learning NEVER stops

Following Spring Break, amid a worsening pandemic, the CBHS community of teachers, coaches, and staff seamlessly transitioned to distance learning. Utilizing the school's existing online learning management system and the Microsoft Teams platform, teachers conducted every class as they had done in the traditional classroom setting and always beginning with prayer. Students were led in engaging discussions, at-home lab experiments, band practice, masterclasses and workshops, and even strength conditioning online.

By Emily Adams Keplinger

When Nick Azar '15 and his friends experienced the untimely deaths of some of their classmates, not only were they deeply touched by grief, but they also wanted to do something — something that would ensure that their friends would not be forgotten. That spark of inspiration developed into a much larger passion as the idea spread to include other families who had lost sons.

The passion to help others was the incentive for a new program at CBHS called “The Unforgotten Brother.” It is a CBHS student and alumni-driven service initiative to assure the families of recently deceased Brothers' Boys that their sons are not and will never be forgotten.

“During the Christmas season of 2017, my friends Sean Lafferty '15, Sam Stuckey '15, and I decided it would be nice if we wrote notes and took flowers to the families of deceased Brothers' Boys,” Azar said. “We thought that it would be best to visit these families following the hustle and bustle of the holidays and decided on early January. All it took was an email to the school to get the necessary addresses, a few blank cards from Walgreens, a couple of hours, and a car.”

It later evolved into a school-supported initiative aligned with CBHS's core principle of service to others.

“One of the greatest fears and worries of these families is that, following the support of family and friends during the visitation and funeral, things will go back to the way they were and their sons will be forgotten,” Azar said. “While we cannot bring their sons back, we can assure the families that we have not forgotten their sons.”

Lafferty added, “This initiative plays to the concept that once you join the CBHS family, you are never alone. Like any high school, we had cliques like athletes and musicians, but we are more than that. When a Brothers' Boy finishes his high school years, he doesn’t just graduate. He grows into a lifelong fraternal bond. Now we are saying to families of recently deceased Brothers' Boys, we’re still here for you.”

“The Unforgotten Brother is one of the truest expressions of the brotherhood at Christian Brothers High School,” said Amy Feehan, mother of Michael Feehan '17, who passed away in October the year of his graduation. Her husband, Mike Feehan, added, “The support started with an enormous presence at our son Michael’s service and Brother Joel McGraw saying to our daughter Katie, ‘You have hundreds of brothers here to support you.’ And every year, the visit by CBHS brothers extending their love and support is one of the best gifts we receive.”

Amy and Mike agree. The Unforgotten Brother initiative takes the spirit behind the brotherhood at CBHS to a new level.

"Through this endeavor, it takes the students’ sense of brotherhood outside of the school and outside of the four years they spend there,” explained Amy. “It is one way that they carry that brotherhood with them everywhere they go, and it lives with them the rest of their lives.”

How will this program look going forward?

Azar explained, “This initiative requires structure, including the selection of a graduating class year from which to start. We realized that by starting with the Class of 2015, we are not able to include Brothers from previous classes. We feel that the vision of The Unforgotten Brother initiative is not to simply carry out the program’s mission. We hope to also inspire others to visit families who have lost loved ones.”

In January, current students joined young alumni at CBHS and delivered flowers and letters written by some of the students and alumni who knew the boys being remembered.

“Rarely is ‘the least we can do’ the same as the most impactful thing we can do,” said Azar. “I believe that in this case, they are one in the same.”

Emily Adams Keplinger is a local freelance editor and writer, and mother of Ellis Keplinger '16.