2023 De La Salle Award: Mr. Jeff Pratt

May 23, 2023

Vice Principal and Dean of Students named 2023 De La Salle Award Winner!

The De La Salle Award is presented each year to a member of the Bishop Kelley faculty or staff who particularly exemplifies the qualities and characteristics of Saint John Baptist De La Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers and patron of all Christian teachers. 


Candidates considered for this award are known to have 

  • witnessed to Gospel values and principles and 
  • exhibited the spirit of faith and zeal characterized in the life of Saint John Baptist De La Salle. 


Mr. Pratt has been a member of the Bishop Kelley Community for over 20 years. After spending 11 years teaching middle school science and having completed his Master’s degree in Educational Administration, he was encouraged by his friend at church, who was a BK employee at the time, to apply for an open position at Bishop Kelley when the friend saw his patient and effective way of negotiating a sale with a street vendor. 


Certainly, that relational knack is still in the wheelhouse of this year’s winner as he balances care for students with simultaneously providing them clear direction in times of personal difficulty. He encourages but is not afraid to direct. 


When our President, Sister Mary Hanah Doak, RSM, recently asked Mr. Pratt what has kept him at Bishop Kelley for so long, he replied, with a gentle note of affection in his voice and visible on his face, that it is the students. As his peers on the faculty have noted, there are some students who simply can only make it through a Bishop Kelley education with his help. 


Mr. Pratt is a hallmark of stability for the school as he welcomes students in the hallways, calls them in for dress code checks, manages drug testing, navigates disciplinary situations, assists teachers, cares year-round for the plants in the STC, and wizzes past all of us on his golf cart.

 

Mr. Pratt converted to the Catholic Faith after teaching at BK for seven years and takes Saint John Baptist De La Salle as his personal model of Christian holiness. 


Anyone who is in meetings with Mr. Pratt knows that he carries his purple book of De La Salle’s Meditations ready to lead a prayer at any moment. He recently shared that he looks to Saint John Baptist De La Salle as the perfect example of a Dean of Students. Principal Jim Franz summarized Mr. Pratt's giftedness by saying, “In my thirty-five years as a Catholic school administrator, I have never worked with a Dean of Students who can balance realistic discipline, nurturing direction, and student encouragement better than Jeff Pratt.” 


Congratulations, Mr. Pratt!

July 30, 2026
One hundred and forty-five Bishop Kelley students were recently named AP Scholars through their demonstrated excellence in the Advanced Placement (AP) program. Fifty-five of these students were named as AP Scholars with Distinction. The accolade is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of the exams. This is the highest recognition the College Board offers through the AP program. In addition, thirty-eight Bishop Kelley students were named AP Scholars with Honors. These awards are granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Another fifty-three students have been designated AP Scholars, granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. Two hundred and seventy-seven Bishop Kelley students took a record six hundred and thirty-seven Advanced Placement (AP) tests in May, 2026 with an extraordinary 89% scoring “3” or higher. Fifteen percent of Bishop Kelley test takers scored the highest possible “5” on their exams, the equivalent of “Extremely Well Qualified” according to the College Board which administers the international testing. A “5” equates to an A+ or A in college level classes. Internationally, only 9% of all tests earn a “5” score. Another forty-two percent of Bishop Kelley students scored at the second highest tier, a “4,” equal to ”Very well Qualified,” a level only achieved by twenty percent of all testers. The record number of exams for Bishop Kelley students include twenty-three different subjects, covering a wide range of disciplines including science, math, English, social studies, fine arts, world languages and business. The largest number of tests for Bishop Kelley students included one hundred and thirty-eight AP English Language and Composition students, followed by ninety-eight students who took the AP United States Government test, and seventy-two who took the AP Pre-calculus exam. Bishop Kelley students scored the highest average on the AP Physics I exam with a school mean score of 4.47, followed by AP English Literature with a mean score of 4.13. Fifty-nine percent of Bishop Kelley alumni in the Class of 2026 graduated with a “3” or higher on at least one AP exam in their high school tenure. AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5 with a “passing” score considered to be a “3” or higher. Bishop Kelley offers students AP exams in nineteen different subject areas. AP tests, developed by college and university professors, are considered among the most rigorous college-preparatory exams for high school students today. Bishop Kelley AP Scholars with Distinction Claire Anderson Jacob Arp Lola Bain Rylan Bauer Clara Berg Quinn Brasseux Dean Brown Rebecca Carlile Alexander Clark Landon Danz Mary Alice Doyle Lauren Embry Cole Finn Gianna Frey John Galbraith Macy Gerkin Madeline Gerkin Isabella Gilbert Evan Green Addison Greer Owen Hair Charles Hill Benjamin Hoel Madison Holleman Simone Hounshell Hayden Hutto William Johnson Robert Karlovich Asher Keltner Reese Launchbaugh Ella Lundt Jacqueline Manning Stacey Maupin Isabella McClure Joseph McKean Sophia McKnight Madeline Mellen Claire Nelson Danny Nguyen Eva Nguyen Hannah Nguyen Abigail Orr Lillian Orr Cade Parks Anna Pereira Laurel Pohlenz Ashley Richer Joseph Schurman Kate Strandmark William Tanner Hope Thompson Jonathan Tran Colette VanTrease Dat Vu Jackson Wrobleski Bishop Kelley AP Scholars with Honors Alex Aldrette Liam Allen Noah Baum Audrey Brewer Caroline Cohlmia Margaret Doyle Cadence Fielstra Bella Fusco Victoria Gogol Claire Goodman Kaylee Grisaffe Bode Harris Martin Hernandez Benjamin Hixon George Johnston Kinsley Knapp Riley Knox Hudson Kruggel Mark Kuehler Jordan Morales Dexton Nance Katelyn Rains Olivia Rambo Matthew Ranallo William Ritzhaupt Brooke Rossow Kira Smith Catherine Sousa Harper Spanier Madalene Stoulil Isabel Swiney Elizabeth Tran Laila Uhren Thanh Vu Dane Weldon Aidan Wilson Ella Wrobleski Bishop Kelley AP Scholars Margaret Abraham Violet Abraham Daniel Allred Madelyn Anderson Alexander Barry Noah Bietto James Blankenship Virginia-Grey Buck Ian Burris Maurizio Carbonell Lucy Cermak Emily Cook Kennedy Cooper Jonathan Corfidi Jackson Cortright Caroline Dowdell Jason Dowdell Madeline Dunham Trevor Gable Liam Hall Madeline Heatherman Thompson Herndon Jacob Hoang Eli Horeled Ashley Huynh Clay Jordan Maggie Leach Sarah Leake Blair Leonard Sean Maloney Nicole McKean Grant Morrison Ava Myers Delilah Nguyen Monserrat Novelo-Roig Isabella Paschal Julian Penny Josh Phillips Dutch Prather Sebastian Quiroz Ryland Ramos Eliza Riffe William Sandusky Avery Sparks Elise Sullivan Henry Talley Hayden Throop Aaron Valadkhani Marcus Warden Ildri Weber Colton Williams Laila Wong Landon Woolley 
June 29, 2026
Behind the Magic of Arendelle: Inside the creativity, dedication, and support that brought Bishop Kelley’s production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical to life. by Perla Saldivar '26