hen Xaverian suddenly shut down in March per Governor
Charlie Baker’s orders in response to COVID-19, the campus
was virtually empty and classes, extracurriculars, and even
athletics shifed online. Afer students and faculty maneuvered through
their remote learning platform, REAL/X (Remote Education And Learning
at Xaverian), through May, it was clear that there was an appetite for more
content from Xaverian families for the following months. As such, teachers
and coaches generously gave of their time to create REAL/X in Summer, a
series of 118 online learning, entertainment, and engagement opportunities
for current and newly-enrolled Xaverian students. Programs were split into
four categories:
• ACADEMIC: Such as Mr. Michael Plunkett’s summer reading book
club, which allowed students to complete their summer reading with
the support of their fellow students and Xaverian English teachers
• ENRICHMENT: Such as Mr. Daniel Tucker’s, P ’21 Politix Club, an
extension of the year-long student-led Xaverian club in which students
discussed pandemic policies as well as the RNC, DNC, and other news
relevant to the presidential election
• ATHLETICS: Such as Mr. Luke Murray’s lacrosse skills and drills
program for students who were new to lacrosse, as well as experienced
players. Tis program blended asynchronous training plans with
online real-time weekly meetings to discuss a student athlete’s progress
• CAMPUS MINISTRY: Such as Mr. Robert Gill’s, P ’26 weekly rosary
program, in which participants gathered via Google Meet every
Wednesday afernoon to pray the rosary. Additionally, SpiritHawk,
Xaverian’s weekly faith-sharing group, continued virtually throughout
the summer
Xaverian’s Assistant Principal for Student Life, Mr. Joshua Tranfaglia,
said the programs were meant to continue social interaction among
students at a time when the pandemic was preventing in-person
socialization. Mr. Peter Ball ’10, a Xaverian faculty member, ran
a program on classic Boston sports games. He said, “Even better than
getting to watch a classic game every other week were the bonds formed
REAL/X in Summer Delivers
between myself and the attending students, as well as bonds between the
students themselves. Quarantine has been hard on everyone, but technology
allows us to still connect, talk, laugh, and share in our common interests.
Tis was a pleasure to run!”
With the pandemic and unrest surrounding social justice causing
debate and tension in America, Mr. TJ Manning ’09 ran two courses.
One was called “Science of the Coronavirus” which had about 20 students
enrolled. “My hope is that the participants of this course were equipped
with the knowledge and resources to teach their families about the virus
and consume news with an informed perspective,” he said. Another course
offered by Mr. Manning was “Topics in Social Justice.” He is proud of the
way Xaverian students handled this difficult topic: “Te group of about
eight students who participated did an amazing job of sharing their own
perspectives, learning from each other, and being open to growth. In a
time where so ofen discussion on contentious topics is highly partisan and
emotionally charged, this week of discourse gave me hope that at Xaverian
we can continue to have difficult conversations and grow together.”
Hundreds of Xaverian students were able to have fun, socialize, learn,
and connect throughout June, July, and August due to REAL/X in Summer,
all of which was made available free of charge to Xaverian families.
The number one, most popular program of REAL/X in
Summer was football, led by Coach Fornaro ’78 and
Coach Anderson ’07. The online
program had 76 participants for chat
about football, plus virtual skills
and drills training.
By Matthew O’Halloran ’21, Communications Corps
The Exploring Rocketry and the Engineering Design Cycle class showcased their rockets shortly before their scheduled launch
DID YOU KNOW?
Winter 2021 Xaverian Magazine 7