Xaverian Brothers High School


Xaverian Brothers High School, founded in 1963 by the Xaverian Brothers, is a private, Catholic secondary school for boys in grades 7–12 on a campus in Westwood, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Xaverian is sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers religious order, and offers a college preparatory program. The school attracts students from more than 60 communities in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

History and tradition

The Xaverian Brothers established XBHS in its current location in Westwood, Massachusetts in 1963 with the support of Cardinal Cushing, the Archbishop of Boston. Cardinal Cushing officiated the school's dedication ceremony on August 31, 1963, with Xaverian Brothers' provincial Brother Gilroy Bishop, C.F.X., and the first headmaster, Brother Marcellus Feeley, C.F.X. The land that the school stands on today was originally part of the Forbes family estate. The late philanthropist Rocco Zoppo was instrumental in arranging for the Brothers to receive the land. The first day of school at XBHS was September 5, 1963 with 251 students, all ninth graders, enrolling. These freshmen became Xaverian's first graduating class, the Class of 1967, including Richard Czaja, the school's first valedictorian and future Yale University and Yale Law School graduate.
Xaverian has had a number of high-profile entertainment acts perform at the school. The J. Geils Band and The Cars as the backup band performed a concert at a Xaverian dance on March 13, 1978. The Blue Öyster Cult made a stop at Xaverian during their national tour on October 23, 1980. According to Steven Tyler's autobiography, Aerosmith performed at Xaverian. Chuck Berry, MC5 and Sha Na Na also performed in the high school gym during the 1980s. Finally, Jay Leno performed in Xaverian's Gymnasium on May 4, 1991.

Recent history

On March 22, 2014, Xaverian held its 50th Anniversary Gala at which the school announced the launch of a $20 million capital campaign, Called to Lead, to help fund critical investments which will support the endowment for financial aid and teaching excellence, programs and facilities, and the annual fund program. As of January 2017, the school achieved $20 million in donations and increased its goal to $25 million.
On October 20, 2014, the school dedicated a brand new 32,500-square-foot Scholastic and Wellness Center. Facilities include a large gymnasium with a three-court gym and will hold large school-wide functions as well as everyday co-curricular activities for sports and clubs. The new space also includes a large lobby with indoor concessions, coaches’ offices and training facilities, a fitness center, a meeting room, and the renovation of the old gym. The Center is a part of a larger set of campus improvements being driven by Brother Skala that began in June 2013 including an additional classroom wing with science labs, and both new and renovated athletic facilities and fields. In September 2015,
XBHS dedicated the new academic wing which added 15,000 square feet of learning space including two labs and five classrooms for the school's science and engineering programs.

Xaverian Brothers tradition

Xaverian is sponsored by the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier, known more commonly as the Xaverian Brothers, and for many years the Brothers formed a large part of its faculty. The Xaverian Brothers are a consecrated lay Catholic order of Brothers who strive to fulfill the spiritual aspirations of its founder, Theodore James Ryken, particularly through education. Dr. Jacob Conca, PhD currently serves as Xaverian's sixth headmaster and continues the Xaverian Brothers tradition at the school.

Mission

The mission of Xaverian is to foster “…a community of faith and learning that is committed to developing the integration of spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical, emotional, cultural, and social dimensions within each young man. Through participation in academic, extracurricular, athletic, and campus ministry programs, a Xaverian graduate will be prepared to meet the demands of higher education, to contribute to society, and to answer the call of Christian service.”

Academics

XBHS is a Catholic college preparatory school for boys in grades 7-12. The school is a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School that enrolls 880 students from more than 60 different communities. The primary objectives of a Xaverian education are to prepare students "to meet the demands of higher education, to contribute to society, and to answer the call of Christian service." Xaverian is known for its highly educated staff of which over 95% hold graduate degrees from some of today's most competitive colleges. Every classroom has a Smart Board, and teachers have the ability to utilize five different computer labs that are available to meet with classes. In 2012 the school instituted a technology initiative, opening its Wi-Fi access to all students and beginning a "Bring Your Own Device" program.
A unique aspect to Xaverian is its Academic Department Centers, which allows students to seek assistance from any teacher, not just his specific classroom teacher. There are Academic Department Centers for Mathematics, English, Social Studies, World Languages, Theology, and three science labs. Each department is staffed with teachers who are available during the day and before and after school for assistance for any student.
In 2014, the Francis Xavier Division was established, bringing in the first-ever 7th grade class.

Athletics

XBHS is a member of the Catholic Conference and is classified as Division 1 in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association for a majority of its athletic programs. It sponsors 16 varsity sports - cross country, golf, football and soccer during the fall season; alpine skiing, basketball, hockey, indoor track, swimming, and wrestling during the winter season; and baseball, lacrosse, rugby, tennis, track & field and volleyball during the spring season. The MIAA has honored Xaverian athletics five times for outstanding sportsmanship. Many Xaverian graduates go on to participate in college athletics and a few alumni are playing among the professional ranks in basketball, football and hockey including James Bailey '75 and Dana Barros '85 in the NBA; Greg Comella '93, Matt Hasselbeck '93, Tim Hasselbeck '96 and Drew Strojny '99 in the NFL; and Mark Young '77 in the AHL, and Chris Wagner '09 in the NHL. Charlie Stevenson '69 is the current Athletic Director.

