St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati)

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Saint Xavier High School
New logo, circa 2004 Vidit Mirabilia Magna,[1] Men for Others,[2] Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Magis
Location
Finneytown, Ohio, USA
Coordinates	39°12′31″N 84°30′15″W / 39.2086694, -84.5041101
Information
Authority	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati[3]
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Affiliation(s)	Society of Jesus (Chicago Province)
President	Fr. Walter Deye, S.J.
Principal	Dave B. Mueller
Students	1,575 (2007)[4]
Faculty	120 full-time teachers[4]
CEEB Code	361-110[5]
Gender	Male
Type	Private, college preparatory
Grades	9–12
Campus size	Over 110 acres (0.4 km²)[4]
Athletics	Baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track, volleyball, and wrestling[4]
Athletics conference	Greater Catholic League South
Mascot	Bomber
Patron saint(s)	St. Francis Xavier
Color(s)	Royal blue and white[6]
Established	October 17, 1831
Tuition	$9,875.00 (2007–08)[7]
Homepage	St. Xavier High School

Saint Xavier High School (pronounced /ˈzeɪvjɚ/, often abbreviated St. X) is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school in Finneytown, a community just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1831, St. Xavier is the oldest high school in Cincinnati^[8] and one of the oldest in the nation, preceding many universities in foundation. The independent, non-diocesan school is operated by the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus and is one of four all-male Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati; as of 2006, it has 1,500 enrolled students, making it the largest Catholic high school in Cincinnati and the surrounding region.^[9]

[edit] History

St. Xavier High School at its inception, with St. Francis Xavier Church to its side.

St. Xavier, once a part of Xavier University, traces its roots to the Athenaeum at Seventh Street and Sycamore Street^[10] in Downtown Cincinnati, a "literary institute" dedicated on October 17, 1831, just a week before the city's first public high school, Woodward College, opened its doors. With St. Francis Xavier as its patron, the school was named St. Xavier College by the first bishop of Cincinnati, Rev. Edward D. Fenwick, O.P., and granted a state charter in 1842. The school originally offered a six-year education based on Jesuite College in Messina, Italy, but later switched to an American-style eight-year program.^[11] Some students took typing classes at the St. Xavier Commercial School nearby. In 1844, the school's elementary division opened a boarding school campus in Walnut Hills but was forced to close its doors two years later and return downtown.^[12]

St. Xavier High School was formally separated from Xavier University in 1919 with full financial separation in 1934. Fr. Aloysius J. Diersen, S.J. served as the high school's first president.^[12] The school began its move from the original location in downtown Cincinnati in April 1955 when its president, Fr. John J. Benson, S.J., purchased a 61 acre plot in Finneytown. In September 1960, St. Xavier High School moved into its newly-built facilities, which cost more than $4 million to build. At the time, the new facilities were called the Finneytown Hilton. The original high school building was later torn down and is now the site of a parking lot.

Since that time the facilities have gone through many expansions, most recently during the 2003–04 school year. The recent additions include a new football stadium, theater, black box theater, art wing, music rooms, science wing, and track field. The school also converted the former Girls' Town of America^[13] location across the street into its "South Campus", including new baseball and soccer fields.^[14]

At St. Xavier's entrance stands a statue of St. Francis Xavier – the school's patron saint and namesake, as well as a founding member of the Jesuit order – that once stood above the entry to the school's old location downtown. The sculpture "Open End", a 1983 work by Australian sculptor Clement Meadmore, was donated to St. Xavier by Prudential Insurance Company and resides outside an entrance to the school's Berning Gymnasium. It stood outside the Cincinnati Commerce Center at Sixth and Vine Streets downtown until it was relocated to St. Xavier in 1999.^[16]

St. Xavier's sports teams were originally nicknamed the "Conquistadors", or "Conquerors". Eventually, the teams began to be known as the "Bombers".^[17] Competing explanations of the name change credit American success in World War II, "bombs" thrown by George Ratterman to Charley Wolf in football games,^[17] and a corruption of the nickname given to Jesuit missionaries in World War II, the "Balmers".^[18] Though there is further disagreement over exactly when the move took place, alumni accounts place it sometime in the 1930s or 1940s.^[19]

[edit] Academics

Students apply to St. Xavier High School by taking an entrance test and submitting an elementary school transcript, teacher recommendations, and an enrollment application. Other factors, such as legacy, are also taken into account. St. Xavier uses the High School Placement Test (HSPT) in its admissions process.^[20] Approximately half of applicants are admitted as freshman each year.^[5] About a quarter of these students are admitted due to alumni or current students in their families.^[21] Entering students come from many parts of the city, including the East Side and West Side of Cincinnati, Southeastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky. The Class of 2011 includes students from 93 elementary schools.^[4] As of 2007, St. Xavier has 1,575 enrolled students,^[4] and the school faculty consists of 120 full-time teachers, including five Jesuit priests and a sister from the Congregation of Divine Providence.^[4] For the 2007–08 school year, tuition is $9,875.00;^[7] according to St. Xavier, this amount is $2,737 less than the cost of educating a student at the school.^[22]

