Xavier High School (New York City)
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| Xavier High School | |
| Address | |
|---|---|
| 30 West 16th Street New York City (Chelsea, Manhattan), New York, 10011  United States |
|
| Coordinates | 40°44′17″N 73°59′42″W / 40.738173°N 73.994886°WCoordinates: 40°44′17″N 73°59′42″W / 40.738173°N 73.994886°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, All-Male |
| Motto | "Men for Others" |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic; Jesuit |
| Established | 1847 |
| President | John R. Raslowsky II |
| Headmaster | Michael LiVigni |
| Faculty | 72 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | approx. 940 (2008) |
| Color(s) | Maroon and Blue |
| Athletics | 15 sports |
| Team name | Knights |
| Accreditation(s) | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
| Publication | Lexicon (literary journal) |
| Newspaper | The Review |
| Dean of Academics | Greg Harkness |
| Dean of Faculty | Joseph Sweeney |
| Dean of Students | Brian McCabe |
| Admissions Director | Benjamin Hamm |
| Athletic Director | Anthony Paolozzi |
| Website | http://www.xavierhs.org |
Xavier High School is a male only Jesuit university-preparatory high school located at 30 West 16th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1847, as the College of St. Francis Xavier (also known as St. Francis Xavier's College[2]) by Father John Larkin, S.J. The school draws a select student body from all five boroughs of New York City, as well as New Jersey, Nassau County, Westchester County, Rockland County and Orange County. Submission of TACHS (Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools) results and an application available from the school are required for admission. Xavier is joined by Regis High School, Fordham Preparatory School, Loyola School and St. Peter's Preparatory School as the five Jesuit high schools in the New York City metropolitan area.
Contents |
[edit] History
Famed for its service to the Church, the United States and the City of New York, Xavier is renowned for challenging its students in all academic subject fields, as well as for teaching students to think critically and to live a life "for others." Though tuition has risen moderately in recent years, a substantial percentage of the cost for each student's education is covered by generous donations from alumni.
Xavier enjoys an impeccable reputation for maintaining its Jesuit and academic traditions, despite changes in its history. In 1971, service in the JROTC unit, which had been mandatory from the unit's inception in the late 19th century, became optional. In 2004, Xavier announced the appointment of Dr. Joseph Gerics as the first lay headmaster in the school's history, following former headmaster Fr. David S. Ciancimino's appointment as Socius to the Jesuit Provincial for the New York Province. In 2006, Mr. Michael LiVigni successfully replaced Dr. Gerics as the school's second lay headmaster.
The Ignatian identity of the school has been enhanced and substantially improved by the number of lay faculty dedicated to the school's mission, as well as by the Campus Ministry program, despite the declining number of Jesuits at the school (as well as worldwide). Xavier's faculty has consistently renewed itself to the mission of Ignatian Spirituality, contributing to an increase in the number of students able to intelligently articulate the school's mission.
On June 25, 2007, Father Daniel J. Gatti, S.J. '59, announced the end of his unprecedented 12-year term as Xavier's 32nd President. On Friday, January 4, 2008, the Board of Trustees announced that Francis J. Morison '58 was elected as interim president. He was to assume office on August 1, 2008, but, due to health concerns, was unable to assume the presidency. With the permission of his superiors, Fr. Gatti was allowed to remain in the office of president. On June 17, 2009, the Board of Trustees announced that John R. Raslowsky II would succeed Fr. Gatti. Mr. Raslowsky assumed office on July 1 of that year.
[edit] Academics
The school recently reinforced its commitment to social justice by refocusing its fourth-year religion curriculum to include a half year required course on social justice and by instituting a freshman service program to First Fruits Farm [1]. Xavier offers numerous honors classes and thirteen Advanced Placement classes, some of which are available as early as sophomore year, including Biology, Calculus AB, English Language and Composition, English Literature, European History, Italian, Spanish, Physics, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, and World History.
The Xavier Class of 2007 had 206 graduates, 99.5% of whom went on to institutions of higher learning. Nearly fifty continued their education at Jesuit institutions.
