This year, 18 students will graduate with Brother Bernardine Scholar Honors! As part of this elite program, students must present their Capstone Project their senior year. This year all presentations will  be given the same night across the BK Campus on February 21, 2024 from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Members of the BK Community are invited to support and attend. Details for each presentation can be found below:

Service - D Wing Joint Classroom

Vaibhav Aggarwal 

Feeding the Older America

Almost 1.9 million elders live in an understaffed nursing facility in which they do not receive the care they need. Along with the 1.9 million seniors, the nurses who work at these facilities are stressed for time with a low-quality work environment. This presentation dives into the solution to this problem, and the difficulties that arose through the rocky journey. 

Ellyce Hughes

Blast off into Reading!

Sixty-six percent of eighth graders are not proficient in reading. In order to promote reading proficiency the grant-writing process was explored to try to purchase a book vending machine for a school in the Tulsa Community. Come learn the grant-writing process and how you can encourage reading in Oklahoma’s youth. 

Meredith Mitchell

The Importance of Donations for Caregivers and the Bereaved 

Every single person on Earth will at some point become a caregiver or be cared for, just as every person will experience the grief that follows the loss of a loved one. Many caregivers and those in grief struggle with depression as they disregard their own mental health. In this presentation, learn how offering gift card donations to support groups for caregivers and the bereaved provide reminders and opportunities for them to relax and focus on their own health as they traverse one of the most difficult parts of loving unconditionally

STEM - STC Auditorium 

Will Danz

Robotics BOT Camp

As an aspiring engineer and a dedicated member of the Bishop Kelley Robotics Team, Will looked to improve support for high school students within robotics. Through copious amounts of writing, he developed a program that aims to assist FIRST Tech Challenge teams and their various needs by targeting the key concepts needed to succeed.

Lucy Gentry

School Design: Why It Matters and What We Can Change

In the broad spectrum of education, often things so simple such as lighting, wall color, and seating arrangements can be overlooked. This affects not only our Bishop Kelley community but classrooms all around the world, and has the capability if done correctly to change perspectives of both teachers and students. Diving into possible solutions and new ideas, this project aimed at refreshing and renewing spaces many students call their second home, even here at Bishop Kelley. 

Jaden Trinh

Exploring Solar Energy

Did you know that you contribute around 14.4 metric tons of carbon emissions per year? From driving cars, cooking meals, and even filling landfills, every one of us humans is the benefactor of Earth’s destruction. We criticize absurd gas prices when we have a free and unlimited source of energy: the sun. Solar energy harnesses this inexhaustible supply, giving us clean, green, and renewable means. So, let’s start soaking up the sun, not the oil.

Lauren Weil

The Future of Search and Rescue 

After the first eight minutes of first responder presence on the scene of a fire, the chances of a successful rescue of victims drop to 66% if factors such as time to arrive and debris are disregarded. But what if there was a way to survey the environment before entering the scene - to see through the smoke and find victims with greater accuracy? Survival rates would have the chance to skyrocket, successfully moving the process of search and rescue into a future of innovation. 

Environmental - Dining Hall

McCaleb Doyle

Climate Change: Local Impacts

Through interviews and research, hear what two local climatologists have to say about the impact of climate change in our community. This video essay describes how climate change will affect our community, and what we can do to make an impact in our own lives. 

Ryder Drummond

Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE

Through application of statistics, this presentation delves into the often unused and misused resources for recycling. With a push for greater utilization, a plan is provided for better options at Bishop Kelley and ways outside to help along with new ideas.

Elizabeth Nguyen

Life of Color

In a life full of vibrant, flourishing colors and shades, the world shows its beauty in unique and various ways. As life cycles and progresses, impact deepened by human touch can dull and fade these colors faster than ever. This project explores the topic of human impact on the world around us and how we affect the colors of life, through a recyclable & mosaic art piece.

Emma Swiney

Planting a Native Plant Garden Can Be Beneficial and Fun!

