Xavier School

History

Many Jesuit missionaries who were obliged to leave China in 1949 found a new home and mission in the overseas Chinese community of the Philippines. To facilitate their evangelization of the Chinese community, the Jesuits decided to set up a school in downtown Manila. Begging for donations by going door-to-door in Chinatown, Fr. Jean Desautels, S.J., a French-Canadian Jesuit who was part of the China mission, worked with Basilio King and Ambrose Chiu, two Chinese businessmen, both Ateneo de Manila alumni, who wanted to help set up an Ateneo de Chino.

At 3:30 pm on December 15, 1955, Fr. Desautels closed the deal and purchased the land, an hour and a half before the 5:00 pm deadline set by its seller. The group of Jesuits led by the late Frs. Jean Desautels, Louis Papilla, and Cornelius Pineau went on to found Xavier School (Kuang Chi). In 1956, in a converted warehouse in Echague, Manila, the school opened its doors to its initial batch of students – 170 children of Chinese immigrants in the Philippines. The school was named after St. Francis Xavier, one of the first leaders of Jesuit missions in China.

Being a Jesuit school helped establish the school's reputation. In 1960, Xavier School transferred to a 7-hectare property in Greenhills, San Juan, then only an area of rice fields and grasslands. Within a decade, the outlying areas became home to many Xavier families. The campus is a complex of 12 buildings housing over 4,000 students from nursery to high school.

Xavier has been educating Chinese Filipinos from the very beginning. Part of its mission is evangelizing the local Chinese and promoting their integration into Philippine society.

Unlike other Chinese schools in the Philippines, Xavier was established as an all-boys school, a Catholic school with an English curriculum that integrated Chinese studies. Through its Grant-in-Aid program, the school offers financially challenged but otherwise qualified students the opportunity of a Xavier education.

Organization and administration

The school is composed of two units: Grade School Unit 1 (kindergarten to grade 2), Grade School Unit 2 (grades 3 to 6), and High School (grades 7 to 12). Each of the units in the grade school is led by an Assistant Principal, who reports to the Grade School Principal. The high school is led by the High School Principal, assisted by the Assistant Principal for Academics and the Assistant Principal for Formation. Both the grade school and high school principals report to the School President.

Other top-level administrators reporting directly to the School President are the Personnel Officer and the School Treasurer.

Community

Xavier School's community consists of its students, faculty, staff, an active Alumni Association of Xavier School, Alumni the Xavier School Parents Auxiliary, and the friends of Xavier School.

Admissions

Admission to Xavier School is very competitive. Generally, students enter Xavier as kindergarten students. Boys may also try to be part of the student population as high school freshmen (Grade 9), by taking the Xavier High School Entrance Examination. Transfer students are also accepted but the requirements are high.

The Xavier School Song

The official Xavier School Song was composed by Dolores Avelino. The history of the song may be found in Fr. Santos Mena, S.J.'s book, Luceat Lux. Lyrics and an MP3 version of the song may be found on the Xavier School website.

In 2002, X-Squad, the school's cheering team, came up with the Xavier Rap, the school song in rap format, and allowing people to dance to the beat. In the same year, a violin and acoustic guitar version was produced as well. These two instrumental versions provide an atmosphere for reflection – a common Jesuit trait and activity – derived from the Examen.

Activities

Xavier School offers numerous extra-curricular clubs and committees that aim to nourish and develop student's special interests. Examples include the Youth Christian Life Community (YCLC), Stallion and Hoofprint; Xavier's official student publication, De Novo; Xavier's a cappella glee club, Stage FX; Xavier's theatre guild and Dance X; Xavier's Award-Winning dance troupe.

During the 3rd quarter, Grades 8, 10, and 12 students undergo the Synthesis Quarter, with the choice: the local Flexible Curriculum or an adventure with the Xavier China Experience (XCE). The Flexible Curriculum (Flexi) clusters subjects that are usually separate to make learning more integrated. A select number of students may opt for the XCE which offers a more intensive (Mandarin) Chinese component, as they spend their 3rd quarter in Fujian (Grade 8), Yunnan (Grade 10), or Beijing/Shanghai (Grade 12).

Recollections and retreats are treasured moments in the life of a Xaverian. In Grade 6, one has the "Persons are Gifts" recollection; in Grade 7, Bukas Palad (Open Hands), which features a Mother and Son recollection; in Grade 8, Ignite; which features a trip to Elsie Gaches Village and an overnight in Xavier School Nuvali, Grade 9 students go on a trip to the Bilibid prison, and have a recollection the day after; Grade 10 have the Fire and Wind recollection; Juniors have the Days With The Lord Program; Senior year has the SM Immersion, which allows students to experience working as a supermarket bagger for a number of days, and then the Pathfinding retreat.

Athletics

The school athletics programs are part of a selection of co-curricular activities available to its students. Xavier School fields over thirty teams in twelve sports. Students are not required to take part in organized athletics, but many do. In 2005, Xavier School had 488 athletes who competed in tournaments and leagues in different age-groups at one level or another. The teams are selected on a competitive basis.