[edit] Campus Ministry
Xavier has a very active Campus Ministry department, which organizes liturgies, retreats and community service programs. Campus Ministry has recently revised its retreat program, renewing the freshman retreat, instituting a sophomore overnight retreat and moving the successful Kairos retreat to the junior year. The Magis retreat, available to seniors, has shown great success in its initial years, offering seniors the opportunity to experience an adult retreat in the Ignatian tradition.
The "Companions of St. Francis Xavier", or "CFX", another Campus Ministry program, organizes service trips that send groups of student volunteers for a few weeks during the summer to help build homes for people in need in Maryland, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mexico. The program also raises thousands of dollars each year to assist the sponsor organizations at the places of service. The group in Maryland works with First Fruits Farm [2], Tennessee works with Habitat for Humanity, while the group in Tijuana, Mexico, works with Esperanza International. There are also community service opportunities for all sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
[edit] JROTC
Xavier High School has an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps unit, in which over one-third of the student population is enrolled. On May 12, 2005, the JROTC unit revalidated its designation as an "Honor Unit with Distinction." Colonel Anderson of the Eastern Region Command called the Xavier Regiment one of "the top five in the Northeast." Under the outstanding leadership of LTC Roy E. Campbell, US Army (ret.), it achieved a school record overall score of 99.2. During its most recent Army Formal Inspection on February 27, 2008, Xavier once again stepped up to the occasion, achieving a score of 99.1, reasserting itself as a prominent JROTC unit. The Regiment marches annually in the St. Patrick's and Columbus Day parades. Xavier's Regiment has four extracurricular teams: the X-Squad, the Rifle Team, the Raider Unit, and the Sabre Guard. Founded in 1937, Xavier's armed drill team, the X-Squad, is known for its performance in exhibition drill, continuing to display its excellence in a recent second place finish in the Eastern Regionals. It competes in the U.S Army National Championship and the National High School Drill Team Championship. Formerly known as the Black Jacks, the Raiders are the Regiment's physical fitness team. They compete annually in the Raider Challenge and the Commander's Cup. The Rifle Team, another longstanding pillar in the Regiment, competes nationally in post matches, as well as regional tournaments. During parades, the X-Squad, the Raiders, and the Blue Night Band, Xavier's jazz band, march alongside the Regiment. As a unit, it has twice has been named best high school marching unit in the St. Patrick's Day Parade
[edit] Athletics
Xavier, a CHSAA member, provides its students the opportunity to pursue a wide variety of sports: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, golf, hockey, indoor/outdoor track and field, rugby, soccer, swimming, tennis, and wrestling. Other extracurricular activities include choir, speech and debate, chess team, anime, film, science fiction, and skiing /snowboard clubs, school newspaper, The Review, drama productions, and the Blue Night Jazz Band.
Xavier's current mascot is a knight, and all of its athletic teams are referred to as the Knights. However, for many years, the teams were called the Cadets, a reflection of Xavier's military program, while a terrier was used as a mascot. After a variety of replacements, including the 1980s Bruins, the nickname of the Knights was decided upon in the early 1990s and has been official since.
Xavier has fielded one of the top rugby teams in the United States since the club's founding in 1976.[3] The team capped an undefeated season in 2007 by winning the Tier B National Championship Tournament. The Xavier Rugby Team also won National Championship Tournaments in 1985 and 1993 and has won the East Coast/Northeast US Championship Tournament every year from from 2000 to 2009.[citation needed]
In 1859 the College of St. Francis Xavier and St. John's College (now Fordham University) played the first collegiate level baseball game, featuring the new nine-man team style of play. Fordham won the game 33-11.[4]
The Xavier Football Team has also been a mainstay in school life since its origination in the late nineteenth century. It has a continued rivalry with the Bronx's Fordham Preparatory School. The two schools compete in an annual "Turkey Bowl", the oldest high school football rivalry in New York City. Their very first game against one another took place in the late 1800s when the game was called due to darkness, ending in a tie. Many of these football matches were played at Manhattan's famed Polo Grounds, until its demolition.
