Brother Martin High School

    BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL, 4401 Elysian Fields Ave., New Orleans – Brother Martin High School began its 144th year with 1,192 young men in grades 7 through 12. Located in the Gentilly/Lakefront section of New Orleans, Brother Martin draws students from more than 50 zip code zones, including the northshore, the West Bank, St. Bernard and the river parishes.
    Brother Martin is owned and operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, an international religious community headquartered in Rome and founded in Lyons, France, in 1821. Their original foundation in New Orleans was St. Aloysius High School, established in the Vieux Carré in 1869. In 1954 the Brothers established Cor Jesu High School, and in 1969, on the 100th anniversary of the Brothers’ arrival in New Orleans, these schools were consolidated as Brother Martin High School. The school’s name was selected to honor Sacred Heart Brother Martin Hernandez for his lifetime of dedicated service to the youth of New Orleans.
    Brother Martin is committed to holistic education. Along with its college preparatory curriculum, Brother Martin focuses on academic excellence, strong character formation and personal attention to the growth of the heart as well as the mind. Faith development of students is nurtured through a wide array of experiences, including required retreats and service-learning programs for every student, monthly school-wide and class-level liturgies and communal celebrations of the sacrament of reconciliation.
    Brother Martin seniors work actively with their peers in a Student Ministry Team Program and serve as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion at school liturgies. Students from all grade levels are eligible to participate in the Welcoming Diversity Team. Daily prayer in each class period also is an integral part of every student’s religious experience.
    Six full-time counselors and two full-time college placement counselors serve the student body. The AP and honors programs allow students the opportunity to earn Advanced Placement credits in calculus, civics, computer science, English, U.S. History, World History and physics. ACT and PSAT test preparation, involving all students in seventh through 12th grades, is presented weekly.
    Extracurricular activities are crucial to Brother Martin’s holistic formation. More than 80 activities are offered, including our nationally recognized Academic Games teams; outstanding concert, jazz and marching bands; an award-winning Key Club; Mu Alpha Theta honorary math club; Student Council; Student Ambassadors; Builders Club; rugby and lacrosse.
    As a District 9-5A school, Brother Martin offers a full range of athletic opportunities. Teams are fielded at the seventh-grade, eighth-grade, ninth-grade, junior high, junior varsity and varsity levels. Sports such as baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling are offered.
    Parents are intimately involved in the Brother Martin family. An active Parents Club sponsors meetings and parent-teacher conferences throughout the school year. Parents are strongly encouraged to volunteer and have a presence on campus.
    The Thomas F. and Elaine P. Ridgley Center, completed in 1999, was the first part of a three-phase master plan for Brother Martin. The Ridgley Center includes band, chorus and art classrooms and a spacious multi-purpose room. Athletic facilities, locker room, weight room and a training room serve athletes and physical education classes.
    Completed during Phase II were E.A. Farley Field, dedicated in 2004, and the Roland H. and Macy Paton Meyer Science & Mathematics Building, opened in 2007. The Meyer building houses computer, chemistry, physics and biology labs. Classrooms adjoin the lab spaces. Labs and classrooms are equipped with document cameras, LCD screens, teacher computer work stations, wireless connectivity and ceiling-mounted projectors.
    The accomplishments of Phases I and II were celebrated with the completion of the James B. Branton Chapel in 2011. Students are encouraged to visit the chapel daily for prayer. Mass is held each weekday morning for faculty, staff, parents, students and alumni.
    Brother Martin High School is permeated with the long tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and offers teenage boys the opportunity to grow into men who make positive contributions to our world. In the words of Brother Martin Hernandez, our school’s namesake, “We are not here to teach boys how to make a living but how to make a life.”