Xavier School

Xavier School
光启学校 (Chinese)
Location
San Juan City, Metro Manila
 Philippines
Information
Type Private, college prep
Motto Luceat Lux (Latin)
Let your light shine!
Established June 6, 1956 (June 6, 1956)
Founders Fr. Jean Desautels, S.J.
Fr. Louis Papilla, S.J.
Fr. Cornelius Pineau, S.J.
President Fr. Aristotle Dy, S.J.
(2013-present)
Principal Aimee A. Apolinario
(High school)
Jane C. Cacacho
(Grade School)
Second Master Fr. Aristotle Dy, S.J.
(School President)
Chaplain Fr. Xavier Olin, S.J.
(Campus Minister)
Grades K to 12
Gender All boys
Enrollment 4000+
Campus 7.5-ha. Greenhills campus
Color(s) Blue      and      Gold
Athletics MMTLBA,[1] PAYA, FASAAPS, BEST Passarelle
Mascot Hoofy the Stallion
Nickname Golden Stallions
Accreditation International Baccalaureate, PAASCU
Newspaper Stallion (High School), Hoofprint (Grade School)
Affiliation Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Former name Kuang Chi School
Alma Mater Song "Luceat Lux"
CEEB Code 705640
Website w5.xs.edu.ph

Xavier School (XS) (simplified Chinese: 光启学校; traditional Chinese: 光啓學校; pinyin: Guāngqĭ Xúexìao; Hokkien: Kông Khē Hák Hàu), is located at 64 Xavier Street, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is a private, Catholic, college preparatory school for boys run by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. Its K-12 curriculum includes a mandatory Chinese language program. It also offers the IB Diploma Program in grades 11 and 12 to selected students.

Opened June 6, 1956, as Kuang Chi School by a group of Jesuits expelled from China, it was named after Paul Hsü Kuangchi, Minister of Rites during the Ming Dynasty. Xavier School bears the name of St. Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. The school celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2006. Former and current students include sons and grandsons of industrialists and politicians.

It is one of the few basic education institutions in the Philippines to receive a 7-year accreditation, the longest possible period,[2] and one of only three institutions, along with De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University, to receive the Level III accreditation[3] for both the grade school and high school by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities. In January 2010, Xavier School was granted International Baccalaureate (IB) World School status.[4]

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, received financial aid from Basilio King and Ambrose Chiu, two Chinese-Filipino businessmen who wanted to help set up a Jesuit school for the Chinese.

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).[5] 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 1), Grade School Unit 2 (grades 2 to 6), Junior High School (grades 7 to 10). Senior High School (grades 11 and 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.

Board of Trustees

Community

Xavier School's community consists of its students, faculty, staff, an active Alumni Association of Xavier School, Alumni the Xavier School Parents Auxiliary,[6] 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.[7]

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 (w5.xs.edu.ph).[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12] A life-size model of Hoofy goes around campus and is available for performance at special events.

Campus

The school campus in Greenhill's 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

  • National Champion, 1987 Caltex-DOST Young Scientists' Quiz Team Category.
  • Xavier's Dance X is the champion of the 2006 Skechers Street Dancing competition (High School division).[13]
  • 2nd place in the 2006 Interscholastic Sports Association (ISSA) volleyball tournament.
  • 7-time champions 2006-2007, 2010-2014 in the Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) volleyball league.
  • The Xavier Football club won 3rd place in the 2006 Alaska Football Cup.[14]
  • The Xavier Team A of the Grade School Division went on an undefeated season and also collected the championship in the Interscholastic Sports Association (ISSA) basketball tournament.
  • The Xavier Volleyball Team (Grade School) secured the championship in the Philippine Athletic Youth Association (PAYA) volleyball league while the High School Division won the championship in the Filipino-Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation (FCAAF) volleyball league, both in 2011.
  • 3-time NaSHDC Champions, National Best Speakers.
  • 4-time National Champions, Philippine Schools Debate Championship (2007, 2012, 2016, 2017)
  • 3-Time Fil-Chi Badminton Champions 06-07, 07-08, 08-09.
  • RIFA 2011 season 2nd Conference Champion (Midget H Division 1).

Notable alumni

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ MMTLBA
  2. ↑ PAASCU website Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ TOWARDS 21st-CENTURY LEARNING AND CHARACTER FORMATION. "Xavier School » TOWARDS 21st-CENTURY LEARNING AND CHARACTER FORMATION". Xavier School. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ Xavier School. "Xavier School: Now An Authorized IB World School". Xavier School. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  5. ↑ Martin Gomez. "Mena, S.J. Santos. "December 15, 1955". Luceat Lux: The Story of Xavier School. 2005". Xavier School. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  6. ↑ Martin Gomez. "XAVIER SCHOOL Parents' Bulletin Online". Xavier School. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Acceptance rates for Kindergarten, Freshmen and Transfer Students." Testing and Research Center, Xavier School, 2005
  8. ↑ "XAVIER SCHOOL - Luceat Lux / School Song". archive.is. December 21, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Google". www.google.com. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  10. ↑ a message from the Athletics Coordinator 2006
  11. ↑ Martin Gomez. "Golden Stallion – The School Mascot". Xavier School. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  12. ↑ Gomez, Peter Martin. "Xavier School Institutional Identity Book", 2005.
  13. ↑ "Dancing nerds – Inquirer.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Opinion.inquirer.net. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  14. ↑ Martin Gomez. "Xavier School – Xaverians Bag Awards Left and Right". Xavier School. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.

Coordinates: 14°36′15″N 121°02′25″E / 14.604166°N 121.040347°E / 14.604166; 121.040347

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