Christian Brothers Academy presented 18 Presidential Scholarships on Tuesday, January 15^th to eighth graders who scored exceptionally high on the Academy’s entrance exam and displayed an outstanding middle school record.

The Presidential Scholarships are part of CBA’s Scholarship Initiative, making it possible for highly qualified students to attend CBA regardless of financial background.

The Academy awards a combined $1.75 million in scholarships and financial aid to its current students.

“Our Presidential Scholarships give us the opportunity to recognize those students who have achieved academic success in middle school and excelled on the Entrance Exam,” said CBA President Brother Frank Byrne ’75. “I congratulate these young men on earning a scholarship and we look forward to having them with us as members of the Class of 2024.”

During the ceremony, Brother Frank and Principal Ross Fales spoke about the over 60 advanced, accelerated and honors courses, nearly 50 clubs and activities, and the 18 varsity sport programs currently offered at CBA.

They also touched on CBA’s holistic approach to preparing its students for great success in college. The Class of 2019 was awarded nearly $25 million in merit-based, academic scholarships. Not including athletic scholarships or grants, about 70 percent of the students were awarded college scholarships.

The 18 of the 21 winners of the Presidential Scholarships were in attendance at a short ceremony in CBA’s Quinn Library. These students included:

• Matthew Battista – St. Leo the Great, Lincroft
• Luke De Angelis – Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft
• Henry Di Vita – Thompson Middle School, Middletown
• Brady Prunty – Markham Place School, Little Silver
• Matthew Dapra – St. Leo the Great, Lincroft
• Varun Gabbita – Manalapan Middle School, Manalapan
• Alex Kemp – Thompson Middle School, Middletown
• Nicholas Fabricant – Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft
• Nathan Galinski – St. Leo the Great, Lincroft
• Sean Galvin – HW Mountz School, Spring Lake
• Andre Govignon – Marlboro Middle School, Marlboro
• James Larrabee – Howell Middle School South, Howell
• Dylan Looney – St. Catherine School, Spring Lake
• Manuel McPolin – Bayshore Middle School, Middletown
• Peter Noble – St. Leo the Great, Lincroft
• Karan Patnaik – Oak Hill Academy, Lincroft
• Matthew Polvino – Tinton Falls Middle School, Tinton Falls
• Gavin Rudnick – Holy Cross School, Rumson

It was CBA’s first president, Brother Andrew O’Gara, who made it his mission to make CBA affordable for any qualified student. Brother Andrew’s vision continues on with the Scholarship Initiative, as CBA now awards over 50 full and partial scholarships to deserving students.

One of the three President’s Scholarships bears Brother Andrew’s name. The second scholarship honors St. John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which has operated CBA since its opening in 1959. The third scholarship, the Founders’ Scholarship, is in memory of the three laymen founders of the Academy: John Henderson, Peter Fleming, and Dr. George Sheehan.