Coordinates | 35°27′″N139°38′″N |
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name | Saint Xavier High School |
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latin name | Academia Sancti Xaverii Cincinnatensis |
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picture | |
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streetaddress | 600 West North Bend Road |
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city | Cincinnati |
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state | Ohio |
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zipcode | 45224-1424 |
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country | |
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coordinates |
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district | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati |
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authority | Society of Jesus (Chicago–Detroit Province) |
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denomination | Roman Catholic |
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founder | Bishop Edward D. Fenwick, O.P. |
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president | Fr. Tim Howe, S.J. (2009–present) |
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principal | Dave B. Mueller (1993–present) |
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assistantprincipals | William SandquistDaniel Minelli |
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rector | Fr. Ed Pigott, S.J. (2005–present) |
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students | 1,565 () |
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enrollment as of | 2011 |
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faculty | 120 full-time teachers |
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ceeb | 361-110 |
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type | Private, college preparatory |
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tuition | $11,395.00 (2011–12) |
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grades | 9–12 |
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gender | Male |
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campus size | |
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campus type | Suburban |
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conference | Greater Catholic League South |
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slogan | Men for Others, Magis |
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motto | Vidit Mirabilia Magna; Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam |
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motto translation | He has seen great wonders; For the Greater Glory of God |
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accreditation | NCA, JSEA |
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mascot | Bomber, Blue Monster |
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patron | St. Francis Xavier |
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colors | Royal blue and white |
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established | October 17, 1831 |
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homepage | www.stxavier.org
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Saint Xavier High School ( ; often abbreviated St. X) is a private, all-male, college-preparatory high school just outside Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is located in Finneytown, an unincorporated community in Hamilton County. Founded in 1831, St. Xavier is the oldest high school in the Cincinnati area and one of the oldest in the nation, preceding many universities in foundation. The independent, non-diocesan school is operated by the Chicago and Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus and is one of four all-male Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Aside from colleges and universities, St. Xavier is the largest private school in Ohio and one of the 100 largest schools in the state, with over 1,500 enrolled students.
History
Downtown origins
St. Xavier, once a part of Xavier University, traces its history to the Athenaeum at Seventh Street and Sycamore Street in Downtown Cincinnati. The institute, which included a seminary and lay college, was dedicated by the first bishop of Cincinnati, the Most Rev. Edward D. Fenwick, O.P., on October 17, 1831. Just a week later, the city's first public high school, Woodward College, opened its doors. The Athenaeum stood until 1890, next to ''The Catholic Telegraph'''s printing press.
In 1840, at the behest of Bishop Fenwick, the Society of Jesus began operating the Athenaeum's lay college, which it renamed St. Xavier College, after St. Francis Xavier. The Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) took over the seminary in 1841, and the college was granted a state charter the following year. St. Xavier College originally offered six years of integrated primary, secondary, and post-secondary education, in keeping with the ''Ratio Studiorum'' and Jesuite College in Messina, Italy. School closed on Thursdays and Sundays until 1917. Until 1851, admission was originally granted to students from 8–16 years of age. Later, a tuition-free elementary school division opened to complement the college. 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. Four years later, "falling enrollment, threat of bankruptcy, and cholera" brought about proposals to close the high school division.
At the close of the 19th century, St. Xavier's athletic teams competed in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Cincinnati.
Expansion and separation
In 1910, St. Xavier College transitioned to an American-style eight-year program. Some students took typing classes at the St. Xavier Commercial School nearby. On October 1, 1906, another branch campus opened in Walnut Hills. This time, St. Xavier on the Hill served first- and second-year high school students. Tuition was $60 downtown and $80 at the suburban location. Classes were held in Walnut Hills until December 1911.