Xavier School considers commitment as the theme of its athletics program. The biggest, and maybe the only, incentive of Xaverian student-athletes in making a commitment is the privilege of carrying the school flag in interscholastic athletic competitions. In the same way, the school is committed to supporting its student-athletes, as stated by the school's athletics program coordinator.

Athletics are not only available to Xavier students. They also extend to the larger Xavier School community. Every year, a fun run is held whereby students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and friends participate in a marathon around the Greenhills area, in friendly competition for the top prize. Everyone, including the public, may use Xavier School's sports facilities upon obtaining permission to do so from the school.

Mascot

The mascot is a golden stallion. The stallion is a popular image used in Chinese culture.

In the school year 2002 to 2003, Hoofy, the official caricature of the school mascot, was created. It was designed by David Gonzales of the class of 2005. A life-size model of Hoofy goes around campus and is available for performance at special events.

Service

Education at Xavier has two important elements: academic formation and personal formation. In line with the latter, social service is included in its required program. Nursery students begin with interactions with household help and seventh-graders help their younger brothers with their bags as well as interact with kids in Boystown, a facility which houses youths in need. High school freshmen are sent to "do work" in Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City with other people, Juniors participate in the Days of the Lord and seniors are sent as baggers in a supermarket.

In December 2004, super typhoon Yoyong (international code name: Nanmadol) struck the province of Quezon. A member of the Xavier High School faculty initiated Sagip Pasko 2004: Donate-A-Can Project. Sagip Pasko which means "save Christmas" was spearheaded by Grade School and High School Student Councils, Stallion (the official high school student publication), Metamorphosis (the high school yearbook organization), and the XS Youth Christian Life Community. During the Christmas break, volunteers from the student body organized themselves and headed towards major supermarkets and malls to solicit donations from shoppers. Locations included Robinson's Galleria Supermarket, Unimart, SM Megamall's Supermarket, and Rustan's Supermarket in Shangri-La EDSA. After eight hours of volunteer work and literal begging, the students went home to Xavier with two coasters and four vans full of donations from shoppers. These were then brought to the victims in Quezon.

In February 2006, a super typhoon hit the Philippines hitting Southern Leyte and triggering landslides. Richard Uy and Brian Ong, high school seniors then, initiated Xavier Project DoTA: Donate to Aid. Through internal coordinations with the Student Councils and major organizations within the school, Uy and Ong had booths set up to receive donations in cash and in kind. Student volunteers spent their recess and lunch hours soliciting and helping sort the donations. Some also stayed overtime after class to do that. Externally, Richard and Brian coordinated with the National Disaster Coordinating Council, Philippine National Red Cross, and the Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. So far, their project has garnered close to half-a-million pesos, all in a very short span of time.

Campus

The school campus in Greenhills houses buildings in its 7-hectare lot, including the Fr. Eugene Moran S.J. Early Education (EED) Building, the Fr. Rafael Cortina S.J. Sports Center, the High School building, the Grade School buildings,the Senior High School building, the Xavier School-Angelo King Multi-purpose Center, the Jesuit Residence, and the Central Administration building.

Sports facilities on campus include a swimming pool, a deep pool with diving facilities, covered courts, a wooden court, badminton courts, two football fields, a quadrangle, an oval track, and workout gyms.

Among the facilities is the Fr. Rafael Cortina, S.J. Sports center, which was inaugurated on June 9. 2006. Among its amenities are a multi-purpose gym with three basketball courts and a stage for school events, table tennis facilities, an open shower area, a swimming pool, a sepak takraw venue, badminton courts, a basketball competition court with bleacher seating for 1,400, a 2-lane rubber-matted track oval, exercise rooms, an air-conditioned hall for meetings and other activities, a workout gym, a badminton court, a tennis court, and parking facilities. The Center was designed by alumnus Jonathan O. Gan of the class of 1984 and was built over two years under the supervision of Fr. Santos Mena, S.J.

Pocket gardens are now along the corridors. Two statues were added to the campus scenery – one of Kuang Chi, a replica of one found in Xujiahui in Shanghai, and a larger-than-life sculpture of St Ignatius of Loyola, reminiscent of that in Santa Clara University. These two statues are also Pokéstops for Pokémon GO players.

In 1999, the official Jesuit Residence was transferred to the fourth floor of the MPC and the former Jesuit Residence, still known as the Jesuit Residence building (or JR), was converted to classrooms for high school seniors, as well as a faculty room for High 4 faculty. Most recently, the High 4 classrooms were transferred back to the High School building, while the Information Technology Center was transferred to the JR building.

Xavier School Nuvali

Opened in June 2012, Xavier School Nuvali in Laguna is a 15-hectare campus that aims to have at least 25% of its students as scholars. It offers a flexible coeducational school, where boys and girls study together for selected subjects and grade levels, and separately in others.

Awards

Notable Alumni