The Standard: My Senior Year

2026-05-13T07:34:52-05:00

By Patrick Brady ’26 

The week before my journey at Brother Rice started I received devastating news.  My mom had cancer.  It could have tanked my journey, but it didn’t.  During my senior year, I accomplished my biggest goal of becoming an Illinois State Scholar.

It feels like yesterday that I was being pulled out of class and told I could have extensions if I needed them. I never took them. I could have crumbled, but I didn’t. 

Over the last nine months, I have enjoyed the greatest year of my life. Some of my best […]

The Standard: My Senior Year2026-05-13T07:34:52-05:00

The Standard: A Trip to Wrigley

2026-04-30T12:10:09-05:00

By Patrick Brady ’26 

Cramped into a somewhat packed red line train, four seniors made the trip to the historic Wrigley field for a day of fun. Seniors Brady Gomez, Max Griffin, Jake Williams, and I started our trip driving to the 103rd street metro stop. 

After just two stops, about a dozen other seniors hopped on the train.  We sat up top and enjoyed the views of the city for the short ride.  When we got to the final stop at LaSalle Street Station, we voted to take a little walk around the city.  

[…]

The Standard: A Trip to Wrigley2026-04-30T12:10:09-05:00

The Standard: Volleyball Starts the Year Off Hot

2026-04-02T13:45:56-05:00

By Patrick Brady ’26

The Crusader volleyball team started the year off last week, by rattling off several wins. The Crusaders lost most of their starters and almost all of their leaders but several players have stepped up.

The Crusaders opened the season playing Sandburg on Monday, March 23, and won in just two sets.  Senior Connor Allen said, ¨Starting the year off with a win really gets the momentum going.¨

Most of the team’s returning production comes from senior outside Colin Nye.  Colin said, ¨Getting the chemistry back was easy we have been playing together for a while now.¨

The Crusaders went down to […]

The Standard: Volleyball Starts the Year Off Hot2026-04-02T13:45:56-05:00

The Standard: Costello’s Trip Downstate

2026-03-05T14:13:54-06:00

By Patrick Brady ‘26

Junior Danny Costello made a fantastic run downstate for the Brother Rice wrestling team this past week.

Costello placed fifth in the 215 pound weight division.  Senior teammate Colin Goggin said, ¨It was fantastic to see one of our younger guys do so well downstate.”

Last year, Danny went downstate and finished fourth, while his freshmen year he placed sixth.

Senior Logan Connors said, “It’s always great to see guys I know go down and do so well so many years in a row now.¨

Senior third place finisher Oliver Davis said, “It meant a lot to me to be able to […]

The Standard: Costello’s Trip Downstate2026-03-05T14:13:54-06:00

The Standard: Román Manjarrez – The Importance of Differences

2026-02-05T20:05:04-06:00

By Patrick Brady ’26

Román Manjarrez opened his Founders Day speech saying, ¨Growing up bilingual and multicultural forced me into a lot of worlds I was not aware of.¨  Román was chosen to be one of the three senior speakers at a day to celebrate Blessed Edmund Rice.

Román is a state champion football player, top-of-his-class student, and a leader in different clubs around Brother Rice.  He focused his speech on how growing up Mexican-American placed him in a whole new world that he thought was normal.

Román said, “Brother Edmund Ignatius Rice did this for everyone who needed it. To him, the […]

The Standard: Román Manjarrez – The Importance of Differences2026-02-05T20:05:04-06:00

The Standard: A Cold Night for a Cause

2025-12-17T09:20:01-06:00

By Patrick Brady ’26

On Sunday, November 16, a group of Brother Rice students spent a cold evening sleeping on the football field.  The students made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and raised over 4,000 dollars for Covenant House Illinois.

Senior Vincent Walker said, “I knew it was going to be cold, but did not realize it would be that cold.”  The temperature dropped below freezing for most of the night but the boys stayed strong.

Junior Jayden Ortiz said, “Seeing what it was like to spend a night in the cold was eye opening.”  The Crusaders enjoyed soup made by Brother Hayes along […]

The Standard: A Cold Night for a Cause2025-12-17T09:20:01-06:00

The Standard: State Stories – 44 Years Later

2025-12-10T13:17:31-06:00

By Patrick Brady ’26 

The year 1981 was the last time Brother Rice won a state championship in football.  In 1981, my dad Tom Brady was a freshman at Brother Rice.  They played Reavis in the state championship, and they won 14-0.  

In 2025 during my senior year, I took a similar bus ride as my father’s downstate to watch my friends and classmates win a championship.  I watched the game in a cold wet stadium like my dad did in 1981. He watched this game from Porter Cullens. 

In my final year at Brother Rice, […]

The Standard: State Stories – 44 Years Later2025-12-10T13:17:31-06:00

Math Team Takes on First Competition

2025-10-30T20:44:11-05:00

By Patrick Brady ’26

The Brother Rice Math Team started their season last weekend at Marist for a Chicago Catholic League match.

The team is led by their “Coach” Mrs. O’Connor and seniors Josip Parga and Jackson Szafranski.  They also had help from senior Mu Alpha Theta members Nolan Leonard, Nick O’Connor, and Colin Nye.

All participants took a 50-minute individual test based on their grade level.  They competed against students from Marist, St. Laurence, and Providence Catholic in a CCL match up.

Students were scored on a 0-20 range with high scores coming from Josip Parga and Peter Thewis both with 15.  Colin […]

Math Team Takes on First Competition2025-10-30T20:44:11-05:00

The Standard: Tootsies for a Cause

2025-10-02T20:41:58-05:00

By Patrick Brady ’26

On the morning of Friday, Sept. 17, 20 Crusaders sprinted around the Brother Rice parking lot chasing down their peers begging for change.

They were collecting money for the Knights of Columbus through the Mount Zion program.  Senior Emmett McDonagh said, “It was fun raising money for a good cause.”

The volunteers were students who helped with the Mount Zion Program.  These students arrived in two waves. One group started at 7:00 a.m. and the other at 7:20 am.

Senior Colin Nye said, “Raising money for a cause that helps our school made it personal.”

The Crusaders raised over 500 dollars […]

The Standard: Tootsies for a Cause2025-10-02T20:41:58-05:00

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