The next year, the college division moved to its present North Avondale campus. St. Xavier High School formally split with St. Xavier College in 1919, with Fr. Aloysius J. Diersen, S.J., serving as the High School's first president. The College's Schools of Commerce and Sociology continued to offer evening classes at the high school. The College became Xavier University in 1930, to reflect its transition to the American university model and reduce confusion around the several Jesuit institutions in Cincinnati named St. Xavier. The two schools became financially independent four years later but continued to share resources. Xavier's School of Education conducted practice teaching at St. Xavier. Also, St. Xavier's senior classes studied at Xavier from 1944 to 1946, to compensate for Xavier's loss of cadets from the Army Air Corps 30th College Training Detachment during World War II.
The Finneytown Hilton
St. Xavier began its move from the original location in downtown Cincinnati in April 1955 when its president, Fr. John J. Benson, S.J., purchased a plot in Finneytown. In September 1960, St. Xavier High School moved into its newly built facilities in unincorporated Springfield Township, designed by local architect Albert Walters. At the time, the over $4 million facilities were nicknamed the "Finneytown Hilton". The original high school building was later torn down and is now the site of a parking lot. In 1965, St. Xavier produced its first three African-American graduates, Phil Cox, Michael Walker, and Peter D. Samples. The same school year, Myron Kilgore was hired as the school's first African-American faculty member.
Since its move away from downtown, St. Xavier has expanded its facilities dramatically. In 1969, the school added a natatorium, featuring an $500,000 Olympic-size swimming pool. St. Xavier's worship space was replaced by Xavier Hall, a multipurpose facility, in 1986. In 1998, a $12.6 million expansion project moved science classes from the basement into a new, three-story wing and added the Holy Companions Chapel and a dedicated intramural gym. During the 2003–04 school year, St. Xavier renovated the football stadium around Ballaban Field, which was built in the late 1960s. Along with the stadium, the school opened a 500-seat theater space, as well as a black box theater, art studios, and renovated music rooms. A new track field replaced the track that once surrounded Ballaban Field. St. Xavier also converted the former Girls' Town of America location across the street into its "South Campus", which includes new baseball and soccer fields.
colspan="2" | Enrollment history |
! Year !! Enrollment
|
1840 |
76
|
|
1890 |
348
|
colspan="2" | |
1899 |
425
|
colspan="2" | |
1919 |
474
|
colspan="2" | |
1921 |
520
|
colspan="2" | |
1958 |
923
|
colspan="2" | |
1977 |
1,088
|
1978 |
1,146
|
1979 |
1,124
|
1980 |
1,157
|
1981 |
1,234
|
1982 |
1,240
|
1983 |
1,267
|
1984 |
1,267
|
1985 |
1,259
|
1986 |
1,272
|
1987 |
1,283
|
1988 |
1,274
|
1989 |
1,256
|
1990 |
1,272
|
1991 |
1,279
|
1992 |
1,327
|
1993 |
1,379
|
1994 |
1,408
|
1995 |
1,405
|
1996 |
1,410
|
1997 |
1,407
|
1998 |
1,412
|
1999 |
1,428
|
2000 |
1,419
|
2001 |
1,418
|
2002 |
1,476
|
2003 |
1,451
|
2004 |
1,444
|
2005 |
1,458
|
2006 |
1,492
|
2007 |
1,575
|
2008 |
1,575
|
2009 |
1,550
|
2010 |
1,565
|
2011 |
1,565
|
|
Academics
As of 2009, St. Xavier has 1,550 enrolled students, the most of any Catholic high school in an area with the nation's second-highest private school attendance rate. For the 2011–12 school year, tuition will be
$11,395.00, which St. Xavier has claimed to be $2,737 less than the cost of educating a student at the school. During the 2010–11 school year, about 30% of students received an average of $5,345 in financial aid. The faculty consists of 120 full-time teachers, including six Jesuit priests and a sister from the
Congregation of Divine Providence. English teacher John Hussong is the longest-standing faculty member at the school.
Admissions
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. Approximately half of applicants are admitted as freshman each year. About a quarter of these students are admitted due to alumni or current students in their families (see
Legacy preferences). The 418 students of the Class of 2015 include graduates of 58 private elementary schools and 29 public school districts from throughout
Greater Cincinnati, Southeastern Indiana, and
Northern Kentucky, as well as several homeschoolers and transplants from other states. Of the preceding class, 84% are Roman Catholic, while 14% are of other Christian denominations, 1% are
Hindu, and 1% are
Muslim. Eleven percent of the entire student body are racial minorities.
