St. Xavier Freshman Orientation-

St. X Welcomes Class of 2012

"The future is now for the freshman class at St. Xavier High School.

Not even three months since most of them graduated from eighth grade - kings of their respective hills at their previous schools - the class of 2012 arrived on North Bend Road Aug. 18 as low men on the totem pole in the fabled Long Blue Line.

The days of trying to trick freshmen into buying an elevator pass, however, are long gone. The freshmen were embraced with open arms and began a series of activities carefully designed and implemented – and led by seniors on the student leadership team - to make them feel part of the family right away.

Each homeroom played name games with their senior Bomber Pilots to help introduce themselves to one another. The boys participated in several ice-breaker activities before embarking on one of their most important tasks of the morning – learning the school’s Alma Mater.

The freshmen rounded out their day with a prayer service in the Chapel of the Holy Companions where, lo and behold, two of the original companions appeared.

St. Ignatius Loyola (Joe Markesberry, ’10) and St. Francis Xavier himself (Tommy Boeing, ’10) gave a brief history of the founding of the Society of Jesus, aka the Jesuits, and welcomed the freshman to a 450-plus-year tradition of educational excellence.

Student council president Mark Grote (’09) led the freshmen in the singing of the alma mater to close the service.

“We’re all part of this together,” said St. X President Fr. Walter C. Deye S.J. (’66), who presided over the prayer services. “You’ve met many leaders today and we are called to lead, to do great things, to be men for and with others as best we can.”"-- (St. Xavier Website)