The energy is palpable when the students finally return to the Christian Brothers Academy campus for the first days of school.

Friends reunite with high fives and handshakes in the hallways. Students update their teachers on summer fun. The faculty lend a helping hand to the newest Colts walking around campus.

The 2023-2024 school year kicked off with two traditions that are central to the Academy’s spirit: the Signum Fidei Junior Tie Ceremony and the Heath Freshman Run & Welcome Day.

On September 6, the Class of 2025 gathered in the Varsity Gym for the annual Tie Ceremony, which marked the start of a true leadership role at CBA.

The juniors received customized neckties, embroidered with the “Class of 2025.”

Each tie represents a reaffirmation of commitment to completing their journey at Christian Brothers Academy, as “signum fidei” translates to “sign of faith.” As they prepare to become the oldest members of the student body, these young men more deeply understand their role in upholding the mission of CBA and living out the school motto of Religio, Mores, Cultura, which is found on each student’s tie. These 200 students, who entered as freshmen boys in the fall of 2021, have demonstrated the desire to graduate as Academy men in the spring of 2025.

There may not be a high school tradition in the nation better than the Heath Freshman Run, which kicked off the Freshman Welcome Day activities on September 7.

Now named after CBA’s longtime cross country coach, Tom Heath ’65, the Freshman Run is a 1.3-mile race around the 157-acre campus that every freshman has run dating back to the school’s opening in 1959. The run was originally intended as a recruiting tool for the cross country team, but has become a staple of the Academy tradition.

Freshman Gavin Schmitt narrowly missed setting the run record as he became the 2023 champion.

A tradition that binds current students and alumni, the Freshman Run demonstrates many of the characteristics that will describe the Class of 2027’s four years at CBA: hard work, challenges, achievement, and most importantly, brotherhood.