From the Head of School
Dear Friends of Xaverian,
March on! God will provide. It’s a familiar refrain
of the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier, who were
founded in 1839 by Brother Theodore James Ryken
in Bruges, Belgium. The Xaverian Brothers traveled
to the United States in 1854, arriving in Louisville,
Kentucky at the invitation of then-Bishop Spalding
(later Archbishop) with the call to found a school
in the city. As the story goes, upon arrival they
discovered they were in dire financial straits and, as
any Xaverian student or alumnus can tell you, they
had only the gift of a single watermelon to sustain
them. In spite of this poverty, a lack of housing, and
an inability to speak the language, they continued to “march on.” Their trust in divine
Providence, along with their humility and zeal, yielded incredible results. Now 167
years later, there are 13 Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools serving 13,000 students
and families, and hundreds of thousands of graduates across the U.S.
Since the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended our modes of living
and working, and certainly altered the landscape of education. However, similar to
the Congregation’s ability to persevere in the face of adversity when they first arrived
in America, we continue to march on here at Xaverian. And as you’ll see throughout
this magazine, we are emerging stronger than ever. To that end, we’re digging into
Mind and Brain Education (MBE) for a two-year professional development initiative
that allows us to further optimize classroom time, provide a balanced approach to
education, and yield even better results for our young men. You can learn more about
our MBE work on page 2.
As pictured on the cover, we launched a brand new robotics program this year.
Hawk Robotics —The Ryken Force will compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge this
winter and spring, and we look forward to sharing the results with you in the next
Xaverian Magazine. However, robotics is just one of many new activities for our young
men, including an esports team and a woodworking club. We also added optional
programming for all Xaverian students, grades 7-12, to come together every Friday
for special after-school events at our weekly community nights. The growth taking
place at Xaverian is exciting as it allows us to pay tribute to the foundation of the past
while striving to build a better and brighter future, all while honoring our mission as a
Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School.
In spite of the obstacles raised by COVID-19, our young men are thriving, both
during their time at Xaverian and beyond. Whether it’s chasing his dreams and
digging for dinosaur fossils like Owen Blomberg ’22 (page 4), theater students
returning to the stage for the first time since fall of 2019 (page 8), or the induction
of Matt Hasselbeck ’93 into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor (page 15),
Xaverian continues to march on with enthusiasm and optimism. Like the Brothers
who came before us, the fact of the matter is that Xaverian will always march on in
service of our students and families. Thank you so much for your steadfast support
and prayers; our community is indeed stronger than ever.
Respectfully yours,
Jacob A. Conca ’94, Ph.D.
Head of School