All students at St. Xavier are part of the school's college preparatory program, with 23.0 credit units required for graduation. Virtually all of the school's students graduate and enter a post-secondary institution after graduation.^[5] According to BusinessWeek, nearly a third of the Class of 2004 pursued a major in business.^[23] In 2007, St. Xavier published a directory of over 16,000 living alumni, listing "511 living graduates as medical doctors or dentists, 624 as attorneys, and 610 as engineers".^[4]

St. Xavier offers a wide variety of courses as part of a college preparatory program accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Jesuit Secondary Education Association (of which the school is a member), and Ohio Department of Education.^[5] The school's Foreign Language Department, for example, offers Advanced Placement–level instruction in French, German, Latin, and Spanish, as well as classes in Portuguese, Russian, and Classical Greek and instruction in Chinese.^[24] Other high-level courses include Advanced 2D Design Portfolio, AP Computer Science AB, AP English Literature and Composition, Multivariable Calculus, AP Psychology, and AP European History.^[5] In all, the school offers 24 Advanced Placement courses in seven subject areas.^[4] As a Roman Catholic school, St. Xavier requires students to study various aspects of religion and theology each year. Students are also required to take physical education, public speaking (Oral Communications), and computer usage (Information Processing) classes, as part of an emphasis on "well-rounded individuals".

Each year, a number of St. Xavier students receive honors from standardized testing programs. In 2006, 137 students received Scholar Awards for their high scores on Advanced Placement tests; of them, three were named National AP Scholars, the highest distinction awarded.^[25] In addition, 16 were named finalists^[26] and 24 named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program.^[27] In 2007, five won the National Merit program's highest distinction.^[28]

St. Xavier maintains 11 computer labs with over 330 computers equipped with Microsoft Windows and Zip drives.^[4] By 2001, St. Xavier had become one of the first Catholic schools in Cincinnati to use SMARTBoards in classrooms, Edline for parent-student-teacher communication, and Gaggle.net for student-to-student e-mail. The school's library, named for alumnus and Ohio state representative John D. "Jay" Carroll III,^[29] contains 23,000 volumes.^[30]

The school year is divided into two semesters for grading and course scheduling purposes, but exams are administered quarterly (see Academic term). Although the school meets on a traditional eight-period schedule, in which students attend each class daily, two days dubbed "X and Y days" are often set aside for block scheduling, to allow for classroom material that would not otherwise fit into the school day.

[edit] School traditions

The largest of the 49 all-male high schools run by the Society of Jesus in the United States,^[4] St. Xavier shares many Jesuit traditions with other secondary institutions run by the order. For example, graduating students are expected to have acquired the five characteristics defined in the "Graduate at Graduation" profile: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Justice.^[31] Many Jesuit high schools have "Grad at Grad" expectations, although the characteristics and their descriptions vary from school to school.

St. Xavier students are also taught the phrase Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, the motto of the Society of Jesus, and are often instructed to write the initialism "AMDG" at the top of submitted papers and tests, to remind them that even their schoolwork is "For the Greater Glory of God". As in other Jesuit schools, detention is invariably called "JUG"; the common explanation is that "JUG" stands for "Justice Under God".

The school holds school-wide Masses on Holy Days of Obligation and other important events, as well as optional daily Mass in Holy Companions Chapel at the center of campus. Two days a year, students, though required to come to school, do not attend classes. Instead, they attend morning Mass and are then encouraged to spend the day at school as they see fit. The autumn occasion, Spirit Day, is celebrated on the Mass of the Holy Spirit, a feast day that other Jesuit institutions also observe. During the spring occasion, MusicFest, students hold a grill-out on the school parking lot while student bands perform on a nearby stage. MusicFest began in 1986 as part of Music Appreciation Week.^[32]

[edit] Alma mater

The alma maters of St. Xavier and another Jesuit high school, St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, are identical except for the last two lines, which refer to the school name and colors.^[10][33] The alma mater was composed in 1937 by the St. Ignatius band director, Jack Hearns Sr. In 1958, the school gave St. Xavier permission to adapt the song;^[34] this adaptation is sung after St. Xavier school assemblies, athletic events, and graduation:

Our famed alma mater graces

Every shrine within our hearts

With her unforgotten faces

And the faith that she imparts.

Years in passing cannot sever

Ties of old days from the new.