In addition to students from the Greater Cincinnati area, St. Xavier admits students from overseas through various foreign exchange programs, such as American Field Service. Over the years, foreign exchange students have come from many countries, including Brazil, Germany, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, and Vietnam. In particular, partner school Col·legi Casp–Sagrat Cor de Jesús in Barcelona has sent students to St. Xavier for over a decade. St. Xavier students may receive credit for work completed at the school's other partners, Canisius-Kolleg Berlin and Xavier University.
Curriculum and scheduling
All students at St. Xavier are part of the school's
college preparatory program, requiring 23.0 credit units for graduation. St. Xavier offers a wide variety of courses as part of the program, which is 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. The school's Foreign Language Department, for example, offers
Advanced Placement–level instruction in
French,
German,
Latin, and
Spanish, as well as classes in
Chinese,
Portuguese,
Russian, and
Classical Greek. Other high-level courses include Advanced 2D Design Portfolio and
Multivariable Calculus, as well as AP courses in Computer Science, English Literature and Composition, Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, and European History. In all, the school offers 24 Advanced Placement courses in seven subject areas. 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 ''
cura personalis'' ("well-rounded individuals").
The school year is divided into two semesters for grading and course scheduling purposes, but exams are administered quarterly (see Academic term). St. Xavier meets on a traditional, nine-period schedule, in which students attend each class daily, ordinarily from 8:00 AM to 3:05 PM. However, the order in which the classes meet vary from day to day, so that every student's science class may extend into one of the lunch periods, "Flex Times", one day each week. Additionally, 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 a normal-length class period. In 2011, St. Xavier will introduce a ten-day, eight-period rolling schedule developed by Independent School Management. The school is also trialling an ISM proposal to eliminate bells between classes.
During any free periods a student may have, St. Xavier's "open campus" policy permits the student to use various school facilities, including study hall or outdoor areas. Moreover, seniors are afforded "off-campus privilege", for instance allowing them to eat lunch at nearby restaurants, rather than at the school cafeteria.
Recognition and graduation
Each year, a number of St. Xavier students receive honors from
standardized testing programs. From 1970 to 2008, 962 students were named semifinalists or finalists in the
National Merit Scholarship Program. 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. In addition, 16 were named finalists and 24 named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In 2007, five won the National Merit program's highest distinction. The
U.S. Department of Education recognized the school itself as a
Blue Ribbon School for the 1983–84 year.
Virtually all of the school's students graduate and enter a post-secondary institution after graduation. The University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Miami University received the most students from the Class of 2011. According to ''BusinessWeek'', nearly a third of the Class of 2004 pursued a major in business. 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 611 as engineers".
School traditions
The largest of the 50 all-male high schools run by the Society of Jesus in the United States, 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. 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". The seals of both St. Xavier and Xavier University bear the motto ''Vidit Mirabilia Magna'' (Latin for "He has seen great wonders"), taken from a passage of the Roman Breviary applied to St. Francis Xavier. As in other Jesuit secondary schools, detention is invariably called "JUG", which is commonly said to mean "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, classes are canceled, though students are still required to stay in school all day. In place of the daily orders, 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 to cap off Music Appreciation Week. An additional day each fall, classes are preempted for the Walk For X, a walkathon through Finneytown neighborhoods that funds a financial aid program.
Ignatian retreats are offered frequently at St. Xavier. Besides class-wide programs held at the Jesuit Spiritual Center in Milford, optional retreats include Knightwatch for sophomores and Kairos, which was introduced in February 1985 for seniors.
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. The alma mater was composed in 1937 by the St. Ignatius band director, Jack Hearns Sr. In 1958, the Cleveland school gave St. Xavier permission to adapt the song. 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.''
