Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School is an independent university-preparatory high school for boys run by the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus 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 College) by John Larkin. History. The school was founded in 1847 by John Larkin, a professor at St. John's College in Rosehill Manor, then in Westchester County, now a part of the Borough of the Bronx, and which later became Fordham University. It  taught boys from the age of eight to twenty-one. The Regents of the University of the State of New York chartered Xavier in 1861. A military training unit began at the school in 1886 under the direction of the National Guard, and membership became mandatory in 1892. Five years later, collegiate and secondary studies were separated into different departments, and the college-level department was closed in 1912. The student regiment became a Junior ROTC unit in 1935, and the school was declared a military institute in 1968, offering four years of military science and training which would be  recognized upon enrollment in any branch of the United States military. Participation in military studies was declared optional in 1971. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools since 1927. In 2008, Xavier High School announced that then President Daniel James Gatti would be retiring. Gatti's retirement was pushed back until the end of the 2009 school year. He was succeeded by Hoboken School Superintendent, Jack Raslowsky, the school's 33rd president and the first time in history that the position would be held by a lay person. Upon ascending to the role , Raslowsky oversaw a development operation that leading to a significant physical expansion of the Xavier High School campus. In March 2021, Xavier High School announced that following a nationwide search, Kim Smith, current vice president of Boston College High School, has been chosen to take over as headmaster starting July 1. Smith, who will be replacing current Headmaster Michael LiVigni, is to become the first female headmaster in the over 170 year history of the school. Demographics. As of the 2015–16 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,068 students and 69.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for  a student–teacher ratio of 15.3:1. The school's student body was 70.3% White, 3.9% Black, 12.0% Hispanic, 3.7% Asian, and 10.1% two or more races. Academics. The school offers courses under the categories of religion, English, history, modern and classical languages, mathematics, science, fine arts, computer science and technology, military science, health and physical education, and a guidance department program. Xavier's courses prepare students to embrace the five goals of the Profile of a Graduate of a Jesuit School at Graduation (the "Grad at Grad"). These goals—being open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to  doing justice—are the foundation of Xavier's curriculum and prepare students to live a life of competence, conscience, and compassion. Athletics. Xavier, a Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) member, provides its students the opportunity to pursue a wide variety of sports: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, football, fencing, golf, hockey, indoor/outdoor track and field, rugby, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. Other extracurricular activities include boxing club, choir, speech and debate, chess team, anime, film, science fiction, and skiing /snowboard clubs, school newspaper, "The Review", drama productions, UNICEF Club, and the Blue Knight Jazz  Band. The Blue Knight Band won best trombone section at the 2010 Villanova University Big Band Festival. 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. Football. The Xavier Football program began in the late 19th 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 19th century when the game was called off due to darkness, ending in a tie. Many of these football matches were played at Manhattan's famed Polo Grounds, until its demolition. Rugby. Rugby is a popular sport at Xavier. Rugby has varsity status, and fields four teams with over 125 players. Xavier has fielded one of the top rugby  teams in the United States since the club's founding in 1976. Track. The Freshman Track and Field team won the indoor and outdoor 2009 CHSAA Intersectional Championships, the first time in team history. In 2010, the team defended their outdoor victory as sophomores. The Track and Field team competed in the Nationals track meet in Greensboro, North Carolina and finished fifth in both the 4 by 100 and 4 by 200 meter relay, earning Emerging Elite Metals. The team has had much recent success in both cross country and on the track. The cross country team has finished 4th  at CHSAA Intersectional Championships in 2011, 5th in 2012, 3rd in 2013, 2nd in 2014, 2nd in 2015 and 1st in 2016, the teams first cross country title in almost a century. The team also won the CHSAA Intersectional Championships in 2017 and 2019. The team finished 2nd at the New York Federation cross country meet by 2 points in 2016. The team repeated with another 2nd place finish at the New York Federation cross country meet in 2017 and finished 7th in 2019. The team has carried the success with an indoor CHSAA Intersectional Championship victory in 2015 and  most recently in 2017, the 4X800 meter relay placed 3rd at the National track meet, capturing All American with a 7:50.84. The team captured its second indoor CHSAA Intersectional Championship in 2019. Swimming. The Swim Team first moved up to the CHSAA's 'A' Division in the early 1990s. It won the school's first City Championship in 1996 and followed that up by winning the 'A' Division title in 1997. Also in 1996, Xavier won the first 'All-City' Swimming Championship by beating New York City Public School swimming champion Stuyvesant High School. Like many schools in Manhattan, Xavier  does not have many athletic resources on-site. As a result, the Xavier Swim Team has used various pools around the city, such as St. Francis College in Brooklyn, the Lower East Side Boys and Girls Club, and Humanities High School. For many years, Xavier had residence at Borough of Manhattan Community College, using their facilities for both practices and dual meets. Other sports. 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. Xavier High School's JV Soccer team won the CHSAA Intersectional Championship in 2008 and 2009. Buildings. In 2016, the school acquired space inside a 25 story building, 35 West 15th Street, to house Fernandez-Duminuco Hall, occupying of space in the basement and six floors. The other floors house condominiums, and both the school campus and the condominiums have separate entrances. The building has allowed for the expansion of the arts at Xavier. The expansion includes a new band room, music practice rooms, small ensemble room, recording studio, theater, and STEAM classroom, which houses an expanded computer science  and technology department, and a student activities space. In popular culture. Xavier High School has been used in several television shows and movies, including: