Letter From The Headmaster

Dear members of the Xavier community,

When we gathered for school on Thursday, March 12, we had all seen the uptick in COVID-19 cases across the country and here in Connecticut. What we did not know was that it would be the last day of in-person classes at Xavier High School for the 2019-20 school year.

Immediately the faculty, staff and administration went into overdrive, and by the following Tuesday, March 17, we were fully up and running delivering classes remotely to 660 students. It was an incredibly seamless transition and my sincere thanks go out to everyone in the Xavier community for making this happen.

The in-person shutdown of schools around the state created a cascading effect on non-academic programming. The athletic programs at all schools were immediately stopped just as the winter state tournaments were about to begin. The undefeated Xavier swimming team won its first SCC championship in 26 years and was looking to capture its first state title as the top seed heading into the championships. Similarly, the basketball and hockey teams were seeded highly and never got their tournaments started. We did, however, pick up a state championship with the wrestling team capturing its third state title two weeks before the shutdown. Congratulations to Coach Mike Cunningham and all of our wrestlers for hanging another banner in Kohs Gymnasium. Additionally the spring musical with Mercy also shut down prematurely. The cast and crew were about to perform Mamma Mia! and had worked tirelessly throughout the winter to prepare for a weekend of shows.

As we approached our year-end celebrations, we knew that we wanted to create as much of a realistic experience for our seniors as we could. Putting together a virtual Baccalaureate Mass and graduation was a huge undertaking and again, the faculty and staff at Xavier came together to create what we thought was a wonderful send-off for the incredibly resilient Class of 2020. They will forever hold a special place in our hearts for their patience and understanding in working through this pandemic.

Over this past summer, the building underwent a transformation to the world of social distancing. We opened full and on time with 662 students. We now live in a world of masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing, but the mission of Xavier never changes. We seek to educate the whole man, spirit, mind and body. Our goal at all times is to be together at Xavier, but we will deliver our mission and academic program remotely.

For those of you who support Xavier, I cannot thank you enough for your gifts. Now more than ever we truly need your help. The pandemic has brought unprecedented layoffs and furloughs, many that involve our Xavier families. Our requests for financial aid are higher than ever and I ask that we come together as a community to help as many families as we can.

May you and your families maintain good health until we have a suitable vaccine. All of us at Xavier thank you for being a part of our special community.

God Bless you all.

Sincerely,

Dave Eustis

Xavier High School Headmaster