Xavier High School's JV Soccer team won the CHSAA Intersectional Championship in both 2008 and 2009.
[edit] Notable alumni
Notable graduates include:
- Billy Harner (New York Mets Front Office Personnel)
- Hugh Aloysius Drum (Lieutenant-General)
- Dave Anderson, New York Times writer and author
- Donald Cook, Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel (USMC).[5]
- William H. Crain, Congressman from Texas
- John M. Culkin, S.J., Ph.D. '1950, leading media scholar and critic, educator, writer and consultant.
- David Fanning, an educator of note in the New York City public school system, most recently Vice-Principal of Brooklyn Technical High School in Brooklyn, NY.
- Brad Ferguson, author of A Flag Full of Stars, a Star Trek novel set in part at a 23rd century high school located where Xavier is today.
- Joseph F. Finnegan (1904-1964), fourth Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, from 1955 to 1961.[6]
- Jerramiah Healy, current Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey
- Rev. Laurence J. McGinley, S.J. '1922, President of Fordham University from 1949-63.
- Cornelius Augustine McGlennon (1878-1931), represented New Jersey's 8th congressional district from 1919 to 1921, and was Mayor of East Newark from 1907 to 1919.[7]
- Mario Pei, linguist
- Michael Petri '2002, United States National Rugby Team, 2007-2009. Position: Scrumhalf.
- John Paul Pitoc, actor
- Eugene A. Philbin, Manhattan District Attorney
- Al Roker '1972, NBC weatherman. [8]
- Manuel Romero, former president of the Brooklyn Bar Association and current chairman of the New York State Grievance Committee.
- Thomas F. Shea '1954, Distinguished Professor of Law at St. John's University.
- Antonin Scalia '1954, United States Supreme Court Justice.[9]
- Wilbur Ross , Investor
- Brian Schulz, Emmy Award winning Producer/Cinematographer; Major League Baseball Productions
- Michael Sheehan, Fox News Reporter and former NYPD detective
- Stephen Spiro (1939-2007), Vietnam War opponent, conscientious objector, received pardon by Gerald Ford.[10]
- Patrick Stokes, Former President of Anheuser-Busch
- Steven Strait, Actor, fashion model, and singer
- Brandon Tierney, ESPN 1050 radio talk show host in New York City
- Jimmy Walker, mayor of New York City
- F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack science fiction series
- Jerry Capeci, former organized crime reporter for NY Daily News and writer and author
- George Kaftan, member and MOP of the 1947 NCAA Tournament winning Holy Cross men's basketball team
- Steven Strait, actor.
[edit] References
- ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". http://www.css-msa.org/search.php/. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ^ NY Times article, published 1862
- ^ Xavier Rugby, Xavier High School. Accessed November 30, 2007.
- ^ The New York Times, April 6 2009, p D7
- ^ COLONEL DONALD COOK SQUARE, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed November 27, 2007.
- ^ via Associated Press. "Joseph F. Finnegan, Ex-Director Of U.S. Mediation Service, Dies; Lawyer Held Federal Post From 1955 to 1961, Then Headed State Board", The New York Times, February 13, 1964. Accessed July 9, 2009.
- ^ Cornelius Augustine McGlennon, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed October 2, 2007.
- ^ Al Roker Biography, The Biography Channel. Accessed November 18, 2007. "After graduating from Xavier High School in Manhattan, Roker studied communicatons [sic] at State University of New York at Oswego, where he got his first shot at weathercasting."
- ^ Santos, Fernanda."Who's That Guy? Without Robes, Grand Marshal Is Mystery", The New York Times, October 11, 2005. Accessed November 3, 2007. "Justice Scalia, 69, had marched at the parade once before, five decades ago as a student at Xavier High School in Chelsea."
- ^ O'Neill, Patrick. "Catholic pacifist pro-life activist dies", National Catholic Reporter, November 9, 2007. Accessed September 17, 2008.
