DISTINGUISHED STUDENT AWARD

PRESENTED BY BROPHY COLLEGE PREPARATORY
DADS' CLUB
April 23, 2003

Brandon William Curtis

If ever there were a Bronco success story, Brandon Curtis is it. The summer before entering Brophy, Brandon was enrolled in the Bridge to Brophy class for students whom the admissions team saw as needing supplemental help in preparing for their freshman year. Even with this assistance, Brandon’s grades, by his own admission, were less than stellar. A good part of the reason for that was Brandon’s homelife which was chaotic at best as he suffered at the hands of an alcoholic and abusive father. Nevertheless, Brandon joined co-curricular activities, namely sports medicine, which allowed him to express his compassion and sensitivity. As a student athletic trainer, Brandon, under the direction of Mr. Chris White, began a four-year commitment to Brophy athletes. In this program, to which Brandon and the other student trainers give no less than five hours a week, he learned to prepare athletes for competition and to manage sports’ injuries. By January of his freshman year Child Protective Services stepped in and kept Brandon’s father from ever hurting him again. With relative safety assured, Brandon’s involvement at school began to grow and his grades improved dramatically. Earning mostly A’s, and no grade lower than a B, since sophomore year, Brandon became a member of Peers for Peers, a Big Brother, serving as Freshman Retreat leader twice, a Junior Leadership Retreatant, a candidate on Kairos 54 and leader on Kairos 57, giving the all-important “Fourth Day” talk in which he frankly discussed his family life. Happily that, too, has improved with the remarriage of Brandon’s mom last fall and the welcoming of a loving step-father into their family.

Outside of school, Brandon has volunteered past Brophy’s required hours at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where he participates in playroom activities with the young patients. For the past three summers (and approximately 500 hours), Brandon has volunteered at Leadership Workshops. This program for kids 10 to 18 years of age puts on week-long workshops to teach participants skills to become better leaders. The organization, which won the Sterling Award for outstanding volunteer service organization, and Brandon will be featured next month in the May issue of Raising Arizona Kids magazine. It is little wonder why they chose to recognize Brandon and it is our privilege to do the same tonight.