Campus
At , St. Xavier's campus is approximately the size of the Vatican City. In addition to hundreds of classrooms and the sports venues described below, the school grounds has room for a wooded walking trail, a mock courtroom, and a school history exhibit. The Fred Middendorf, S.J., Nature Trail runs about a third of a mile behind the athletic fields. Indoors, the Mock Trial team makes use of a specially built classroom that imitates the layout of a courtroom. Along the school's main hallways, recent student artwork hangs beside the Living Walls project, a graphical timeline accompanying 90 years of class photos.
St. Xavier maintains 11 computer labs with over 330 computers equipped with Microsoft Windows and Zip drives. By 2001, St. Xavier had become one of the first Catholic schools in Cincinnati to use SMART Boards in classrooms, Edline for parent-student-teacher communication, and Gaggle.net for student-to-student e-mail. In 2005, the school employed SMART Board or SMART Cart systems in 25 classrooms. In 2010, Gaggle service was replaced by Microsoft Live@edu accounts for students and faculty members. The school's library, named for alumnus and Ohio state representative John D. "Jay" Carroll III, contains 23,000 volumes.
The school's Finneytown campus features athletic facilities comparable to most colleges, highlighted by a new football stadium and a modernized Charles H. Keating Sr. Natatorium. The natatorium, which St. Xavier shares with the Cincinnati Marlins, houses an Olympic-size swimming pool and seats 626. It hosted the Amateur Athletic Union national swimming championships in 1970 and 1976. The football stadium, named after the school, was built during the 2003–04 school year around Ballaban Field. St. Xavier's soccer field was home to the now-defunct Cincinnati Cheetahs professional soccer team during their 1994 season.
St. Xavier's campus features a number of prominent pieces of artwork. At the entrance stands a statue of the school's namesake that once stood atop the entry to the old school building downtown. There is also a smaller statue of St. Xavier in the main stairwell. The sculpture ''Open End'', a 1983 work by Australian sculptor Clement Meadmore, stood outside the Cincinnati Commerce Center at Sixth and Vine Streets downtown until Prudential Insurance Company donated it to St. Xavier in 1999. The , curved metal beam is now located at the Math Wing entrance outside Berning Gymnasium. Inside, the Fine Art Gallery includes a landscape painting by Lewis Henry Meakin.
As of 2009, St. Xavier contracts with Aramark for food services. In addition to servicing the school cafeteria, which has been renamed the "U.B.U. Lounge", Aramark operates the Snack Xpress shop, Bomber Deli, and cafeteria annex. Previously, the school contracted with local company GTC Foodservice for 16 years. The Bait Shop concession stand in Keating Natatorium is operated separately by the Cincinnati Marlins.
Extracurricular activities
St. Xavier places an emphasis on "co-curricular" activities as a complement to academics. The most visible of these activities are supported by the school's athletic, arts, and community service departments. In addition, students have formed 85 school-sanctioned clubs with the sponsorship of faculty members.
Athletics
Perhaps as well regarded as its academics, St. Xavier's large athletic program was ranked 13th in the nation in 2008 by ''Sports Illustrated''. The school offers 14 Division I athletic programs: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. The teams are members of the Greater Catholic League (GCL). As one of four all-male institutions that participate in the GCL's South Division, St. Xavier competes with nearby Elder, La Salle, and Moeller high schools in athletic events that are often broadcast on Waycross Community Media. During the 2010 football season, games were broadcast on Fox Sports Radio affiliate WSAI.
St. Xavier's sports teams were originally nicknamed the "Conquistadors", or "Conquerors". Eventually, the teams came to be known as the Bombers. Competing explanations of the name change credit American success in World War II, "bombs" thrown by George Ratterman to Charley Wolf in football games, and a corruption of the nickname given to Jesuit missionaries in World War II, the "Balmers". Though there is further disagreement over exactly when the move took place, alumni accounts place it sometime in the 1930s or 1940s. The "Bomber" is not represented on the field in costumed form. Instead, the "Blue Monster" – a shaggy, Muppet-like mascot that takes its name from the student cheering section – appears at games wearing a Bomber football jersey.
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 31 Ohio state championships during this span. In 2008, St. Charles Preparatory School of Columbus broke the Aquabombers' nine-year state title streak. The team has earned the distinction of ''Swimming World Magazine'' national high school swimming champions in 1973, 1992, 2001, and 2007. Headed by Coach Jim Brower, the Aquabombers produced ''Swimming World Magazine'' high school swimmers of the year 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. 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". In 2007, the Bombers were rated first or second high school football team nationally in a number of pre-season rankings; the same year, St. Xavier defeated DeMatha Catholic High School in a game nationally televised on ESPN. St. Xavier went on to win their second state championship that year in a 27–0 victory against Mentor High School, as well as the National Prep Poll's mythical national championship. The football program's national exposure continued with losses against Highlands High School on CSTV in 2009 and against Our Lady of Good Counsel High School the next year on ESPN.
St. Xavier won the state basketball championship in 2000 and finished as runners-up in the 2005 and 2007 state basketball tournament. The Cross Country team has also enjoyed a great deal of success, winning OHSAA Championships in 1998, 2000, and 2003, as well as runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2009. The team has been one of the most consistent teams in Ohio, having qualified to the OHSAA State Championship Race 28 of the past 29 years since 1987.
State titles
As of February 2011, the Bombers have won 43 boys team
Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state titles, the most boys titles in Ohio. Counting boys and girls team titles, St. Xavier is tied with
Upper Arlington High School for the number of OHSAA State Championships won.
St. Xavier's OHSAA-sponsored titles are:
Cross country – 1998, 2000, 2003
Baseball – 2003
Basketball – 2000
Football – 2005, 2007
Golf – 1957, 1995, 2008
Soccer – 1983
Swimming – 1970–1981, 1984, 1990–1995, 1997, 1999–2007, 2009–2011
Additionally, St. Xavier students have won state titles for singles or doubles Division I tennis in 1946, 1947, 2002, 2005, and 2006.
St. Xavier's non-OHSAA state titles include:
Lacrosse (Ohio High School Lacrosse Association) – 2000 (Division II)
Team tennis (Ohio Tennis Coaches' Association) – 2006, 2007, 2008
Volleyball (Ohio High School Boys Volleyball Association) – 2003, 2006
Water polo (Ohio High School Swim Coaches' Association) – 1979
Fight song
:''We're on our way to victory''
:''And when the Bombers get that ball,''
:''They'll rush right through the other team''
:''And hit 'em hard until they fall.''
:''(Fight! Fight! Fight!)''
:''We're on our way to win the game,''
:''And then we'll let our banners fly;''
:''For we are the unexcelled''
:''Bombers of Xavier High!''
The arts
St. Xavier's arts program is centered around three disciplines: performing arts (drama), visual arts, and musical arts. The drama and music disciplines are supplemented by a number of extracurricular programs.
Theatre Xavier
St. Xavier High 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. The school's 500-seat theater space, the Walter C. Deye, S.J., Performance Center (formerly the St. Xavier Performance Center), rivals those of many colleges in size. It opened in 2004 along with the fine arts wing. Past and upcoming productions include:
1985–86: ''Godspell''
1986–87: ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''
1987–88: ''The Wizard of Oz''
1989–90: ''The Fifth Sun'', ''Pippin''
Early 1990s: ''Into the Woods''
1992: ''Godspell''
1997–98: ''Arcadia'', ''Shades''
1998–99: ''The Three Musketeers'', ''Children of Eden''
1999–2000: ''
Dracula'', ''
Starmites''
2000–01: ''
The Diviners'', ''
Man of La Mancha''
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 Misérables Student Edition''
2006–07: ''Wild Oats'', ''Miss Saigon''
2007–08: ''Inspecting Carol'', ''The Scarlet Pimpernel''
2008–09: ''Dracula'', ''Cats''
2009–10: ''The Fifth Sun'', ''Urinetown''
2010–11: ''Zombie Prom'', ''The Phantom of the Opera''
Musical groups
St. Xavier sponsors a variety of musical programs, ranging from the marching band to a liturgical music group. The Marching Bombers perform at varsity football games. The drumline's two trademark cadences are "Stroker Style", played while marching into the stadium, and "Jungle Groove", played while exiting. St. Xavier's first off-season drumline started between the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The off-season line composed two new cadences, titled "Apple 10" and "Sophomore Cadence", that debuted during the 2009 season. A subset of the marching band also performs at varsity basketball games as the Pep Band.