Athletic success

The Hawks' most notable success in athletics has been in alpine skiing, baseball, cross country, golf, football, lacrosse and track & field.
In particular, the football team has brought great notoriety to the school, having won ten MIAA Division 1 State Championships in 1966, 1967, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2009, 2014 and 2015. The 2015 team was ranked the 22nd best team in nation by USA Today. Further, four Hawks' football players have been selected the Massachusetts Player of the Year by numerous organizations: Greg Comella in 1992, Matt Hasselbeck in 1993, Chris Fox in 2005, Alex Phalen in 2009, Joe Gaziano in 2014, and Coby Tippett in 2015.
In addition, the alpine ski team won the State Championship in 2013 and 2016. The golf team won state titles in 2014 and 2016. The baseball team won the State Championship in 2004 and 2012, with the 2004 team ranked the 24th best team in the country by USA Today. The cross country team won the State Championship in 1984. The swimming and diving team won the State Championship in 1996. The lacrosse team won the State Championship in 2013. And in track & field, Derek Anderson '00 won the 1999 and 2000 All-State Discus and set the state record of 186-03; Chris Bonner '02 won the 2002 All-State 600m and set the state record of 1:20.11; and the 2006 outdoor track team won the MIAA All State Meet.

Campus ministry

As a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School firmly rooted in the Catholic tradition, XBHS places a strong emphasis on Christian faith formation and Christian service, volunteer community service inspired by the teachings of Christ. Such faith formation and service takes place in two required and several other voluntary forms. All students are required to participate in the Freshman Day of Awareness, which introduces students to the Xaverian Christian Community, and the Sophomore Faith Experience, which is an off-campus retreat that builds upon the development of faith during the Freshman year.
XBHS offers students many other voluntary opportunities to take part in various Christian faith formation and service programs. The Xaverian Leadership Institute is a five-day Servant Leadership retreat for Seniors which takes place during August. XLI seeks to facilitate personal and communal reflection on the students’ primary relationships with God, self and others. As a leadership institute, students are challenged and empowered within their faith tradition to become servant leaders for the Xaverian community and the Church. The Xaverian Global Encounter program is an optional retreat/service experience that takes place during the April and Summer Vacations. During the experience, students travel to marginalized areas to live, work and pray with established communities. Past global encounter sites have included: Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Rostro de Cristo Program in Duran, Ecuador, Los Ninos International in Tijuana, Mexico, Bethlehem Farm in Pence Springs, West Virginia and Camden, New Jersey. In addition, the Christian Senior Service Program is conducted during the last term of the Senior year. This five to six week program places seniors in approved social service agencies to complete full-time volunteer work for a minimum of 25 - 30 hours per week.

Clubs and activities

XBHS offers 45 diverse clubs and activities that allow students to explore many different interests and hobbies. The Office of Student Life sanctions each club and activity and strives to ensure that every XBHS student possess a clear sense of physical and mental well-being, engages in respectful and meaningful relationships, exhibits good sportsmanship, demonstrates the ability to work collaboratively, possess the social skills necessary for college and beyond, and develop diverse interests through participation in extracurricular activities.

Theater Arts

XBHS's theatrical performances have been in existence since Xaverian first opened in the late 1960s. Since its first production, "Take Time Out" Xaverian has performed over 80 shows. XBHS presents a fall drama, a spring musical, and two sketch comedy shows and live music performances dubbed "Live @ the X". The artistic director for productions is Julianne O'Connor and the production manager is Paula Duddy.
Performance History:
YearPerformance 1Performance 2Performance 3YearPerformance 1Performance 2Performance 3
'67Take Time Out'68It's The Most
'69LifeZoo Story by Will'70The New TouchWaiting for Godot
'71Bravo'72Razz-ma-Jazz
'73The Sky's the LimitChild's Play'74The Music Man
'75West Side StoryPicnique en Compagne'76Fiddler on the RoofStalag 17
'77Anything GoesThe Real Inspector Hound'78CabaretThe Crucible
'79Kiss Me KateOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'80West Side StoryThe Lion in Winter
'81Most Happy FellaA Man for All Seasons'82Guys and Dolls
'83Jesus Christ, SuperstarRashomon'84George M.The Real Inspector Hound
'85Oklahoma!'86West Side StoryMass Appeal
'87Jesus Christ, SuperstarInvitation to Murder'88WorkingOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
'89Anything Goes'90GreaseThe Foreigner
'91Damn YankeesWait Until Dark'92West Side StoryThe Boys Next Door
'93GodspellArsenic and Old Lace'94Oklahoma!Rumors
'95Guys and DollsLen Me a Tenor'96Jesus Christ, SuperstarYou Can't Take It With You
'97The Pajama GameFlowers for Algernon'98Once On This IslandOne Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
'99West Side Story'00Damn YankeesAntigone
'01Li'l AbnerA Midsummer Night's Dream'02Anything GoesRumors
'03Crazy for YouThe Foreigner'04GodspellLaughter on the 23rd Floor
'05Blood BrothersXNLArsenic and Old Lace'06How to Succeed in BusinessXNL 2: The "Odd"ysseyOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
'07PippinXNL 3The Dining Room'08West Side StoryXNL 4Flowers for Algernon
'09Damn YankeesXNL 5You Can't Take It with You'10Once On This IslandXNL 6It's a Wonderful Life
'11Footloose"Classical Cafe"The Boys Next Door'12The Pajama GameLive@theXAll My Sons
'13GodspellLive@theXThe Man Who Came to Dinner'14Oklahoma!Harvey_
'15'16
'17Brigadoon12 Angry MenLive@theX'18You Can't Take It with YouSingin' in the RainLive@theX
'19Golden BoyCurtainsLive@theX'20NewsiesThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

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XNL = Xaverian Night Live

Notable alumni

XBHS has approximately 9,000 alumni living all around the globe. Notable alumni distinguishing themselves include:
Notable alumni distinguishing themselves in athletics include: