that has had to go back…
Thanksgiving 2020 needs to be modified
By Sergio Arvizu-Rivera ’23 THE ROUNDUP What has Thanksgiving looked like? Moving from dinner to dinner? Taking a skiing trip to Colorado? Whatever traditional Thanksgiving days have looked like in previous years, Thanksgiving 2020 has to adjust amid the pandemic in order to keep families safe.  Thanksgiving is a family oriented holiday. Families cook massive meals and invite guests to partake in giving thanks.  With COVID-19, however, this is not…
Halloween could be a super spreading event for COVID-19
By John Wichterman ’23 THE ROUNDUP Halloween this year will certainly be one to remember, or forget, as extra precautions and regulations must be taken to lower the chance of spreading COVID throughout our community and nation alike. Usual Halloween activities, like door-to-door trick-or-treating and attending gatherings, may likely spread COVID-19, as these events have a high potential to create high-traffic areas where everyone may not be wearing a mask. …
NFL Votes initiative urges citizens to vote in election
By Xander Welty ’21 THE ROUNDUP In early August, The National Football League launched an initiative called “NFL Votes” that will promote civic engagement through players, coaches, legends, teams and league personnel.  The NFL Votes initiative focuses on three key components: voter education, voter registration and voter activation. This initiative is a part of the league’s social justice program called Inspire Change.  Recently, the NFL has tried to amplify the…