Did you know that planting certain types of plants in certain areas can be beneficial? This project consists of exploring the accessibility of planting a native plant garden. By simply planting native plants in a backyard, one can learn of the benefits to both humans and plants. Additionally, an animated short informational video was created to share this incredibly beneficial activity.

Health & Fitness - Library Meeting Room

Sophia Hassany

What’s Up With Meat?

Meat is a phenomenon that occurs every day on the majority of people’s plates. In Western culture, it is viewed as an essential part of almost every meal, yet countless critics also argue the opposite. It remains true that meat is still consumed at staggering rates, despite the health risks associated with it. Is this phenomenon a product of misinformation, or are people not willing to educate themselves on what seems to be a social norm? It’s time to see what’s up with meat. 

Brayden Hughes

Rewriting Oklahoma NIL

The landscape of sports is one that is ever evolving, as with each passing year a new addition is made to the games that we all love. The most recent of those additions being the legalization of college athletes profiting off of name, image, and likeness (NIL). However, as with all things, the world of NIL is both wildly confusing and ever-changing, as athletes must keep up with an assortment of state laws, school policies, and NCAA regulations. To simplify the world that is NIL, a handbook was written which broke down all current and updated policies, laws, and guidelines pertaining to Oklahoma NIL, in the hope that it may help any Oklahoma student-athletes on their NIL endeavors. 

Katherine Riley

“The Starting Line,” a Runner’s Guide to a Half Marathon

Have you ever thought of creating a personal blog? “The Starting Line”  is a blog that was written for those who want to track progress while training for a half marathon. Follow one runner’s journey as she tracked workout routines, nutrition/sleeping habits, and obstacles/injuries in order to show that with patience, perseverance, and hard work, your goals can be achieved.

Rowan Talley

Exercise for the Body and Mind

Have you ever felt the satisfaction of a personal fitness journey? Inspired by one such journey, months of researching the mental effects of exercise were used to build a two week exercise program geared toward everyone in the Bishop Kelley Fitness Class. The mental health of the participants was surveyed before and after the program, which produced some drastic results. In the end, hard truths behind scientific rigor were learned by all. 

Mental Health - Library

Noral Lee

Chasing the Negative

Have you ever caught yourself rubbernecking on the highway? Or watched a too-scary movie and wondered why you had to peek between your fingers? This is because of morbid curiosity, a survival mechanism that we all have. In this presentation, we’ll find out what it is and explore why we do it. 

Angelina Nguyen

The Intersection Between Mental Health and Healthcare

Through intimate interviews and storytelling, this documentary delves into the stress, burnout, and trauma experienced by those on the front lines of care. It serves as a call to action for greater empathy, understanding, and support within the healthcare system for those who dedicate their lives to healing others.

Grace Wells

Education: The All-Encompassing Tool

This project is one that is cemented in the pillars of human kindness, global acceptance, and education. It is one that finds focus within the expansion of knowledge with the goal of creating environments of care. It is a project that captures the life of schizophrenics, providing a lens through which people can see and understand mental illnesses. Within this project’s details, the fruits of life can be known.

The Brother Bernadine Scholars would like to thank their parents, teachers, and friends for all of their support. 

About the Brother Bernardine Scholars Program

The Brother Bernardine Scholars Program is a four-year program that challenges students to strive for excellence and to maximize their God-given gifts and talents. The program was named for the Christian Brother and former principal of Bishop Kelley High School.

Students must pursue a rigorous course of study, participate in self-directed learning, view learning as a year-round process and attend enrichment seminars and cultural events. In addition students are asked to use their intellectual gifts in service to others.

Brother Bernardine Scholars must take an average of three Honors or AP classes during their sophomore, junior and senior years and two Honors or AP classes during freshmen year, whilst maintaining a weighted 3.75 cumulative GPA.

Each Scholar must:

• Take five AP tests by the end of their senior year
• Complete 16 tutoring hours by the end of their senior year
• Take an active role in two extracurricular events
• Complete a sophomore research paper
• Complete a Capstone Project junior year and present senior year