The students at the 2020 Polar Plunge in Sea Bright.

During the final week of each January, the National Catholic Education Association celebrates Catholic Schools Week across the country.

At Christian Brothers Academy, the students and teachers planned a week of activities to showcase the value of a holistic Catholic education in the Lasallian tradition.

Father Gary Koch celebrated Mass on Monday morning for the school community.

The Student Council took the lead to kick-off the week on Sunday afternoon, organizing CBA’s appearance at the AOH Polar Plunge in Sea Bright. An annual tradition at the Academy, the Polar Plunge saw nearly 40 CBA students jump into the chilly Atlantic Ocean to raise money for service immersion trips at the Academy. The funds raised will help facilitate CBA’s service trips to places such as the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Montana and the De La Salle Educational Center in Florida, among other trips.

Monday was a celebration of the CBA community, which featured a school-wide Mass celebrated by Father Gary Koch. Father Koch spoke to the students about how fortunate CBA is to have a network of students, parents, teachers, administration and alumni working together to make the Academy a special place.

Students received special recognition both at CBA and nationwide on Tuesday. The Academy features 875 young men who consistently set the bar higher for the students that will follow, whether in the classroom, athletics, performing arts or service work. Speaking of service, Lasallian Youth sponsored their outreach trip to Asbury Park on Tuesday afternoon, delivering lunches to the less fortunate in the area.

The winners of the dodgeball tournament: the senior class.

There was some fun to be had during Catholic Schools Week as well, with the Student Council sponsoring a battle of the classes dodgeball tournament on Wednesday morning. Ten students from each grade level participated in the tournament with the seniors coming out on top.

Since Catholic Schools week also has a day to honor the nation, junior Michael Jakub led a food collection drive for deployed troops overseas. In addition, the Lasallian Global Scholars visited a local nursing home to speak to the residents about their memories of World War II. The Global Scholars have been studying the World War II era in preparation for their visit to significant European locations in the spring.

On Thursday, the national theme called for the celebration of Catholic vocations and CBA proudly recognized the efforts of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Brothers at CBA continue to be friendly faces for students, as they have been since the school opened in 1959. They have instilled Lasallian values of faith, service and academic excellence in over 11,000 young men over CBA’s 61 years.

The Lasallian Global Scholars interviewing individuals who lived through World War II.

As a special component to celebrate the Brothers, the Action for Animals club visited the De La Salle Hall retirement home located on the campus. The CBA students brought along dogs, which put a smile on the retired Brothers’ faces.

Finally, the CBA faculty and staff were recognized on Friday for their hard work both in and out the classroom. The faculty and staff are teachers, mentors, coaches and so much more to CBA students each and every day, so the Student Council wrote each faculty member a note to show their gratitude.