For many, March is a time synonymous with school pride, college basketball, and bracket-style competition. With this in mind, Christian Brothers Academy launched the school’s first ever bracket-style tournament to raise funds for the school’s annual operating budget.

“Congratulations on the great success of March Madness,” CBA President Brother Frank Byrne, F.S.C. said. “The alumni really stepped up and raised over $37,500 in one week. I’m grateful to all of the alumni who participated, especially those who made their first gift to CBA.”

The “CBA March Madness Giving Challenge” pitted every graduating class in school history against one another. Alumni were prompted to “Accept The Challenge” and amass points through donating and rallying their classmates to do the same. Points were earned for both individual participation and cumulative donations by class once they surpassed certain designated amounts.

During the week, alumni were kept in the loop with email and social media updates on class point totals. After the first 48-hour round, the top sixteen classes advanced, narrowing down each day to Friday’s final four classes. The Class of 1984 was crowned champion after Friday’s final four round, followed by the Classes of 1982, 2000 and 1979.

“Our March Madness challenge was an idea that we really needed to put on our calendar,” said Jason Lutz, CBA Advancement’s Associate Director and the challenge’s creator. “We have such a passionate group of alumni that truly care about their classmates and our school, so we are very pleased with the enthusiasm they brought to the week. We are already thinking about how we can make 2017 bigger and better.”

The final four classes will be honored at a celebration to be held this summer at the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten in Asbury Park, NJ. CBA wishes to thank all of their alumni who accepted the challenge.

9) 1987 (45)

10) 1992 (32)

11) 1970 (27)

12) 1971 (26)

13) 2005 (21)

14) 1989 (18)

15) 1986 (18)

16) 1990 (17)