Off the field, many St. Xavier students participate in musical groups that primarily perform at school concerts and national competitions. The men's choruses are Xmen, Something Blue, Rhythm and Blue, Bomber Chorus, and Shades of Blue. Named for the superheroes of the fictional Xavier Institute, the Xmen form the largest extracurricular at St. Xavier. However, with the arrival of fall athletes in the spring, the Xmen split into two groups: the upperclassman Shades of Blue and underclassman Bomber Chorus. Unlike the Xmen, Something Blue and Rhythm and Blue require auditions; they sing acappella and chamber pieces, respectively.
The choir groups are complemented by a few instrumental ensembles. The jazz ensemble, known as Out of the Blue, is considered the St. Xavier select band. The wind ensemble consists of over 100 members. The string ensemble consists of two groups: Chamber Blues, made of bowed instruments, and a larger group called Men in Black that includes guitars.
In 1973, the jazz ensemble, then known as the "stage band", won "Best in the United States" in a national competition, and at least three of its seniors went on to enjoy successful music careers. More recently, several of St. Xavier's music groups competed in the 2005 Festival Disney competition at Walt Disney World. The Xmen received "Best in Show" and "Best Chorus" with 96.7 of 100 points (a superior rating), while Something Blue scored 93 points (superior). In 2007, the Xmen ranked first in a Heritage Festival in San Diego.
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 continues to coordinate service programs today. These programs include the
Advent Canned Food Drive (since 1926), a housing rehabilitation program (since 1992), 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
Vanceburg, Kentucky
Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio
Camden, New Jersey
New Orleans, Louisiana (United Saints Recovery Project)
St. Francis, South Dakota (Rosebud Indian Reservation)
Brownsville and
San Antonio,
Texas;
Matamoros, Tamaulipas,
Mexico
Durán, Ecuador
Ayacucho,
Peru
Tacna, Peru
Rica Playa,
Tumbes, Peru
Jarpa,
San Juan de Jarpa,
Chupaca, Peru
Cuzco and
Andahuaylillas,
Quispicanchi, Peru
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. According to the school, three-quarters of the student body voluntarily participate in community service programs.
St. Xavier's emphasis on service is evident in the school's motto, "Men for Others". Along with other Jesuit institutions, the ''Blueprint'' returned to the Internet in 2010 with a standalone website and Twitter account.
The school's other two student publications are ''X-Ray'', the annual yearbook, and ''Xpressions'', a student literary magazine founded in 1964.
Other clubs
Despite being unaffiliated with St. Xavier, several athletic organizations, such as the
Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club and Northbend Rugby Club, count many of its students among their ranks. In addition, the
Cincinnati Marlins are headquartered at Keating Natatorium, and the North Bend Ski Club offers discounted seasonal passes to
Perfect North Slopes in
Lawrenceburg, Indiana through the club program.
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."
The St. Xavier Chess Team, led by Dr. Brad Homoelle, won the Greater Cincinnati Scholastic Chess League (GCSCL) championship during the 2005–2006 season.
FCC-licensed students with the Radio Club operate
amateur radio equipment and participated in the
Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX). First licensed around 1951, 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 from
Potosi Mountain near
Las Vegas, Nevada, to
Utah Hill near
Santa Clara, Utah, for three hours, as part of the
DEF CON Wi-Fi Shootout.
The school Latin Club is a local chapter of both the
Ohio Junior Classical League (OJCL) and
National Junior Classical League (NJCL).
