Alumni/Father-Son Communion Breakfast

Barbara Brown’s impact on the St. Joseph’s Prep Science Department is evident with both the greenhouse and science labs reflecting her input for their designs. More importantly, her decades as a biology teacher and time as a department chair have made an indelible impression on generations of students and colleagues alike. In the 1987 yearbook, she was described as "making biology seem easy," and was recognized for having a level of care and patience that led to her being a favorite among the students. Ms. Brown is not only an expert in her content area, but her dedication to her craft and knowing what each student needs to be successful in her class also exemplifies her commitment to the Jesuit tenet of cura personalis. 

Ms. Brown's impact reaches far beyond the classroom and she animated the Jesuit mission of the Prep. In addition to being part of our retreat programs and Kairos since its early days, Ms. Brown brought the Community Service Corps to the Prep. The efforts of this group were led by her simple guiding question to the students: "What do you care about?" This resulted in student-led efforts ranging from fully funding and building a Habitat for Humanity home down the street from the Prep to raising money for the construction of a maternity hospital in Africa. 

Ms. Brown's dedication to supporting the holistic student experience also led her to be the two-time moderator of the storied Prep Crew program. Her work with Prep Crew has been memorialized with an eight-man shell being named in her honor. 

Ms. Brown also experienced life as a Prep parent to her three sons (Stephen Kelly '98, Andrew Kelly '00, and Patrick Kelly '08), allowing her to see the difference a Prep education can make in students’ lives through the eyes of a mother.