Looking to help ease the transition between eighth grade and their first day as Academy students, Christian Brothers Academy held “Welcome Night” on Thursday evening for the incoming Class of 2024.

While these students will not officially start at CBA until September, this special night was a perfect opportunity to join the entire Class of 2024 together for a social and to formally welcome them to a tradition 60 years in the making.

Held in CBA’s McKay Gym, the night is meant to serve as an introduction to the camaraderie that the soon-to-be freshmen can expect at the Academy. The incoming class will join together again at spring events like the annual CBA BBQ in June, followed by the school’s freshmen orientation activities in late August, and capped in September with the historic “Heath Freshman Run,” a traditional 1.3-mile run/walk across the school’s 157-acre campus.

A staple of the Welcome Night is allowing a current freshman to speak to the incoming class about his first year experience at CBA. Freshman Conor Doogan had this year’s honor, giving his soon-to-be brothers some insight on being an Academy freshman.

“I remember on Orientation Day in September when the Student Council executive board stood outside and welcomed us all to CBA,” Doogan said. “Ever since that day, CBA has felt like my second home in a way. Everyone says CBA is the best four years of our lives, and I can honestly say that so far, I believe it.”

Principal Ross Fales highlighted the myriad of activities available to students from day one in September: over 40 clubs and organizations, 18 interscholastic athletic programs, and a performing arts program that includes award-winning theater, band and chorus groups. The wide-range of activities are in addition to over 60 Advanced Placement, Accelerated and Honors courses, top-rate facilities, and a service component designed to help students meet their full potential.

President Brother Frank Byrne ’75 spoke about the expanding alumni association that these young men will one day be a part of. With nearly 11,500 alumni, CBA has graduates serving as leaders in business, finance, marketing, medicine and technology. The Academy holds regional reunions throughout the country, with Brother Frank mentioning seeing over 100 alumni at a recent CBA Alumni Association Networking Night in New York City.

Senior Aedan Moran concluded the evening with a few remarks as he prepares to graduate as a member of the Class of 2020 and join the true alumni brotherhood of CBA.

“What I’ve realized over my four years here is that CBA is not simply a high school. It provides you with a foundation that will empower and guide you for the rest of your life. Not only a foundation of academic knowledge, but a foundation of respect, of integrity, of brotherhood,” Moran said. “Four years at CBA are not just four years of your life that you’ll go through and never remember, they’re four years that you’ll never forget.”

The evening concluded with a short video highlighting the CBA experience from both students, alumni, parents and school administrators’ point-of-view.

While the Class of 2024 prepares to join the CBA tradition next September, the Academy will begin the admissions process for the Class of 2025 with the annual Open House on Sunday, October 4th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.