Alongside American and California flags, the papal flag flutters in the breeze above the new track and field adjacent to the new fine arts mission-style building at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino.

Named for Fray Juan Crespi, life-long companion of Fray Junipero Serra, the all-boys' high school has a renovated campus thanks to an ongoing $10 million capital campaign bolstering its nearly five-decade commitment to educating young men. The only remaining all-boys' college preparatory Catholic High School in the San Fernando Valley, Crespi will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

"We've made it a priority in the years to come to reach out to students on the west side, the Ventura County area and the Santa Clarita region," said Carmelite Father Paul Henson, principal. The non-profit school, operated by the Carmelite Religious Order since its founding in 1959, currently has a capacity enrollment of 600 students.

"If you ask our boys what they like best about Crespi, 95 percent will tell you it's the all-boys' environment," said Robert Kodama, admissions director. In the last few years, Crespi has adopted the brain-based and gender-specific teaching awareness taught through the Gurian Institute, which advances teaching strategies based on the different learning styles of males and females.

"What [Gurian] did was give a lot of our teachers the brain science behind why their teaching methods work," noted Kodama. By appealing to the spatial-mechanical nature of the male brain, and creating class assignments that engage boys' interests and abilities, the teachers motivate boys who like to "fiddle, manipulate and move things," Kodama explained.

Crespi's biology class, for example, is a hands-on lab full of live animals for students' observation. The video production lab in the new fine arts building has state-of-the-art cameras and editing equipment. The expanded music program offers a class in Taiko drumming.

"The Taiko class reflects the Gurian philosophy engaging the whole body," explained Father Henson. "For 90 minutes, the students go through a series of practices: jogging, yoga, contemplative prayer and, finally, the actual drumming."

"A lot of people think boys don't want discipline, or they don't want to be challenged. I would argue the opposite," added Kodama. "Boys love being challenged and they love competition. That's where they thrive."

It's apparent, he says, in the Latin classes, which have had a resurgence in enrollment due to the teacher's incorporation of a classic "boy" project: action figures. Beginning students start with a "slave" action figure, which they can upgrade to "gladiator" and "free man" in the contest to be "emperor" as they advance in their studies.

Sophomore Latin student Davis Kudlo is enrolled in beginning Latin again this year. "The reason I came back is it's a very interesting class I didn't want to give up on," said Kudlo, seated near his Roman action figure. Latin teacher Tod Post, 34, carved the original model out of wood to make a mold for the polyurethane figures which are personalized with paint and materials by the students.

"I like hands-on projects and the students like them," said Post. "We've been developing this over the past few years. I sometimes can't keep up with what the students want to do." One student, he noted, researched a formula for Roman ink and brought in hand-made quills and ink for his action figure.

Nolan McDonnell, ASB president, said his past four years have been rewarding academically and socially. "I fell in love with the overall brotherly atmosphere," said McDonnell. "Right when I walked on campus in eighth grade, I knew this was home for me."