Notable alumni
St. Xavier collectively refers to its graduates as the "Long Blue Line", after the school colors and the blue attire worn at graduation. The school's living graduates number some 16,000, as of 2008. Many St. Xavier alumni are well-known figures in the Cincinnati area, and many others have gained recognition nationally and abroad as well. The following list includes those who completed the high school program at St. Xavier College before 1919:
;Arts and literature
Kevin Allison (1988) – comedic actor and writer, most notably a member of the comedy troupe ''The State''
Matt Berninger (1989) – vocalist for indie rock band The National
Andy Blankenbuehler (1988) – Broadway dancer and choreographer; Lucille Lortel Award winner; winner of the 2007 Drama Desk Award and 2008 Tony Award for Best Choreography in ''In the Heights''
John Diehl (1968) – actor
Thomas Hoobler (1960) – author and co-author of more than 90 published books, winner of the 2004 Edgar Award and the National Council for the Social Studies' 1997 Carter Godwin Woodson Award
Joey Kern (1995) – movie actor, most notably in ''
Cabin Fever'' (2002), ''
Grind'' (2003), and ''
Super Troopers''
Kevin Kern (1992) –
Broadway performer in ''
Les Misérables'' and ''
Wicked''
John Knoepfle (c. 1940) – poet; author of ''Rivers Into Islands''
David Quammen (1966) – science writer
;Athletics
Alex Albright (2006) – professional football linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
Bob Arnzen (1965) – professional basketball and baseball player
Jason Basil (1997) – minor league baseball player, 2000 ACC Baseball Tournament MVP
Dana Bible (1972) – football coach, NC State Wolfpack
Rocky Boiman (1998) – professional football player and Super Bowl XLI champion, Tennessee Titans
Neal Brady (c. 1915) – pitcher for the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds
Tom Clark (1966) Major Division 1 college basketball and football official. 2010 Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
Jayme Cramer (2001) – bronze medalist in swimming at the 2003 Pan American Games and silver medalist at the 2006 FINA Short Course World Championships
Greg Frey (1986) – professional football player
Clint Haslerig (1970) – professional football player
Jim Herman (1996) – professional golfer
Joe Hudepohl (1992) – gold medalist at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games; swimming world record holder
Brad Jaeger (2003) – Indy Pro Series and Rolex Sports Car Series race car driver
Melvin Johnson (1990) – professional football player, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs
Charles Keating III – swimmer at the 1976 Olympic Games
Chris Mack (1988) – head coach, Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
Lemar Marshall (1995) – professional football player, Cincinnati Bengals
Mike Mathis – professional basketball referee
Art Mergenthal (1939) – professional football player and 1945 NFL champion, Cleveland Rams
Randy Newsom (2000) – minor league baseball pitcher, Akron Aeros
Tom O'Brien (1966) – head football coach, NC State Wolfpack
Dominic Randolph (2005) – professional football player, Chicago Rush
Kyle Ransom (2003) – bronze medalist in swimming at the 2005 Summer Universiade
George Ratterman (1944) – professional football player
Shawn Rockey (1994) – professional soccer midfielder, Cincinnati Kings and Cincinnati Riverhawks
Pat Ross (2001) – professional football player, Seattle Seahawks
Chris Sexton (1989) – professional baseball player, Cincinnati Reds
Steve Sollmann (2000) – minor league baseball infielder
Bill Sweeney (c. 1904) – professional baseball player, Boston Doves
Pat Todd (1998) – semifinalist in the men's lightweight coxless four rowing event at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Dod Wales (1995) – bronze medalist at the 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
Chris Welsh (1973) – broadcaster and former professional baseball player
Charles Wolf (1944) – former professional basketball coach
;Clergy
Most Rev. Henry K. Moeller (c. 1868) – Archbishop of Cincinnati
Most Rev. Anthony John King Mussio (1920) – Bishop of Steubenville, Ohio
Most Rev. Henry Richter (c. 1854) – Bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan
;Education
Francis Forster (1930) – neurologist and Dean of the Georgetown University School of Medicine; treated Dwight D. Eisenhower
