Xavier High School (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Infobox Secondary school
name = Xavier High School
address = 6300 42nd St. NE 52411
type = Roman Catholic
established = 1998
grades = 9-12
students = 771
principal = Tom Keating
website = [http://www.xaviersaints.org www.xaviersaints.org]
affiliation = Mississippi Valley Conference
colors = Navy Blue and Silver color box|navycolor box|silver
mascot = Saint Bernard
city = Cedar Rapids
state = Iowa
country = USA

Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is affiliated with twelve area Catholic parishes and the Archdiocese of Dubuque. It opened in 1998 after two previous Catholic high schools, Regis and LaSalle High School, merged.

Xavier High School is a member of the National Catholic Education Association and is accredited by the State of Iowa. Fifty-eight percent of the faculty has a M.A. or Ph.D. in their area.

By enrollment, Xavier is the 47th largest high school in the state of Iowa. The 2008-2009 school year is Xavier's first competing in Class 4A, which is made up of the 48 largest schools in the state.

Student Information

The 771 students at Xavier High school primarily come from the surrounding area's Catholic middle schools, Regis Middle School, LaSalle Middle School (the former high schools that merged to form Xavier), and Saint Joseph's School in Marion, Iowa.

100% of Xavier's students participate in community service. 98% of the previous graduating class went on to pursue postsecondary education. 94% of students are involved in at least one co-curricular activity. 65% of Xavier's student body plays at least one school-sponsored sport. Well over one-third of all Xavier students participate in the school's fine arts.

Academics

Xavier enjoys an excellent academic reputation, consistently ranking as the top academic high school in Eastern Iowa, and one of the best in the state. Xavier's ITED scores have ranked in the 99th percentile many times, and most recently placed in the 98th percentile, the top high school mark in the state of Iowa. The average of Xavier students' ACT scores are 3-4 points above the national average.

Xavier operates on an eight-period daily schedule. 5th period is broken up into three subperiods (A, B, and C) for students to eat lunch. Xavier is a closed campus. Beginning with the class of 2011, Xavier's course requirements will be: 4 years Theology for all Catholics (1 year for non-Catholics), 4 years English, 3 years Social Studies, 3 years Mathematics, 3 years Science, 3/4 years Fitness/Wellness (depending on waiver eligibility), 1 semester Fine Arts, and 1 quarter Keyboarding. Guidance classes are required each year for all students as well. Xavier offers a wide variety of AP courses, including Biology, Chemistry, US History (beginning in 2008), British Literature, Calculus, and Spanish, among others. A total of 40 Honors and AP courses are offered on campus.

Sports

Xavier has one of the most successful athletic programs in Iowa and in the Midwest. On June 19, 2007, [http://www.sportsillustrated.com Sports Illustrated] named Xavier as the top athletic high school for the 2006-2007 school year in the state. In the past five years, Xavier has won state championships in men's & women's soccer (1A), men's tennis (1A), men's & women's cross country (3A), women's basketball (3A), men's track (3A), baseball (3A), softball (3A), and football (4A).

Xavier's 2007-2008 athletic titles include the second consecutive 3A boys' cross country championship, as well as the school's second-straight 4A playoff berth in football, and the second-straight 3A state championship in men's track, setting two state records in that sport. This marks the fourth playoff appearance for the Saints in the school's ten year history. The Saints also won a share of the Valley Division title for the second-straight year.

Fine Arts

Xavier's fine arts department is one of the fastest-growing high school departments in the state of Iowa. The school offers numerous choral, instrumental, dramatic, and speech programs for students to participate in.

Xavier's choral program has grown to become 229 voices strong (30% of the student body). The school offers seven different vocal ensembles, four of which meet during school hours daily: Bel Canto (freshmen women's choir), Singing Saints (intermediate men's choir), Women's Chorale (intermediate women's choir), and Xavier Chorale (advanced mixed choir), as well as three that meet only outside of the school day: Xuberance (prep show choir), Xhilaration (varsity show choir), and Voce (Xavier's 40 member chamber choir).

Xavier's choral department has received numerous state and national accolades. Voce has received a Division I rating at the State Large Group Contest on multiple occasions. Voce was also invited to the exclusive Dorian Choral Festival at Luther College in 2008. On January 11, 2009, Xavier Chorale will be the featured high school choir at the Dorian Choral Festival. Xavier averages 80% Division I rankings for its State Solo/Ensemble Contest participants. Xuberance is recognized as one of the top 10 prep show choirs in the state of Iowa, thanks to their standout 2008 season. Xhilaration is recognized as one of the top 5 varsity show choirs in Iowa, as well as one of the top in the nation. Xhilaration has won four grand championships in the past four seasons.

Xavier's band department is also growing quickly. The band at Xavier consists of 49 students (6% of the student body). All Xavier band members are required to be members of the marching, pep, and concert bands. Xavier's marching band received a Division II rating at the 2007 State Marching Band Contest.

Xavier's drama program is now recognized as one of the best in Eastern Iowa. The Xavier Players produce two shows each year - a musical in November, and a play in April. The 2007-2008 offerings were "Into the Woods" and "Noises Off". More than 100 students were involved in these productions (over 14% of the student body). Past productions include "While the Lights Were Out", "Once on This Island", "Rumors", and "She Loves Me".

In the 2008-2009 school year, the Xavier Players will produce four shows: "Barefoot in the Park" in September, "Pippin" in November, "Beauty and the Beast" in February, and "Romeo and Juliet" in April.

Xavier's speech program is one of the largest in the state of Iowa. Xavier has consistently sent groups and individuals to All-State Speech over the past six years. In 2008, eight Xavier speech groups received Division I ratings at State, and three advanced to All-State. In addition, Xavier sent five individual speech team members to State, and three of those members also advanced to All-State. Xavier's speech team is non-exclusive, and is one of the most popular co-curricular activities at Xavier.

Activities and Clubs

Xavier offers a multitude of activities and clubs for all students to participate in. There are over 88 co-curricular activities at Xavier. Some of these include intramural basketball (one of the most popular activities at Xavier), Key Club, National Honor Society, SADD, and Model UN, among others. Xavier's debate team, in its first-ever year of existence in 2008, reached the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. Xavier's Student Senate consists of six class representatives from each grade, along with four senior officers, for a total of 28 members.

Nearly all of Xavier's co-curricular activities have placed at the state, regional, or national level. Over the past ten years, Xavier has been one of the most recognized schools in the nation due to its award-winning teams and programs.

Notable alumni

* Ryan Sweeney - Oakland A's outfielder (Class of 2003)