Xaverian welcomes incoming co-ed freshman class

April 4, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The incoming freshman class includes girls for the first time in the school’s history. Photo courtesy of Xaverian High School

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The incoming freshmen who showed up for Xaverian High School’s recent Orientation Day were like no other group of newcomers in the school’s history. The group of 325 students who will be attending Xaverian in the fall includes more than 120 young women.

Xaverian, which for many years has been an all-boys Catholic high school, is going co-ed. The first female students will start classes in September.

The students entering high school in September will graduate in June of 2020.

Orientation Day gave the students a chance to gather for the first time as a group.

Members of the Class of 2020 received T-shirts, posed for a class photo, signed up for clubs and sports teams and then broke up into small groups to learn more about the school and about each other.

Director of Admissions Mark Spelman, a 1992 Xaverian graduate, said he could sense excitement among the new students. “I think the thing that I have been most gratified by is the absolute excitement from the young men and young women who are making history by joining this class. I haven’t sensed any trepidation or hesitation from these students throughout the application and registration process,” he said.

While the kids were busy signing up for extra-curricular activities, their parents went to the auditorium to hear Xaverian President Robert Alesi talk about the progress being made on school’s plans for the future, including major renovations to the school building at 7100 Shore Road in Bay Ridge. Alesi is a 1978 graduate of Xaverian.

Xaverian is a high school, but it also contains a middle school, called Genesis, which is already co-ed.

Phase One of the Strategic Plan includes the transformation of the technology center into the Whitcome Genesis Center to provide Genesis with a dedicated space containing nine classrooms, office spaces and a faculty project room.

Xaverian is performing infrastructure upgrades that include the replacement of the existing boilers with two new duel fuel burners and boilers which will be powered primarily by natural gas. In addition, a new hot water system has also been installed.

The project includes the renovation of 14 bathrooms throughout the building, the renovation of the existing locker rooms to create locker rooms for boys and girls and the installation of a new fire alarm system.

Xaverian is also creating additional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) labs.