We are Xavier men forever

As we hail the white and blue.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

[edit] Athletics

An aerial view of St. Xavier's large campus, flanked by the school's many athletic facilities and the surrounding community. Visible are the school's new South Campus (lower left), the unaffiliated Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (center left), St. Xavier Stadium (upper center), and the school track field (upper right).

Perhaps as well-regarded as its academics, the school's large athletic program is ranked 13^th in the nation.^[35] The Finneytown campus features athletic facilities comparable to most colleges, highlighted by a new football stadium and a modernized Keating Natatorium. Originally built in the early 1970s^[12], the natatorium houses an Olympic-size swimming pool, which the school shares with the Cincinnati Marlins. The football stadium, named after the school, was built during the 2003–04 school year around Ballaban Field, which was built in the late 1960s.^[12] Teams representing St. Xavier are nicknamed the "Bombers". Originally named the "Conquistadors", or "Conquerors", the teams are members of the Greater Catholic League (GCL). The school is one of four all-male institutions that participates in the GCL's South Division, competing with nearby Elder, La Salle, and Moeller high schools. St. Xavier athletic events are often broadcast on Waycross Community Media.

St. Xavier has won a state championship in many of the sports in which it fields a team. The most decorated among these teams is the school's prestigious swimming and diving program, which has garnered considerable national respect. Known as the "Aquabombers", the team has won district, sectional and city-wide titles in every year since 1970, capturing 29 Ohio state championships during this span. The team has earned the distinction of Swimming World Magazine national high school swimming champions in 1973, 1992, 2001, and 2007.^[36] The team is currently headed by Coach James Brower. The Aquabombers have produced Swimming World Magazine high school swimmers of the year with Joe Hudepohl in 1992 and Jayme Cramer in 2001. Hudepohl was also a member of the United States Olympic Swim Team in 1992 and 1996 and still holds several school, state and national records in swimming.

In addition to the swimming and diving program, the Bombers are also well-known for their football team. In 1999, the St. Xavier football team appeared on Team Cheerios cereal boxes, alongside St. Ignatius High School, in recognition of the schools' football and community service programs, as well as their records in the National Merit Scholarship Program.^[37] On December 3, 2005, under Coach Steve Specht, the Bombers defeated Massillon Washington High School to earn the 2005 state football title, the first in team history, after having finished as state runners-up in 1992, 1998 and 2001. The Bombers ended their season with a perfect record: undefeated in the regular season and the playoffs. For this occasion, the City of Cincinnati declared December 14, 2005 "St. Xavier High School Day".^[38] In 2007, the Bombers were rated first or second high school football team nationally in a number of pre-season rankings;^[2] the same year, St. Xavier defeated DeMatha Catholic High School in a game nationally televised on ESPN.^[39] St. Xavier went on to win their second state championship that year in a 27–0 victory against Mentor High School,^[40] as well as the National Prep Poll's mythical national championship.

St. Xavier won the state basketball championship in 2000 and finished as runners-up in the 2005 and 2007^[41] state basketball tournament. The Cross Country team has seen a good deal of success, having qualified to the Ohio state championships every year from 1987 to 2004.

[edit] The arts

The school's drama group, Theatre Xavier (TX), has won the Best Play and Best Musical awards from the Cappies of Greater Cincinnati for many of its productions.^[58] The school's new 17 million dollar^{[citation needed]} theater space, the St. Xavier Performance Center, rivals those of many colleges in size. It opened in 2004 along with the fine arts wing and replaced the former Xavier Hall, which was converted from a worship space in 1986.^[8] Recent and upcoming productions include:

• 2001–02: A Tuna Christmas, My Favorite Year
• 2002–03: Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol, Godspell
• 2003–04: Red Noses, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
• 2004–05: The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• 2005–06: The Laramie Project, Les Miserables Student Edition
• 2006–07: Wild Oats, Miss Saigon
• 2007–08: Inspecting Carol, The Scarlet Pimpernel

The marching band has not enjoyed much success at competitions in recent years, primarily because it lacks a flag auxiliary,^{[citation needed]} but it has received a superior rating in state competition several times in the past and often receives standing ovations at football games. The St. Xavier drumline is especially enjoyed at football games. There are also the wind ensemble and jazz ensemble. The string ensemble has won several awards for performance in past years.

St. Xavier has other music groups including a men's chorus, XMen and Something Blue. The XMen recently received first place in a national competition at Festival Disney and has earned recognition on many other occasions. The XMen are divided into two groups: students, other than freshmen, may opt to take chorus as an elective during the school day; the rest of the students attend after school. XMen has recently grown in number from the teens to approximately 100 participants under the leadership of Karl Thomsen, and expects to be around 170 in number with the upcoming second semester choir class and ending of the football season (as many fall sportsmen join the choir when they are able).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Community service

Following the call of Jesuit Superior-General Pedro Arrupe in 1973 to "form men for others", St. Xavier formed a Community Service department that is still active today. Service programs run by the school include the Advent Canned Food Drive, a housing rehabilitation program that began in 1992,^[59] Big Buddies, Junior Big Brothers, and a number of summer mission trips to disadvantaged areas both around the United States and internationally. Destinations have included:

• Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois
• Monticello, Kentucky
• Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Camden, New Jersey
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• St. Francis, South Dakota (Rosebud Indian Reservation)
• Durán, Ecuador^[60]
• Ayacucho, Peru^[61]
• Tacna, Peru^[62]
• Rica Playa, Tumbes, Peru^[63][64]

St. Xavier runs drop-in "tutoring centers", where students can receive mathematics and writing help from upperclassman, as well as a separate peer tutoring program that pairs students up for one-on-one assistance. The various programs, though optional, are generally popular among students. In 2006, for example, 175 students signed up for the Big Brothers program.^[65] According to the school, three-quarters of the student body voluntarily participate in community service programs.^[4]

St. Xavier's emphasis on service is evident in the school's motto, "Men for Others". In recent years, attempts have been made to expand the school's motto to "Men for and with Others". The addition of these two words has met with criticism and ridicule from the student body, which sees it as a corruption of the original, more memorable version.

[edit] Other clubs

• An active student-run newspaper, the Blueprint, is published and distributed to students and teachers monthly.^[66] It is produced entirely outside the classroom, which is uncommon for high school newspapers. Many high schools offer journalism as a class, but St. Xavier has specifically chosen not to offer journalism as an English course for its students. The Blueprint replaced the Xavier Prep, which was published until at least the 1940s.^[19] The school's other two student publications are X-Ray, the annual yearbook, and Xpressions, a student literary magazine founded in 1964.^[66]
• The St. Xavier Quiz Team, a member of the Greater Cincinnati Academic League (GCAL), has participated in many statewide tournaments under the direction of John F. Hussong, who has taught English at St. Xavier since 1964, and Ron Weisbrod, a history teacher at the school. The team managed its first state championship in 1997, as well as two runner-up finishes in the early 1990s.
• Under the direction of Lindy Michael, the Math Club grew to 120 regularly-participating students, making it "the second-most populated extracurricular after football."^[67]
• The St. Xavier Chess Team, led by Dr. Brad Homoelle, won the Greater Cincinnati Scholastic Chess League (GCSCL) championship during the 2005–2006 season.
• The North Bend Ski Club, associated primarily with St. Xavier, invites skiers and snowboarders of all technical levels to enjoy the slopes at various locations. The club offers discounted seasonal passes to Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, Indiana through the club program.
• FCC-licensed students with the Radio Club operate amateur radio equipment and participated in the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX).^[68] The club operates under the call sign W8GYH. In 2005, four alumni of the Radio Club – Andy Meng, Ben Corrado, Justin Rigling, and Brandon Schamer – maintained a record, 11-Mbit/s wireless connection that stretched the 124.9 miles (201.0 km) from Mt. Potosi, Nevada to Utah Hill, Utah for three hours, as part of the DEF CON Wi-Fi Shootout.^[69][70][71]

[edit] Notable alumni

St. Xavier's alumni are often referred to as the "Long Blue Line",^[72] a reference to the school colors and the blue attire worn at graduation. Many of the school's alumni are well-known figures in the Cincinnati area, and many others have gained recognition nationally and abroad as well:

[edit] Notable faculty and staff

• Lawrence Biondi^[101] – president of Saint Louis University
• Urban Meyer (1985) – then interning as a defensive back football coach at St. Xavier; currently head football coach at the University of Florida and previously at the University of Utah and Bowling Green State University^[102][103]
• Robert Wild (1964–1967) – then a Latin, Greek, and speech and debate teacher; currently president of Marquette University^[104]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] Further reading

• Froehle, Bryan; Will Damico; et al. (1982). A Century and a Half: St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1831–1981. Cincinnati, Ohio: St. Xavier High School. LCCN 82-60716. 

[edit] External links

• St. Xavier High School
  • Choral arrangement of alma mater (MP3)
  • Choral arrangement of fight song (MP3)
• St. Xavier High School Home Page at Edline
• St. Xavier Alumni Home Page
• Bomber Football Association
• USGS GNIS: St. Xavier High School from the USGS

• St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati) is at coordinates 39°12′31″N 84°30′15″W / 39.2086694, -84.5041101 (St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati))Coordinates: 39°12′31″N 84°30′15″W / 39.2086694, -84.5041101 (St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati))

[edit] Athletic teams

• Basketball
• Football
• Hockey
• Lacrosse
• Swimming and Diving