Congratulations to first-year XHS band director, Chad Allard, and the Xavier High School Band for turning in another state Division 1 marching season!
September brought another successful Xavier Catholic Extraordinary Encounter Day (XCEED) Conference for our students. The day featured a variety of guest speakers who presented “Impact” sessions, aimed at helping our students further enrich their relationship with God and deepen their Catholic faith. Topics included mental health, social responsibility, respect for life, art, music, fitness, current events/politics, and more.
Congratulations to XHS teacher, Mr. Mike Goldsmith, who was awarded the Lead. Learn. Proclaim Award this past spring by the National Catholic Education Association! This is a national award honoring Catholic educators for excellence and distinguished service in Catholic education and was presented at the NCEA conference in New Orleans among other national honorees. We are blessed to have Mr. Goldsmith’s commitment to faith, our students, and our school here at Xavier.
On November 9, Saints fanned out across the area on a gorgeous day to continue a cherished tradition: Community Service Day. XHS students offered service to those who could use a helping hand this time of the year as the leaves and temperatures fall. Thank you to all our parent volunteer drivers who helped us continue this tradition!
This past summer, we were blessed with the opportunity to officially “rededicate” Bob Erusha Field (Softball) and Ken Charipar Field (Baseball), which hosted play for the first time following the derecho of 2020. Members of the Erusha and Charipar families were on hand to experience the new and improved facilities.
Congratulations to XHS senior, Brian Foerster, on being selected as a National Merit Semifinalist! Brian was among nearly 16,000 high school seniors who have been announced as semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. These students will compete for 7,600 scholarships, worth around $30 million, awarded in the coming spring. Also, congratulations to XHS senior, Will Karl, on being named a “Commended Student!” Commended students place among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2023 National Merit competition.
We would like to extend our thanks to Dick Lensing and Tom Takes for creating brand new, beautiful crucifixes for every classroom at Xavier. These crucifixes mirror the larger one installed in our chapel last year. Fr. Aaron Junge (X08) blessed each crucifix and teachers selected a crucifix to place in their classrooms at our Back-to-School Mass earlier this year. New spiritual artwork is also being planned for the hallways and classrooms of Xavier.
Earlier this fall, we celebrated Homecoming 2022 in style with our now-traditional “Light the Night” pep rally and “Tailgate Tour,” visiting our middle and elementary schools to provide a jolt of school spirit. We also made history with the crowning of twins as our Homecoming King and Queen: Will & Paige Hacke! Additionally, Fr. Ben Valentine (X14) made his return to Xavier to celebrate Homecoming Mass with us for the first time following his recent ordination.