Xavier School

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

Xavier School
光启学校 (Chinese)
Location
64 Xavier Street, Greenhills
San Juan City
,
Philippines
Information
Former namesKuang Chi School
TypePrivate, Catholic college preparatory school
MottoLuceat Lux (Latin)
Let your light shine!
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
EstablishedJune 6, 1956 (June 6, 1956)
Founders
  • Fr. Jean Desautels, SJ
  • Fr. Louis Papilla, SJ
  • Fr. Cornelius Pineau, SJ
PresidentFr. Aristotle C. Dy, SJ
ChairmanJohnip G. Cua
Principal
  • Theresa Nebres-Ladrido
    (High school)
  • Jane C. Cacacho
    (Grade School)
  • Arlene Trinidad-Choo
    (Nuvali Campus)
Chaplain
  • Fr. Arnulfo Bugtas, Jr. SJ
    (San Juan Campus Minister)
  • Fr. Michael I. Pineda, SJ
    (Nuvali Campus Minister)
GradesK to 12
Gender
  • San Juan Campus -
    All boys
  • Nuvali Campus - Coeducational
Enrollment4000+
CampusUrban
  • Main
    San Juan campus
    7 hectares (70,000 m2)
    64 Xavier St., San Juan City Metro Manila
  • Satelite
    Nuvali Campus
    15 hectares (150,000 m2)
    Diversity Ave. Nuvali, Canlubang, Calamba, Laguna
Color(s) Blue  and  Gold 
AthleticsMMTLBA,[1] PAYA, FASAAPS, BEST Passarelle JAM
MascotHoofy the Golden Stallion
NicknameXaverians
AccreditationInternational Baccalaureate, PAASCU
NewspaperStallion (High School), Hoofprint (Grade School)
AffiliationsJBEC,[2] EDSA-Ortigas Consortium
Alma Mater Song"Luceat Lux"
CEEB Code705640
Websitewww.xs.edu.ph
www.xsn.edu.ph

Xavier continues to educate Chinese Filipinos since 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 and its San Juan campus continuous to accept male students only. However its Nuvali campus is an coeducational campus 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.

History

Many Jesuit missionaries who were expelled from China in 1949 found a new home and mission in the overseas Chinese communities in the Philippines. To facilitate their evangelization of the Chinese communities, the Jesuits decided to set up schools. One of those schools was 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.

After soliciting the fund sufficient to buy a piece of land for the school campus, the Jesuits proceeded to negotiate with land owners in downtown Manila. At 3:30 pm on December 15, 1955, Fr. Desautels closed a deal and purchased a 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 a School and named it Kuang Chi School after Paul Hsü Kuangchi, a 16th-century Chinese nobleman and Minister of Rites during the Ming Dynasty who converted to Christianity and supported its spread in China.[3] In June 6, 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 renamed later on as Xavier School after St. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Society of Jesus and one of the first leaders of Jesuit missions in China

The school celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2006. Former and current students include sons and grandsons of industrialists and politicians were in attendance during the celebration.

School of Excellence

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.

It is one of the few basic education institutions in the Philippines to receive a 7-year accreditation, the longest possible period,[4] and one of only three institutions, along with De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University, to receive the Level III accreditation[5] 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.[6] In 2014, Fr. Aristotle Dy, SJ assumed the position of school president after the end of pioneer Fr. Johnny Go, SJ term

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]

Athletics

Xavier School fields over thirty teams in twelve sports.

Mascot

The Mascot was created 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.[8] A life-size model of Hoofy goes around campus and is available for performance at special events.

Awards

  • Xavier's Dance X is the champion of the 2006 Skechers Street Dancing competition (High School division).[9]
  • The Xavier Football club won 3rd place in the 2006 Alaska Football Cup.[10]

Notable alumni

Further reading

References

  1. MMTLBA
  2. JBEC
  3. Martin Gomez. is/20120719150534/http://web.xs.edu.ph/xs50/luceatlux/dec15.php "Mena, S.J. Santos. "December 15, 1955". Luceat Lux: The Story of XavierSchool. 2005" Check |archive-url= value (help). Xavier School. Archived from xs50/ luceatlux/dec15.php the original Check |url= value (help) on July 19, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  4. PAASCU website Archived January 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. 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.
  6. Xavier School. "Xavier School: Now An Authorized IB World School". Xavier School. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  7. "Acceptance rates for Kindergarten, Freshmen and Transfer Students." Testing and Research Center, Xavier School, 2005
  8. Gomez, Peter Martin. "Xavier School Institutional Identity Book", 2005.
  9. "Dancing nerds – Inquirer.net, Philippine News for Filipinos". Opinion.inquirer.net. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  10. Martin Gomez. "Xavier School – Xaverians Bag Awards Left and Right". Xavier School. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.

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