Joel M. Podolny – sociologist and Dean of the Yale School of Management
;Finance
John F. Barrett – CEO of Western & Southern Financial Group
;Law and crime
Michael Ryan Barrett (1969) – United States federal judge, Southern District of Ohio
Joe Deters (1975) –
Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney
Thomas Geoghegan (1967) –
labor lawyer and author
Charles H. Keating Jr. (1941) – lawyer, real estate developer, banker, and financier, convicted of
fraud in the 1989
Savings and Loan scandal, after whom the
Keating Five were named
Joseph Peter Kinneary (1924) – United States federal judge, Southern District of Ohio
Simon L. Leis, Jr. (1952) – Hamilton County Sheriff
Jeff Schare (1981) – detective, Cincinnati Police Department, featured on the A&E; show ''The First 48''
;Media
James W. Faulkner (c. 1881) – newspaperman and political writer, "Dean of Ohio Correspondents"; founder of and first president of the Ohio Legislative Correspondents Association
William J. Keating (1945) – U.S. House of Representatives (R–OH), 1971–1974, former publisher of ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' and chairman of the board for Gannett Company and the Associated Press
Joe Kernen (1974) – CNBC news anchor
Greg Plageman (1987) – television screenwriter
Gustave Reininger – television screenwriter
Dave Straub (1997) – television producer
;Military
John Herman Hoefker (1937) – World War II flying ace
;Politics
Jeff Berding (1985) – Cincinnati City Councilman
Tom Brinkman (c. 1975) – Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, 34th District
Jim Bunning (1949) –
U.S. Senate (
R–
KY), 1999–2011;
U.S. House of Representatives (R–KY), 1987–1999;
Hall of Fame professional baseball player
John D. Carroll (1973) –
Ohio state representative,
13th District
John Cranley (1992) – Cincinnati City Councilman
Chip Cravaack (1977) – U.S. Representative (R–MN)
Joseph L. DeCourcy – Cincinnati City Councilman, Hamilton County commissioner
John J. Gilligan (1939) –
Ohio governor (
D), 1971–1975; father of
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
Greg J. Holbrock (c. 1924) – U.S. House of Representatives (D–OH), 1941–1943
Eric Kearney (1981) –
Ohio State Senator
Bill Kraus (1965) –
gay rights and
AIDS activist
Robert Mecklenborg (1970) – Republican member of the
Ohio House of Representatives,
30th District
Peter Stautberg (1982) – Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives,
34th District
Jim Tarbell – Cincinnati City Councilman
Nick Vehr (1977) – Cincinnati City Councilman
Brad Wenstrup (1976) – candidate for
Cincinnati mayor
;Recipients of honorary diplomas
Nick Clooney (1952) – television journalist, game show host, and politician
Notable faculty and staff
Very Rev. Lawrence Biondi (1965–1967) – then a French and Latin teacher; currently president of Saint Louis University
John Dromo (1942–1947) – then a coach of "nearly everything" at the school; later the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball head coach
Michael Gallagher – then a Jesuit scholastic teaching English; later an author and translator of Japanese literature
Robert S. Johnston (1901–1902) – classics, English, and mathematics teacher; later president of Saint Louis University
Urban Meyer (1985) – then interning as a defensive back football coach at St. Xavier; former head football coach at the University of Florida and previously at the University of Utah and Bowling Green State University
Very Rev. Robert A. Wild (1964–1967) – then a Latin, Greek, and speech and debate teacher; currently president of Marquette University
Further reading
External links
St. Xavier High School
St. Xavier High School Home Page at Edline
''The St. Xavier Blueprint''
from the
USGS
St. Xavier at the Ignatian Wiki
Notes and references
Category:Boys' schools in the United States
Category:Private schools in Cincinnati, Ohio
Category:High schools in Hamilton County, Ohio
Category:Educational institutions established in 1831
Category:Jesuit high schools in the United States
Category:Xavier University
Category:Roman Catholic secondary schools in Ohio
Category:North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Category:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Category:Blue Ribbon schools in Ohio
de:St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati)
es:Colegio San Javier (Cincinnati)
simple:St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati)