St. Xavier Magazine Fall 2011

FALL/WINTER 2011

Greater Cincinnati’s Jesuit High School

Men for Others

FOR THE

GREATER

GOOD

St. Xavier embarks on year-long strategic plan process ALSO: 2011 ANNUAL FUND DRIVE PHONATHON • HONOR ROLL INSERT

WHAT WE ARE WHAT WE WERE WHAT WE STRIVE TO BE

A M D G

DENNEY HALL caught fire. That it did so roughly 45 seconds from the Ohio State University School of Journalism was a blessing or a curse, pending your point of view. For the aspiring journalist, jackpot. For the campus fire department, nightmare. When the scanner announced the fire, otherwise idle students in the newsroom dropped their euchre games, picked up cameras and notebooks and bolted up the block. Most of us were there before the firemen—outnumbering them roughly four to one—busily interviewing witnesses and trying to piece together why the English building smoldered in the background. The poor fire captain faced a throng of eager student media competing to capture BREAKING NEWS! on campus and land a coveted front-page slot above the fold in the next day’s Lantern. Prowling the OSU campus 20 years after graduation in the hours prior to St. X tackling Pickerington Central before a national audience on ESPNU, I found myself seated on the pedestal of the statue of William Oxley Thompson. (Wasn’t this thing about twice as big way back when?) Outside the main library in the Oval I couldn’t be sure what was mistier, the early Sunday morning or the memories. It was hard to say. Safe to say this, though: St. Xavier High School English teacher Mike Marchal is one of the main reasons I became a Buckeye in the first place. (Feel free to credit or blame him as you see fit.) Youth in literature class. An essay. Mike, in his inimitable way, reading excerpts from student papers, offering incisive commentary as he returns them to the class. A sense of nervous anticipation recognizing your own words spilling from his lips. Not just an excerpt. He reads the entire first paragraph. Dramatic pause. Deep breath. “This is a perfect example of using your introduction to set up one premise and your thesis to take the paper in completely the opposite direction.” Exhalation of pure relief. He keeps reading to further illustrate the point. Reads the whole paper, in fact. “Excellent work, Motz. You should think about writing for a living.”

FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD

Talk about cloud nine. I floated for days. While I always did well on papers, to be singled out for such praise in front of the whole class ignited a renewed love of language and storytelling that continues unabated today. When I landed an Evans Scholarship to college with the choice between Miami University and Ohio State, I knew OSU was the place because of its journalism school and the chance to write every day. My story is not unique. Nor is my experience with Marchal. Many other teachers here inspired me, helped shape my interests and opinions, encouraged me to widen my view of the world, advised me never to settle for the status quo. My guess is most of the thousands and thousands of people in the honor roll of donors could share a similar tale. St. X is all about encouraging young men to seek their passion and equipping them with the tools to pursue it full force. If Denney Hall caught fire, I was there to see it only because I caught fire here first. I’m grateful to the men and women who ignited me. And that much more to all the people who share a similar belief that supporting the mission of St. Xavier High School is a worthy investment. Thank you.

MARK D. MOTZ (’87) EDITOR MMotz@stxavier.org

CONTENTS fall/winter 2011 COVER FEATURE

VOL. XL, NO. 1, FALL/WINTER 2011 “The man who gazes on heaven with a clear eye will see all the better the darkness of earthly things.” —St. Ignatius Loyola

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cover story For the Greater Good St. Xavier Embarks on Year-long Strategic Plan Process

EDITOR Mark D. Motz (’87) ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER June Pfaff Daley CONTRIBUTORS Rev. Dennis P. Ahern S.J. (’56) Cheryl L. Asper Sylvia M. Betz Colleen S. King Richard P. Klus Heidi B. Eveleigh John Schrantz (’96) Mark D. Motz (’87) Ralph A. Nardini (’77) Anthony E. Schad (’81) Jynefir D. Slusher Catherine Smith Andrew E. Sweeny (’68) ADMINISTRATION Rev. Timothy A. Howe S.J., President Mr. David B. Mueller (’72), Principal Rev. Ed L. Pigott S.J. (’55), Rector

PHOTO BY JAY BACHEMIN (’73) Freshman world cultures students master collaborative work, utilize leading-edge technology and make regular presentations to the class using the results of both.

Faculty member Tony Nardini (’95) uses the SmartCart to illuminate a point about early civilization.

Cover Story, page 14.

departments 2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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3 WE ARE ST. X

feature

9 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Good Call

12 VICE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Annual Fund Offers Opportunity For Students

13 BUDGET REPORT 18 FACULTY Q & A 19 ALUMNI Q & A 20 ALUMNI X-CERPTS 21 DONOR SPOTLIGHT 22 X-PEDITIONS 25 CALENDAR

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mrs. Beth L. Basil Mrs. Ann M. Berger Mr. David J. Cassady (’75) Mr. Robert J. Davis (’84) Mr. Thomas A. Gill Rev. Michael J. Graham S.J. Mr. Richard A. Haglage (’73) Dr. J. Richard Hirte Rev. Timothy A Howe S.J., Ex Officio Mr. Lawrence A. Leser (’53) Rev. Patrick E. McGrath S.J. Mr. Michael S. McGraw (’73) Board Chair Dr. G. Susan Mosley-Howard Mr. William J. Mulvihill (’65) Rev. Edward L. Piggott S.J. (’55) Ex Officio Rev. James S. Prehn S.J. Mrs. Patricia P. Robertson Mr. Timothy J. Schroeder (’75) Mr. Michael Schuster Mr. Michael G. Stenger (’79) Rev. William L. Verbryke S.J. (’71) PRINTING Joseph Berning Printing Company St. Xavier Magazine is published three times a year by the alumni, development and public relations offices. St. Xavier High School 600 W. North Bend Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45224-1499 Phone (513) 761-7815 ext. 121 (513) 761-7600 ext. 121 Fax (513) 761-2586 http://www.stxavier.org e-mail mmotz@stxavier.org Alumni Hot Line 1-800-572-5340 ext. 114 Direct all Letters to the Editor, address changes, or other correspondence to the above address. Postmaster: Send address corrections to: St. Xavier Magazine, 600 W. North Bend Road, Cincinnati, OH 45224-1499.

PRESIDENT’S

MESSAGE BY TIMOTHY A. HOWE

J

esus frequently spoke to the people of Galilee in parables. He wanted to bring lofty concepts down to earth, so the people could understand and put his message into action in their lives. Matthew’s Gospel gives us the parable of the seeds, a story I reflected on with our entire school community at the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit. The tale is familiar. A sower scatters his seeds and waits for harvest. Some seeds fall on the rocky ground, some land on the road, some grow among the thorns and

weeds and bear no fruit. The seeds that land in rich soil, though, yield a hundredfold. St Xavier is rich soil for all those who are willing to dig in and immerse themselves in the experience. When our students get involved and participate fully in all that the school has to offer, they undergo an amazing transformation from boys into men, specifically men for others. This story has an additional significance for St Xavier High School this year. The entire school community—students, parents, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, trustees and friends—is undertaking a year-long strategic planning process. The cover story describes in detail this exciting initiative. As an institution, we recognize the richness of our soil and celebrate the amazing work of countless people through 180 years of St. X history. At the same time, we choose not to curl up into a ball and remain just a seed on the path—to say we are as good as we can get and so we refuse to change. Instead we are looking at every aspect of our school and asking, in the spirit of the magis, how can we get better? What are the thorns that threaten us and the opportunities for

growth before us so that we can continue to grow and bear fruit in our community for generations to come? We do all of this with a deep sense of gratitude, as Paul tells the Thessalonians: “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.” None of what St. Xavier has achieved or will attempt in the future is possible without God’s grace and the support of the Long Blue Line. Recognizing the people who comprise our massive honor roll of donors is a simple but heartfelt gesture of gratitude for your faith-filled investment in the school. I add my daily prayers for all of our benefactors to these humble words of thanks. I look forward to the labor before us, knowing that the gifted and caring people working on our strategic plan will guide us to new heights of excellence. Jesus ends the parable of the seeds by saying “Let all who have ears hear.” May we keep our ears, our eyes and our hearts open to all the Holy Spirit has to tell us this year.

“None of what St. Xavier has achieved or will attempt in the future is possible without God’s grace and the support of the Long Blue Line.”

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We Are... St. X

NEWS AND NOTES AROUND THE ST. XAVIER CAMPUS

“You bring us a St. Xavier High School welcomed a dozen new faculty members this school year, six men and six women.

new energy and we’re

grateful to have you here.”

New Faculty Arrives THEY MAY NOT BE cheaper—what these days is?—but they arrived by the dozen. Twelve new members of the faculty officially began their St. Xavier careers Aug. 17, the same day the class of 2015 began its orientation. “I sort of have pride of parenthood today,” said Principal Dave Mueller (’72). “I look around this room and I see an outstanding group. I feel like I’ve done a good job this summer getting all of you here. We’re excited to have you on board.” President Fr. Tim Howe S.J. also welcomed the new instructors. “Every year the new folks who arrive renew the institution,” he said. “That goes for the students and the faculty. You bring us a new energy and we’re grateful to have you here.” Among the new faculty members are

an alumnus, a Jesuit priest and a couple familiar faces around campus. The alumnus is Sean Cahill (’89), who will teach freshman and sophomore English, as well as moderate the Blueprint student newspaper. The priest is Fr. Paul O’Connor S.J., who was ordained last year and brings eight years of previous high school teaching experience to his post in the religion department. Tom Wynn has been a St. X wrestling coach for several seasons and officially joins the faculty as a physical education instructor who will also work in the retention program. Vivianna Lu also has some prior St. X experience, as she did a teaching internship last school year. She will teach Chinese. Jay Arns joins the foreign language department to teach Latin, arriving here

from Middletown Fenwick High School. Amy Reeb comes to the foreign language department, too, by way of Mount Notre Dame High School. She will teach Spanish. Angela Harger and Peggy StitzSchmucker both are new to the guidance department. Angela previously worked at Roger Bacon High School. Peggy is the mother of a current St. X sophomore. Todd Mosely will teach visual arts; this is his first experience teaching on the high school level. Sharon Bole will be a part-time math teacher; her previous experience includes time at Summit Country Day and in the Chicago area. Kimberly Sauder will be a part-time faculty member teaching freshman science. Antonio Tramber is also part time, working with the retention program and Companion Scholars. FALL/WINTER 2011

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Service Learning Sweeps River

Marine Science Club members help freshen the fresh-water Ohio River.

MARINE LIFE implies salt water. Yet members of the St. Xavier High School Marine Science Club traipsed about on a barge, trolling for garbage in and around the banks of the Ohio River. Seniors Sean Shields and Joe Fluegemann—as well as junior Steven Trentman—participated in Cincinnati River Sweep 2011 over the summer, helping clean up a stretch of river near Four Seasons Marina on the east side. They were part of an annual multi-state effort including thousands of volunteers trying to help their local ecosystem. And more. “It may seem strange for a marine biology club to be interested in service projects like these, but it should not surprise anyone if they recall the Ohio River drains into the Mississippi River, which drains

Young Alumni Get Active

into the Gulf of Mexico,” said club moderator and science faculty member Heather Nardini. “We all know the Gulf of Mexico has been compromised over the past few years. Cleaning up the river banks is our way of contributing not only to the health of our river, but also to the health of our oceans.” According to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission web site, the River Sweep has been around for more than two decades. “Since 1989, this award-winning cleanup for the Ohio River and its tributaries brings thousands of volunteers to the riverbanks to collect tons of trash and debris,” it said. “River Sweep encompasses the entire length of the river, from its origin in Pittsburgh to its end in Cairo (Ill.), including 1,962 miles of shoreline and many tributaries.”

IT WASN’T QUITE the quite the Miracle on Ice, but in the annals of colossal sports upsets, this ranks right up there. Do you believe in miracles? You’d have had to to predict Sean Kelley (’83) and Art Fehr (’83) would win the first-ever Young Alumni Cornhole Tournament. Yet the duo—who were Bomber freshmen when the United States beat the Russians at Lake Placid—did win, wresting the title away from opponents 20 years their junior. Kelly and Fehr advanced steadily through the winner’s bracket until suffering a defeat at the final four level. The two-and out Sean Kelley (’83) format meant they had to slog through the loser’s bracket teamed with to return to the finals. They pitched three consecutive classmate Art Fehr to win the first-ever victories on the way to a cash prize and everlasting glory. St. Xavier Young Frank Geers (’86)—President of the American Cornhole Alumni cornhole Organization—was pleased with the day. tournament. “The passion for the sport and the sport itself are still in their infancy,” he said. “It’s amazing how much fun you can have just playing in the back yard, yet how competitive it can be in a setting like this. I imagine we can double or triple this turnout for next year pretty easily.” The Young Alumni Association has been up to more than fun, offering a pair of PHDs this fall. PHD in this case standing for “personal hygiene drive.” Graduates collected soap, shampoo, toothpaste and the like prior to the Louisville Trinity and LaSalle home football games. Items were delivered to Bethany House and St. Vincent DePaul. “One of the things our young alumni took away from their time here was the commitment to service the school provided them,” said Alumni Director John Schrantz (’96). “They have great memories of the Canned Food Drive, Big Buddies, tutoring kids. “They made a conscious decision to maintain that service element as a group. They want to be more than a social group. I think this is a great first step to engaging not only the young alumni, but the wider St. X community. These guys can be a great example to our current students how the lessons they learn here don’t stop when the graduate.” 4

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NEWS AND NOTES AROUND THE ST. XAVIER CAMPUS

that speaks to who we are.” Grothjan and Jansen said they were inspired by the work of Shepherd Fairey, whose portrait of Barack Obama became iconic during the 2008 presidential campaign. A collection of his work was on display at the Contemporary Art Center last year; the artist created several new murals on the walls of downtown buildings. “We used a lot of stencils because we wanted to use plain, traditional spray paint,” Grothjan said. In fact, the piece is filled with stencil work, including the lines creating the images of St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. “We literally did everything together,” Jansen said. “If one of us was hanging a piece of poster, the other was putting on the glue. It was nice to have that help, creatively and just executing the creation.” Evan and Jay each have more art projects in their future. Gorthjan is off to the Rhode Island School of Design, while Jansen will study at the University of Cincinnati’s Design, Art and Architecture program.

New Art Adorns Religion Wing GOD TOOK ONLY six days to create the world. A land-speed record to be sure, but He is, after all, God. So it’s no surprise a couple of human artists—even two who modestly refer to themselves as the Dream Team—took significantly longer to create the world of images now adorning the third-floor religion hallway. Recent graduates Evan Grothjan (’11) and Jay Jansen (’11) put the finishing touches on their roughly 8-by-24-foot mural just in time for freshman orientation. They began the piece April 14. Four

months later, the artists signed their work on the lower left of the mural next to the religion department office before applying a clear coat to protect the piece. Consensus says the result is worth the wait. “It’s striking,” said religion department chair Bill Schlater. “I think it really announces you are now in the religion wing. “Not only do we have our patrons —Ignatius and Xavier—but you have Mary, St. Michael the Archangel, John Paul II, the Eucharist. It’s a great blend of Jesuit and Catholic images, something

Running for a Reason SHOWERINGor lack thereof—might have been the biggest adjustment. Thirteen St. Xavier High School senior cross country runners went on a combined mission trip/running excursion/ bonding experience in Ivanhoe, Virginia, over the summer. They lived in the civic league building there, where showers meant standing in front of a fire hose and getting doused. “They did little bit of everything,” said head coach Mike Dehring (’88). “It always depends on what the community needs at the time. It could be pretty demanding physical labor like baling hay, but it might be more like spending time with the families. How much they run kind of depends on the work, but it was mostly in the middle 50s (for weekly mileage).”

Ben Eldridge (’09) proposed and organized the first cross country mission trip heading into his senior season. The 2011 trip is the third in four years, with previous excursions to Monterrey, Mexico, and Jamaica. Religion teacher Dave Eby and cross country parents Dave Eveleigh and Dana Gruenbacher chaperoned the trip, which built on a long tradition of service by St. X students to Ivanhoe. While there is no longer a traditional summer mission trip there, the school maintains a relationship with the community largely through the annual Canned Food Drive. “This group of seniors, in conjunction with (Eby), decided to go down there this year,” Dehring said. “It’s a community in need and we already had some ties, so it was a good fit.

“It’s seniors only, so it’s a great chance for the guys who make the trip to get to know one another better than maybe they have before. It’s obviously great for them to do something service oriented as well. Especially with guys, you absolutely have to have good senior leadership for the team to be successful. They have to work hard in order to set the tone for everybody else.” FALL/WINTER 2011

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We Are... St. X Classes Begin FOR THE SECOND consecutive year, St. Xavier High School administered no jugs on the first day of class. “That’s actually kind of rare,” said Donna Moore of the assistant principal’s office. “There’s usually somebody who slips. And there was a while where some teachers would jug a freshman on the first day just to make a point.” But good behavior carried the day on the Aug. 22 opener. Not that there weren’t some close calls. One faculty member who has a son in the freshman class caught the boy wearing a backpack into the cafeteria at lunch time, a juggable offense. The son—reminded of the rule—said, “But those guys over there have backpacks.” When the faculty member looked away to see who else was in violation, the son disappeared before the teacher turned around. (Names are being withheld to protect the reputation of innocent family members who may be inexorably sullied by association with such a scofflaw.) Business was brisk all day in the spirit shop according to manager Lisa Castellini. Students were picking up an abundance of traditional school supplies—pencils, pens, gym uniforms and the like. The shop also sold out an entire run of a new flat-brim snap-back cap, prompting another order for the item.

The main entrance hallway and staircase teemed with well-behaved students on the first day of school.

Assistant Principal Dan Minelli reported seeing a few lost freshmen during the day, but even that number was low. He credited both student leadership and faculty efforts during last week’s orientation process with helping the first day run smoothly. “I want to thank all of the freshman, sophomore and junior homeroom teachers for their contributions to last week’s formational events,” he said in a letter to the faculty. “Without your support and buy-in, these programs and processes fall short. Please extend this thank you to the Bomber Pilots, Navigators and Crew with whom you work.” “I think we’re off to a great start,” said President Fr. Tim Howe. “It’s great to have everybody back in the building, happy to see one another and ready to go.”

See-Saw Projectiles Fly

(above) Physics students drop flour packets onto see-saws in an effort to find out far they could fling a golf ball.

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THEY WEREN’T on the team, or even on the course, but St. X physics students sprayed golf balls all over the place. Not with clubs, but with packets of flour and a variety of homemade teeter-totters. Physics teacher Tim Sorensen adapted an episode of the television show MythBusters to get his students thinking about energy to start the school year. The television premise said a skydiver with a failed parachute could land on a playground see-saw, transfer the energy of his fall and safely catapult a little girl sitting on the playground toy to the roof of a seven-story building. “Obviously we had to come up with some modifications to simulate the scenario they had on TV,” Sorensen said. “But I think we came up with some creative ways to scale down the experiment and understand the concepts.” Instead of a 171-pound man, students made 157-gram packets of flour. Instead of using a small girl, they employed a 46-gram golf ball. Students built see-saws in varying

sizes and designs to simulate the landing area. Rather than a 10,000-foot free fall, the flour packets dropped from a uniform height of three meters. “We’re dealing with concepts like gravitational potential, kinetic energy and work,” Sorensen said. “We’re looking at those things using the work-energy theorem. Work is equal to the change in energy on a system.” Using the givens of the speed of the fall, the weight of the packet and the ball, students calculated a maximum theoretical launch height of 10.2 meters. In putting the prototype see-saws into practice, the actual maximum launch height was only 4.1 meters. “There are a few variables we don’t account for in the experiment,” Sorensen said. “We ignore air resistance, for example, so in theory we will never hit that maximum height. But their job now is to redesign the see-saws to close the gap between the actual maximum height they reached with their prototypes and the theoretical height we predicted. “I’m always looking for something to get their attention. If I have their attention, the science goes easy.”

NEWS AND NOTES AROUND THE ST. XAVIER CAMPUS

X-Travaganza Names New Director, Chair knows X-Travaganza inside and out, from the perspecA NEW SCHOOL YEAR means activity ty X-Tra Cathy Cionni tive of a mom, a wife, an attendee, a committee is humming and the winds of change aree and Sarah Klein. member, a chair and somebody who has run an blowing in the St. Xavier High School mem auction. X-Travaganza office auc “Cathy brings a broad view to what is Cathy Cionni becomes the latest one Director of X-Travaganza officially o of our signature events at the school. Not beginning October 3, following the N only does X-Travaganza raise a lot of money, it’s one of the best ways we build 15-year tenure of the late Margo community. I look forward to seeing how Locaputo and the two year term Cathy will build on 38 years of tradition of Sara Schindler. C and She was introduced as the new a help us make it even more successful.” Two of Cionni’s chief allies will be the chair at the annual X-Travaganza Kicknew general chairs for X-Travaganza 2012, off Mass and Reception at the school. Dr. David and Sarah Klein. “I’m thrilled,” Cionni said. “I’ve always ays D The Kleins were co-chairs for the record-setfelt like X-Travaganza was a home within n ting 2011 X-Travaganza Grand Raffle and made the a home for me at St. X. To have the chance nce to X commitment to serve as general chairs over the summer. come to work for the school that has meant so much “Sarah brings an amazing level of energy to the chairman’s for my entire family is a great opportunity.” role,” Nardini said. “She and David have some great ideas and Indeed, the Cionni family has a long tradition with St. X. plans. More than anything with the Kleins, you can expect a Husband Tony is a 1974 graduate. The couple sent four sons quality event that’s going to be a lot of fun. A lot.” —Joe (’00), Doug (’02), Chris (’06) and Steven (’10)—to the X-Travaganza 2012 is set for March 10, 2012, with First school. Cathy and Tony served as general chairs for X-TravaNight scheduled for March 9. Please visit the X-Travaganza ganza 2008: Broadway X-Citement. She has spent the past two pages under the Supporting St. X tab on www.stxavier.org for years as auction director at Seton High School. a complete calendar of X-Trav events, including gift-gathering “I think that’s going to be one of Cathy’s real strengths,” said Ralph Nardini (’77), Vice President for Development. “She parties, the online auction and more.

St. X Celebrates Holy Spirit

THE TRADITION LIVES. And grows. And evolves. St. Xavier celebrated its annual Mass of the Holy Spirit Sept. 16, the spiritual beginning to the school year. Indeed, as a welcome for and invitation to grace, the Mass is one of the highlights of the entire year. “It’s amazing to be here on this day,” said one current parent in attendance. “It takes me back to my student days and all this Mass meant to me then. I can see St. X President Fr. Tim Howe S.J. celebrates the Mass of the Holy Spirit.

how different the school is now, but how much has stayed the same. It’s impressive and I’m glad my son gets to experience for himself.” One of the prime experiences of the Mass is formally welcoming the freshmen to the St. X fold. For nearly a month, going back to orientation in August, the class of 2015 had been on campus. Decked out in shirt and tie, entering the Berning Gymnasium to a rousing ovation, the youngest Bombers participated in their first all-school liturgy. President Fr. Tim Howe S.J. celebrated the Mass alongside his St. X Jesuit brothers, Fr. Ed Pigott S.J. (’55), Fr. Denny Ahern S.J. (’56), Fr. Fran Daly S.J., Fr. Rick Milbourn S.J. (’86)

and Fr. Paul O’Connor S.J. Parish pastors from around the city also concelebrated. Area youth ministers, board of trustees members and parents were special guests. Fr. Howe compared the students to the seeds sown in parable Jesus weaves in Matthew’s Gospel. He challenged the freshmen to land in the good soil and grow—to get involved and participate fully in all the school has to offer—rather than getting g choked out by the weeds and thorns that easily distract from our purpose. He challenged the older students to continue to cultivate the fertile ground and help them grow. “We do know that central to our mission as a school is growing our relationship with Jesus,” Fr. Howe said. “He is the reason we are here. Jesus ends his parable saying ‘Let all who have ears hear.’ May we keep our ears, our eyes and our hearts open to all the Holy Spirit has to tell us this year.” FALL/WINTER 2011

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NEWS AND NOTES AROUND THE ST. XAVIER CAMPUS

Alumni Golf Successful The brothers Reilly try to get a read on a putt during the annual St. X golf outing at Traditions.

Let’s Go X

IT SSTARTED AND ENDED under a nearly full moon. nea Golf—yes, golf—and the moonlight made for a beautiful combination across mad the river at the annual St. Xavier High School alumni golf outing. Traditions Sc Golf Club hosted the Sept. 12 event G ffor 20 groups as the moon set and sun rose on the morning flight. By the time the sun burned the dew off the 6,700-yard layout and the last burger had been downed after the afternoon flight, the moon was once aagain on the rise. “We could not have asked for a bbetter day in terms of the weather,” said John Schrantz (’96) alumni direcsa tor. “And really, we couldn’t ask for a tor better bett day, period. This is one of the most fun days of the year for us. We get to see so many guys over such a spectrum of m years. year I think guys really enjoy this day.” The golf may have been secondary to the camaraderie for many, but the level of p play was impressive. The team of Matt Starman, Brian Roettker, David Yost and David Yeazell won the morning flight

BREAK OUT the body paint. Unfurl the flags. Ride the roller coaster. Scream silently. Chant. Clap. Holler your lungs out. The seventh annual Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic Labor Day weekend was about more than simply football this year. It also included a search for the greatest fans in the nation. St. X proved empirically what we already knew anecdotally: Bomber fans are number one. A month of voting and more than a million votes logged landed St. X at the top of the poll ahead of 15 other participating schools across the country. According to Kickoff Classic promoter Intersport, “This went way beyond what had hoped for or imagined in terms of the voting. People really got into this and the St. X fans came through.” The announcement was made on ESPNU while the Bombers beat Pickerington Central Sept. 4 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. St. X fans have had plenty to cheer so far this school year with every fall team—cross country, football, golf and soccer—ranked in the city top 10, if not garnering state and national rankings.

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with a 13-under round of 59 in the scramble format. Not to be outdone, the afternoon champs featuring Doug and Andrew Lange with Don and John Hemmer also fired a 59. Part of their success surely belonged to Andrew, who won both long-drive contest holes in his flight. Similarly, Mike Flessner won both in the morning flight. Titleist offered equipment demonstrations and swing assessments for players on the driving range, while an array of prizes—including a week’s stay at a Colorado condo and $1,000 cash in the split-the-pot drawing for the afternoon flight—piqued plenty of interest. “As long as the guys keep coming, we’ll keep doing this outing, keep trying to make it better for them,” Schrantz said. “We’ll look at other courses, other contests, anything we need to do to make this the best event we can. “But none of it happens without our alumni who are so supportive of the school. This is just one small way to say thanks to them for all they do for us.”

PRINCIPAL’S

MESSAGE that I could do better. These teachers had such an influence on my life because they knew me as an individual, met me where I was, and gave me goals that stretched me. Although they weren’t aware of it, one of the most powerful goals was to become more like them—a person who cared for others, knew a lot, and had a good sense of humor. I’m still trying. All good high school teachers seek to know their students as individuals and develop healthy relationships with them. But good teachers in Jesuit schools are especially adept and committed in this regard. Every spring in our senior exit interviews, our seniors tell us story after story of the impact of a particular teacher. And seniors tell us how much they appreciate getting to know teachers as people during Kairos retreats. The impulse for relationship between teacher and student springs from the spirituality of Ignatius. Ignatius knew that it was essential for a spiritual director to know a retreatant personally in order to guide the retreatant towards deeper union with God. Similarly, teachers in Jesuit schools find that they can guide their students towards deeper understanding if they know them as individuals. The Jesuit term for this is cura personalis, care for the individual. At St. Xavier we are seeing the benefits

BY DAVID B. MUELLER (’72)

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hen I was a student at St. Xavier, I learned from what my teachers said, but more significantly I learned from what they did—how they were inspired by their subject matter and how they interacted with other people. I had the benefit of many remarkable teachers and my English teachers had a special influence on me. I wonder if I would have developed such an interest in writing and literature—and in teaching high school students to write and read well—if I had not crossed paths with these gentlemen and developed so much respect for them. Paul Zook (’57) introduced me in sophomore year to Dickens and Shakespeare and patiently gave my scrawny self a chance to see if I had a meaningful role on the reserve football team. (I didn’t.) John Hussong, who continues to teach juniors, introduced me to the formal study of rhetoric (via the venerable Modern Rhetoric by Brooks and Warren) and poetry (via the equally venerable Sound and Sense by Perrine, a much updated version of which is still used by our sophomoresand juniors). Jim Downie, who retired a few years ago, introduced me to world literature. Jim Cahill (’64), my (and our current students’) teacher for AP English Literature, raised the bar for college expectations. I still remember that his marginal notes on my first essay included both “glib” and “facile.” After I looked up the words in the dictionary and felt hurt for a minute, I took up the challenge to show him

“Ignatius knew that it was essential for a spiritual director to know a retreatant personally in order to guide the retreatant towards a deeper union with God.”

of challenging seniors to aspire to cura personalis in their mentoring of freshmen. Seniors conduct the orientation for freshmen, and senior Bomber Pilots serve as homeroom mentors for freshmen. The tone that the seniors set in their interactions with freshmen develops a student culture of care and respect. This year, St. Xavier embarks on a strategic plan to map out the future direction of the school. We do this from a position of strength and a desire to maintain and improve an already outstanding institution. As we very intentionally look forward, I know looking back to bedrock values like cura personalis will guide our decision-making process and—I hope—continue to inspire our students to see more than what is written on the page.

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Good Ca ll St. Xavier High School’s student development chairmen lead the way in the Annual Fund and assist a variety of other events around the school.

Annual Fund Offers Opportunity For Students

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SWARMS OF LOCUST leap to mind, nd or maybe a rampaging Visigoth horde, leaving swaths of scorchedearth damage in their voracious and seemingly insatiable wake. Nobody this side of Joey Chestnut plows through 3,500 BW3 chicken wings—or 75 LaRosa’s pizza pies, or 10 gallons of chili from the Finneytown Skyline—quite like the hundreds of St. Xavier students who turn out to work the Annual Fund Fall Phonathon each year. “We feed them and that’s part of the draw and it’s amazing how much these guys can eat,” said Director of Development Services Tony Schad (’81) with a bemused shake of his head. “It’s actually kind of impressive.” That much more impressive is the work the students do for the school. And how many of them share the heavy lifting to bring in nearly a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of Annual Fund pledges over 12 nights of calling. (See sidebar.) For the second year in a row, more than 300 students will be part of the phonathon effort. It’s a number rivaling that of the football program, exceeding the choir tally and making it one of the best-involved activities on campus. Only community service

and the annual Canned Food Drive boast more Bombers in action. Schad, development office assistant Cheryl Asper and faculty mentors John Cole (’85), Ed Nardini (’81) and Jim Telles oversee the Annual Fund, but the advent of so many students has left them th in a purely supervisory capacity. cap “The theme of this year’s Annual Fund is ‘It’s for the Boys,’ Ann and iit is,” Schad said. “But it’s also the boys. Our chairmen have by th stepped up. They do a better and steppe better job every year. We’re basically there tto oversee now. The students really rrun it themselves, they take ownership. ownersh “The iinvolvement of student develchairmen has really helped. The opment ch chairmen do most of the recruiting, they callers, they file the pledge sheets.” train the caller chairmen for the 2012 Annual Fund Senior chairme Brian Bryson, Jake Castellini, include Eric Bennett, Bria Creevy, Collin Flesner, Will Foote, Jonathan Cole, Stephen Cre David Irwin, Philip Leisring, Andrew Gerbus, Alex Hart, D Zak Lutz, Ian Raffenberg, Kevin Reilly, Stephenson Swan and Bryan Walsh. through the course of the year “These guys will be involved th office—from for the development office from Grand Reunion Weekend, to the named Endowment Reception and President’s Dinner. They’ll be the people who solicit the senior class gift at the end of the year. I think one of the reasons (phonathon) has grown like it has is because these guys have passion. They build relationships. They believe in what the Annual Fund does for them and for their classmates. “For the students it’s a great way to give back to the school. When we have our assemblies we ask them to look around the room and see three out of every 10 kids in there are on tuition assistance. We want them to see how working on the Annual Fund is a way to directly impact the face of their school. The goal of having student participation is to get them involved and have a good experience, but also to take some skills away from this. Student development chairs invite other students to become part of the Annual Fund Fall Phonathon effort during lunchtime assemblies.

hon t a n o h P l l a dF Annual Fun n goal this year is $245,000,

o ers. nd Phonath u F l a u n student call n 0 A 0 3 n The a th e ed by more . 2 and 3. Th , all to be rais on training begins Nov on Tuesday rn te s a E th . a n to 9 p.m d Fall Pho n from 6:30 10, 15, 16 an ru d n ts a h 9 , ig 8 n r ll e a ovemb for actual c Thursday N e spring set d th n a in y g a d in s ll e a Wedn ll. ights of c receive a ca o are four n u ls o a y re ld e u h o T tact h . 17 ider a gift s , please con s d n n o u c F e l s a a u n le n April. P 15, ext. 140. on on the A 8 ti 7 a 16 rm -7 fo 13 in 5 r For more ier.org o had@stxav c ts t a d a h Tony Sc

If they can talk one-on-one with an adult and get personal enough to where they can ask for money, they’re building a skill set. Colleges see they were part of a quarter-million dollar fundraising effort and know these guys have something on the ball.”

Personal touch The Annual Fund is very personal for Cole, now a social studies teacher, who received tuition assistance in his student days. John cleaned the cafeteria as part of the work-study program in addition to throwing the shot and discus for the track team, serving on student council and participating in a wide array of community service activities. “They know they are helping out their fellow classmates, the kids who need the tuition assistance,” he said. “If you ask the kids why they’re willing to come here two hours a night for two or three weeks it’s because they feel like they are really giving something back to the school. They have fun doing it. “The mix of kids I see in the classroom don’t really know who the rich kids are and who the poor kids are. They might make some assumptions that everyone is like they are, but the differences that separate us as adults don’t seem to be very important to them. It’s one of the few areas where you have a bridge that’s been built between the wealthier neighborhoods and the poorer neighborhoods. How many of us have friends in poverty? Or, outside of volunteering, have much experience with anyone in poverty? And here we have kids at St. X who are making best friends with one another from vastly different circumstances without the social stigma poverty brings.” Having students speak to alumni is a personal touch, too. “Every year we get stories from guys who want to know if a certain teacher is still there or if they are still allowed—or not allowed—to do X, Y, or Z like they did,” Schad said. “We get to talk to a wide spectrum of our alumni and it gives them a chance to talk with the people who are living the mission of the school now. The Annual Fund is the backbone of our fundraising at St. X This is the ground floor of our giving programs. To have so many students involved—and to have such generous alumni— makes it appealing to just about everyone.” “You always appreciate something a little more when you work for it,” Cole said. “You’re always grateful for the people who help you get there. The phonathon guys really understand that because they see it every night when they call. I think the fact we have so many calling and get such a good response from the alumni shows that it works.” X FALL/WINTER 2011

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VICE PRESIDENT

FOR DEVELOPMENT’S

MESSAGE BY RALPH A. NARDINI (’77)

I

’ve become a grandfather since last we met in this space. No, I won’t be trading off my dress shoes for sneakers or slipping into a cardigan sweater any time soon, but I do feel like a different man. For the longest time I resisted the notion of a special kind of love grandparents possess. Then I held Nicholas James for the first time. He won. Having a new grandson makes me look back and look forward simultaneously. There is so much I want to teach him, so many stories I want him to hear about family members he will never meet. He should know his roots and know how many people came before him to give him the many opportunities he will have. So, too, is St. Xavier High School simultaneously looking back and looking forward. As our cover story describes, we are engaged in a strategic planning process to shape the direction of the school for the next five to seven years. We don’t ignore our past success, but we don’t rest on it, either. We use 180 years of tradition—of excellence—as a platform we can stand on to reach even greater heights. We challenge ourselves to not stand pat and we invite any and all people who care about St. X to be part of the process. The thousands of people listed in this honor roll are among the reasons for the strategic plan. You’ve invested your resources in St. Xavier. We want to be

good stewards, d to give you more than full value for your considerable gifts. The people populating our donor list also serve as reminders of how we look forward by looking back. Virtually every contributor to St. Xavier High School has a fondness for the school based on a past experience, a particular recollection or reason for sharing their gifts. They know how valuable their St. X education was in shaping them (or their sons or grandsons). They want to make sure other young men— even if particular methodologies evolve and different educational practices emerge —have the same kind of mission-driven and ultimately life-changing experience they had themselves. So they choose to invest in the future of the school; we are eternally grateful for their trust. Our school’s mission statement declares we are here to educate leaders and men for others. We do so with the guiding principles of the Graduate at Graduation in mind. We expect our young men to be intellectually competent, open to

“As our cover story describes, we are engaged in a strategic planning process to shape the direction of the school for the next five to seven years.” 12

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growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice. Students leave St. Xavier ready for college because of superior skills in math, science, English, foreign language, fine arts, social studies and religion. They leave ready for life because they go with an idea of justice, of service and of generosity. Ask one of the young men receiving tuition assistance—31 percent of our student body shares $2.7 million in tuition funding this year alone—how much the extreme generosity of all the people listed in our honor roll means to St. Xavier right now. Without you and your support, we lose our footing, our platform, our opportunity to litter the planet with exceptional young men uniquely equipped to do great things in the wider world. So we look back. We look ahead. We say thank you. We say please continue helping us in this important work.

Financial Report REVENUE

Audited Report of Revenues and Expenses for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2011

Tuition and Fees Development Income Investment and Endowment Other Income

OPERATING REVENUE Tuition and Fees 17,248,800 Investment & Endowment Income 2,434,000 Other Income 5,976

TOTAL REVENUES

EXPENSES Educational Program Plant Operations Administrative Aux. Enterprises & Activities

19,688,776

DEVELOPMENT INCOME APPLIED TO OPERATIONS

2,475,224

OPERATING EXPENSES Educational Programs Administrative Aux. Enterprises & Activities Plant Operations

14,539,000 1,624,000 1,024,000 4,977,000

TOTAL EXPENSES

22,164,000

TOTAL

65.6% 22.5% 7.3% 4.6%

INCOME $22,164,000 77.8% Tuition and fees 11.2% Development Income 11.0% Investment and Endowment

DEVELOPMENT INCOME REPORT Annual Fund X-Travaganza Walk for X Restricted Capital Gifts Unrestricted Capital Gifts Other Income

77.8% 11.2% 11.0% 0.0%

0.0% Other Income

1,814,768 949,759 113,452 1,327,393 747,102 98,557

EXPENSES $22,164,000 65.6% Education Program 22.5% Plant Operations

5,051,031

7.3% Administrative 4.6% Aux. Enterprises & Activities

St. Xavier Financial Assistance Dollars Awarded $2,552,246

$2,500,000 $2,300,000

$2,375,572

$2,105,378

$2,000,000 $1,703,952 $1,557,144

$1,500,000 $1,000,000 $877,323

$1,387,681

$1,307,138

$1,271,465

2002 -2003

2003 -2004

$975,042

$500,000 $0 2000 -2001

2001 -2002

2004 -2005

2005 -2006

2006 -2007

2007 -2008

2008 -2009

2009 -2010

2010 -2011

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FOR THE

GREATER

GOOD

Teams of four freshmen spread across the room and immerse themselves in their work on Hammurabi’s code. They go online and toggle easily between the ancient Babylonian precursor to our legal system and the Ohio Revised Code. They find parallels and divergences, check other states’ and countries’ criminal codes and form theories as to which systems work well and— maybe even more importantly—why. World cultures teacher Tony Nardini (’95) is in the room, but not lecturing. He moves among the groups with a suggestion here, a critique there. He and social studies department chair Steve Bradley revamped the curriculum to take advantage of technology. Their lessons cover traditional material in a modern way. Their teaching area is called the classroom of the future, equipped with SmartCart technology, mobile devices and a passion to engage students in a new way. Just as the freshmen world cultures classes avail themselves of technology at their fingertips, so too do Bradley’s junior U.S. history students. A variety of other teachers are adopting new methods, too. Their approach— irrespective of the gadgetry employed in a given classroom—is what’s changing. St. X constantly keeps up with available technology to facilitate the approach, without losing the human relationship between teacher and student that is so critical to good learning. “Our approach is rooted in three basic skills that students need if they are to thrive in a knowledge economy: the ability to do critical thinking and problem solving, the ability to communicate effectively and the ability to collaborate,” Nardini and Bradley said in their new model proposal. “The curriculum we are developing in our classroom is rooted in a learner-centered approach that utilizes a technology-equipped classroom and the teacher as a resource. “We are creating and implementing several lesson plans per unit which use various aspects of the new technology provided in the classroom. The lesson plans incorporate a constructivist approach to the material, allowing the student to work both individually and in groups on the tasks assigned. Within each lesson is also some form of assessment of the lesson, be it formal or informal. A majority of the lessons include critical thinking, writing, creative organization of material and presentation to the class.” “It’s a different world now,” Nardini said. “Just lecturing doesn’t give the students what they need any more. It’s the same material. We’re not changing history or what they need to learn. We’re just changing how we present it.” 14

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Tony Nardini (’95) incorporates SmartCart technology and more into his freshman world cultures lesson plans, giving students a look at a different method of imparting information.

St. Xavier embarks on year-long strategic plan process TEXT BY MARK MOTZ (’87) PHOTOS BY JAY BACHEMIN (’73)

The Greater Good Much like Nardini and Bradley reimagined their classroom, the entire St. Xavier High School community is reimagining the institution. This fall St. X implemented a year-long push to examine every aspect of the school; the result will be a strategic plan—called For the Greater Good—to be presented to the board of trustees in September of 2012. For the Greater Good will set the direction of the school for the next five to seven years. Specifically, For the Greater Good’s stated goal is “the development of a new strategic plan that will guide St. Xavier’s decisions, priorities and goals for the next five to seven years and focus on the following critical success factors: academic excellence, Catholic and Jesuit identity, student formation, enrollment management, advancement, financial management, investment of endowment and other financial resources, marketing and promotion, care for facilities, buildings and grounds, faculty/staff recruitment, development and retention and information technology utilizations and literacy.” “Creating a strategic plan is very much in line with our Jesuit way of proceeding,” said St. Xavier president Fr. Tim Howe S.J. “We are looking at things very intentionally, very prayerfully and open to the Holy Spirit. There is broad consultation as together we seek the magis in this process. What more can we do to make sure St. Xavier High School continues to build on its 180 years of tradition and makes St. X even stronger in the future.” “We really want this process to be engaging and transparent, allowing lots of different people to be involved. We are blessed to have a community which is so passionate about St. Xavier High School. I invite people to participate and share with us their ideas and opinions on the direction of the school. All good education is a collaboration. In the classroom it’s a collaboration between the students and teachers. Beyond the classroom it’s a FALL/WINTER 2011

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when I was a student here. When you have the qualities St. X has from its fiscal stability, its facilities, its faculty and students, you want to make sure those good things keep getting better. I was the beneficiary of people I never knew when I was a student here and we have that same responsibility to do that for the people who come after us. The tradition continues, but when I say ‘continues’ it just means we never stand pat. I look at St. X like it’s a crown jewel in the Greater Cincinnati community and we want to keep polishing the jewel.” “Looking inside is one of those things any organization has to do,” Schroeder said. “You have to examine what you’re doing well and what you could be doing better. It’s easy when you’re having the success St. X is having to just sit back and say ‘We’re fine. Why do we spend the time?’ But that’s why it’s even more important. You can’t be complacent. If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind. “I’ve been involved with strategic plans in business and with other nonprofits. The thing I’ve never experienced before, we reached out and tried to include all the constituents and saw such a motivated group. We have so many people who are committed to St. X that it’s really overwhelming. You can’t make a Collaborative Effort To that end, Mulvihill and Schroeder made For the Greater Good culture like this. Trying to be their best is part of their nature. People are so invested in seeing St. X continue to succeed and the most inclusive process imaginable. They enlisted not only that’s not been my experience in the past. You usually have to board members, but also faculty, staff, administration, students, drag people into the process. Here they’ve jumped in with both current parents and alumni for committees focused on the critifeet. cal success factors. “Everybody—each group from “I think it’s been phenomenal the the students to the faculty to the amount of time and passion and creativTechnology helps Nardini spend less time lecturing to the entire class, more board—brings such a different frame ity people have put into this,” Mulvihill time assisting individuals. of reference. The collective voice is said. “The buy-in has been great. People very powerful. Making sure we’re all who live this every day—the mission of heard is one of the most important the school either as students or teachers or things we can do. It’s been refreshing parents—are so invested in the success of to have students involved. They are the school that I’m sure we will come up right on the mark. I think especially with a visionary plan. It’s a lofty goal, but when we talk about the Graduate at I think this forward look will serve as a call Graduation and giving these guys an to action to bring even greater excellence opportunity to be open to growth, to the school in the future. they’ve really seized that chance and “I think it’s important to note here that given some great insight into what St. X is doing this strategic plan from a they want for their school. position of strength. A lot of times people “We’re thrilled with the start. It’s a hear ‘strategic plan’ and think the ship long process. When you start looking is sinking. We’re not sinking at all. The at it that way—like it’s a year from school is clearly better now than it was now—you get a little bit daunted. But the more we delve in and engage the community, the more we realize this is going to be very valuable for everyone who cares about St. X.” collaboration of parents and alumni and trustees and friends with the well-being of our students at heart.” “Now with Fr. Howe in his third year, he felt more comfortable as the school leader,” said board chair Mike McGraw (’73). “The board realized at the same time that we had to plan for five to seven years out from now. Most of the discussions we had at the end of last year pointed to the need for this strategic planning process. With the help of Fr. Howe and (strategic plan co-chairs and fellow board members) Bill Mulvihill (’65) and Tim Schroeder (’75), we put the finishing touches on the preplanning in the spring and have started to engage in the process. “The goal, in my opinion, is to set a direction for St. X understanding of the importance of mission and being able to provide the resources to do the job of educating our students the best way we’re able. There really are no sacred cows. Whether it’s finance, IT, tuition, Jesuit identity, facilities, etc. Every one of these elements and more go into what make this such an outstanding school. We want to ensure all of these things, all of the things people believe about St. X, are addressed.”

“You can’t be complacent. If you’re standing still, you’re falling behind.” 16

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Coda Class ends. Freshmen pop to their feet, shoulder their backpacks and shuffle out the door. Some zip down the stairs to the right, some turn around the corner to the left, some stride straight ahead. No matter their route, they are all headed in the same direction, which is a meaningful, intentional plan for the future of the school they attend now and the institution they will call their alma mater for a lifetime. X

World cultures students collaborate and use technology to collect, evaluate and incorporate vast amounts of information in a short period of time.

Be Part of the Plan ST. XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL invites any and all interested parties to visit stxavier.org and click on the For the Greater Good tab on the home page. Viewers will find a comprehensive look at the planning process, beginning with the mission and overview: “For more than 180 years St. Xavier High School has maintained an extremely high standard of excellence in the pursuit of its mission, which is to “assist young men in their formation as leaders and men for others through rigorous college preparation in the Jesuit tradition.” To sustain and enhance this standard of excellence, it’s imperative that we periodically engage in intentional and meaningful reflection of the critical success factors most relevant to St. Xavier. “A broad group of stakeholders is undertaking a collaborative and directed conversation on three important questions that will enable St. Xavier High School to better accomplish its mission over the next five to seven years: “Where are we today? “Where do we need to be in the future? “How do we get there? “The answers to the questions will form the heart of a new strategic plan that is scheduled to be formally approved by board of trustees in September 2012.” The page also features a complete list of critical success factors, committee members and ways to get involved. As the plan progresses, updates and reports will be added. Please get involved by e-mailing your suggestions, opinions, thoughts and questions to strategicplan@stxavier.org.

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Faculty Q & A

Steve Bradley and Tony Nardini (’95)

Social studies department chair Steve Bradley and teacher Tony Nardini (’95) teamed to redesign their freshman world cultures and junior American history courses to take advantage of technological resources at their disposal. (See the cover story on page 14.) Fifth-year teacher Nardini was a pupil of Bradley’s and did his student teaching with the 26-year veteran of St. X. ST. X: What is the value of improved technology in the classroom? SB: This is the environment the kids are coming up in today. They are much more used to and prepared for technology as part of their learning. And they are much more responsive when they can learn on their own and not just sit through lectures. TN: You have to meet the kids where they are, like the Jesuits say. This technology is second nature for them. They don’t really bat an eye at it. They jump right in to it.

ST. X: What was the biggest obstacle to changing the instructional model? SB: Time. Just creating the new lesson plans to best incorporate the technology in a way that will engage the students. It took a lot of time over the summer. The other thing is infrastructure. It’s where we as a school still have room to improve, to decide what devices will best serve our students. If the technology isn’t as easy as flipping on a light switch, it’s tough.

TN: We’re teaching a process, too, not just a specific lesson. We don’t want to lose sight of that fact, either. It’s new for us and it’s exciting to have this opportunity, but all the technology doesn’t matter if we aren’t teaching concepts and how to think critically.

ST. X: Conversely, what are the most rewarding moments you’ve had since implementing the new model? SB: It’s that self discovery moment. You’re walking between groups in the classroom and hear them say something themselves that ties a lesson together. They see the concept. When they get there on their own it’s more rewarding than if I just told them in a lecture. It will stick with them better. TN: I’m really happy with the teamwork aspect. Together with their classmates, they collaboratively create something. It’s really cool to see that kind of learning happen, to see them divide the work, share the responsibilities and reach the goal of understanding the material together.

Social studies teacher Tony Nardini (’95) and department chair Steve Bradley.

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ST. X: With all the gadgets, how important is the human touch in the classroom? SB: There’s a fine line between entertaining students and engaging them. I think the technology by itself could keep them busy, but what would they learn from being busy? I know I could lecture for a whole period every day, too, but they’d tune out if I did. So for us this new method is about putting facts into a context, about them learning and participating in how they learn. TN: They’re drowning in a sea of information out there. The philosophy is we’re the big-picture people. We’re helping them think critically and learn what’s good information and what’s not. You’re not just doing a Google search; it’s the art of teaching, of helping them see concepts, not just facts.

Alumni Q & A ST. X: What was it about the class of ’86 that was so special? Why are you guys so close? MH: It’s a different school now than it was then. We didn’t have the retention programs and other things to make sure we all got through. We lost about a hundred kids from the time we started to the time we graduated. There was a unity in just surviving together. But if you walked into the lunchroom at any given time you would have seen what the people who put this school together 180 years ago probably would have hoped to envision. That is guys from all different parts of town, all different activities, all different academic abilities, all sitting together and having a good time. Guys liked being here. It started with the seniors who mentored us, who took us out after the Canned Food Drive canvassing and showed us how to be generous. Then there were the teachers like TM who fostered it. We may not have won any state titles my senior year, but we were the first in a new theater, we were the first to have our whole class on Kairos, we brought in MusicFest. We were involved and we loved—and still love— the opportunities we had and the friendships we made.

Matt Howland (’86)

Matt Howland (aka Howie) served as student council president for the class the late assistant principal Tom Meyer (’63) often called (despite—or maybe because of—the fact they landed a helicopter on the football field without permission to deliver a game ball before playing Elder) the best in his years at St. X. Howie and his class celebrated their 25-year anniversary during Grand Reunion Weekend 2011. Howland has remained close to St. X over the years by assisting with the Canned Food Drive, supporting the Denny Howland Scholarship Fund endowment named for his father and—more recently—helping organize classmates to honor Steve Shoop, who he passed in July (see the Donor Spotlight on page 21). Matt and wife Jennifer are parents to freshman Forest Howland (’15). ST. X: Obviously the Denny Howland Scholarship Fund and the Shoop Memorial have a special place in your heart. Is giving better when there’s a personal connection? MH: Any kind of giving is personal and important to you, but if you’re looking for a connection beyond maybe the traditional reasons people give, you can certainly find that at St. X. For me it’s my dad. My mom and my brothers and sister read the letters from the student we help and they mean a lot to us. When we see a kid who’s a starter on the football team or who is in the National Honor Society, let’s be honest, there haven’t been any Howlands here to do that yet. So it feels good to help a kid on that level. For Shoop, it’s the same kind of thing. Pat Doud (’86) had the same kind of experience I did with a family scholarship and he wanted to share that with our class. This place obviously meant

a lot to Steve. To see not only classmates, but also so many people with no connection to St. X other than Steve giving to his scholarship, I think that says a lot about this place. You can find that really personal connection here in a lot of ways. ST. X: How does it feel to be a St. X dad now? Is it still home? MH: It’s always home. Within a month’s time this summer I was with my classmates calling to get guys come to the reunion, I was at a memorial for Shoop with some guys I see all the time and some I hadn’t seen in 25 years. Then I was out here again for a freshman parent welcome event. There were four of my classmates with freshen here, too. I don’t know if I’m the gum on St. X’s shoe and they can’t get rid of me, but it’s a great thing to be around.

Pat (’85) and Madeline Gilligan join friends Jennifer and Matt (’86) Howland at the Freshman Parent Welcome Coffee in August.

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Alumni X-Cerpts He also volunteers his time to help persons with autism. In 2011 he joined the newly founded Collier County President’s Council for the Make-AWish Foundation.

President Fr. Tim Howe S.J. poses with members of the class of ’61 at the Northern Kentucky Reunion above, while it was more of a family affair below.

Company in suburban New Orleans since 1999.

50s 70s ’56 BILL CONGER and his wife Kathy returned to their home in Fernandina Beach, Florida, from the biennial national JCNA Challenge Championship held in Dublin, Ohio, July 6 to 9 with two trophies out of three major events. Driver (Bill) and navigator (Kathy) won first place in the novice class in the 95-mile, four-stage road rally that ended up in Dayton, Ohio. Interesting enough was the fact that their elapsed time was better than the pro class winner making them the overall winner in the event. In the Concours (beauty show) event, their 1995 Jaguar XJS (100,000+ miles) earned third place honors in the driven class. Their next challenge will be preparing Kathy’s 2005 Jaguar Sportwagon for the club show circuit.

60s

’62 FR. MICHAEL COOPER S.J. taught two graduate courses in Ignatian spirituality and one in the theology and spirituality of ministry for Saint Leo University near Tampa this summer. He is looking forward to his 50th reunion next year and will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land May 19-31, 2012. If any Bombers or friends are interested in joining the trip, please write for more information at mwcooper1@verizon.net. ’64 REGINALD “RIC” SMITH became Chairman of the Louisiana Bankers’ Association at its annual meeting in New Orleans in May. He has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Metairie Bank and Trust

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’72 MATT FRITZ retired from the IRS Office as chief counsel and began a new career as business manager at St. Henry Parish in Elsmere, Ky. ’72 JOHN MECKSTROTH ran his third Boston Marathon this past spring, running alongside his son, first-timer David Meckstroth (’02). John and his wife of 32 years, Terry, returned to Boston a month later to see David graduate from Harvard with his MBA. In June they celebrated the graduation of twin sons Mark and Jeff from St. X. Their daughter Theresa is engaged to Ben Krentzman of Clearwater, Florida, and daughter Megan is married to Austin Meyrrenke (’04). ’74 JOE KERNEN and his 10-year-old daughter Blake have a book on the market, “Your Teacher Said What?!: Defending Our Kids from the Liberal Assault on Capitalism.” ’75 GREGORY SCHOTT received the Brenton H. Rupple Citizenship Award from Baird, an international wealth management, investment banking, asset management and private equity firm The award recognizes one associate each year for his or her outstanding dedication to community service and support. Schott, a senior vice president and senior investment consultant in Baird’s Naples office, joined Baird in 1997. Over the past 18 years, Schott has served on the board of the Schott Memorial Foundation founded by philanthropist Joseph J. Schott. He also serves on the board of the Schott Communities for Persons Who Are Deaf or Disabled. Schott has served on the board of the National Catholic Office for the Deaf for more than 15 years.

’76 FRANK HERMES operates a soup kitchen in East Price Hill through BLOC Ministries. The soup kitchen opened in January and serves 150 to 200 people every other Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. The soup is done by a food pantry serving more than 400 families monthly coordinated by Manna Outreach. Another soup kitchen sponsored by BLOC Ministries will open in November in Cleves, with a third coming to the 8th and State area near St. Michaels Catholic Church by early 2012. Anyone in the St. Xavier community who would like to help may contact Frank at fhermes3rd@yahoo.com. ’79 BARRETT BRUNSMAN was named communications director for U.S. Representative Jean Schmidt of Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District. For the last five years, Brunsman covered Clermont County as a reporter for the Enquirer and its web-

site, cincinnati.com. As spokesman for the congresswoman, Brunsman will relay information important to local businesses and residents of Schmidt’s district, which encompasses all or parts of seven counties from Fountain Square to Portsmouth.

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’88 DAVID BELL released his new novel, Cemetery Girl, Oct. 4. He will read from the book Oct. 26 at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Rookwood. New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart said, “David Bell’s Cemetery Girl grabbed me by the throat on page one and never let up. An intense, unrelenting powerhouse of a book, and the work of a master.” ’88 ALEX ROONEY was promoted to research leader and supervisory research geneticist and was put in charge of the Crop Bioprotection Research Unit for the U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, in Peoria, Illinois.

Donor Spotlight ST STEVE SHOOP ’ ’86 was diagnosed with cancer in 2010. d As A he battled the disease the last year y of his life, Steve and his wife w of four years, Lynn, made a critical decision: include St. Xavier in his estate plan. When Xa he died d July 3, St. X used his gift to create the Steve A. Shoop Memorial Scholarship Fund in his memory. In the few months since the scholarship was established, Shoop’s family and friends have continued adding to his initial sum, nearly doubling the original gift. “It’s very sad for us to lose somebody so young,” said Andy Sweeny (’68), major and planned giving officer. “But it’s been inspiring to see his class come together to remember their friend. Steve’s foresight and their generosity will have a major impact on current and future students who receive financial help from this fund. “It goes to show you don’t have to be extremely old or extremely wealthy to make a planned gift. It shows a little bit of planning can plant the seed for anybody, and every gift makes a difference.” For more information on how you can contribute to the Shoop fund or to include St. Xavier in your own estate plan, contact Andy Sweeny at asweeny@stxavier. org or 513-761-7815, ext. 115.

90s

’91 JED HARTINGS competed in and completed the Ironman in Louisville in September, finishing a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a marathon run of 26.2 miles. ’93 JASON BERNINGER completed his studies at Baylor University in biomedical research in June. His research involving the study of pharmaceuticals in the water supply has earned prestigious awards worldwide. Jason has been invited to speak at conferences all over the United States, Canada and Europe. He will continue his work with the EPA in Duluth, Minnesota, where he has been awarded a three-year grant to continue his work. His articles have been published worldwide, describing his research and his work with the recent Gulf oil spills. Jason’s brother Mark (’96) has followed in his brother’s footsteps, working for a global ecological companyto correct problems caused by a massive oil spill near Kalamazoo Michigan. ’96 SEAN MURPHY competed for the National Team of Ireland in the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Prague. In pretournament play, the team secured Ireland’s first-ever international box lacrosse wins over the Pardubice (Czech Republic) club team and Australia. In tournament play, Murphy played defense in losses to USA and the Iroquois national teams. He played goalie in split games with Slovakia. He became the first player in WILC history to play as both a floor (field) player and as a goalie. By winning the two-game series on goal differential with Slovakia, Ireland finished seventh in the world this year. ’97 JASON BARRERA graduated from UC’s MD/Ph.D. program on May 22, 2011. He is doing his residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. ’97 DAVID NAMAKY finished his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at TriHealth in Cincinnati and will be joining the teaching staff there.

00s

’00 ANDY DERRICK rowed on championship teams at the University of Washington and now has been named head rowing coach at the University of Central Oklahoma.

(Clockwise from top left) Matt Hott (’04), Rob Thiemann (’04), Donald Verdon (’77), Daniel Verdon (’04), bride Krissy Verdon, Dan Lawall (’03), Victoria Verdon and Stephen Dienger (’04) had St. Xavier at the July wedding of Daniel and Krissy.; Matt Hott (’04) and his bride Kimberly shared some St. Xavier spirit at their wedding with Dan Verdon (’04) and Krissy Mehal in June.; Loads of Bombers were on hand to celebrate the marriage of Tom Robinson (’03, center) and Laura Hart in June.; Classmates from 2005 Robert Wulf, Robert LeBourveau, Alex Ficke, groom Nicholas Schulte, Louis Linnemann and Scott Rom celebrated Nick’s marriage with St. Xavier.

’01 BEN METZ completed a Masters degree in German studies from Bowling Green State University; he studied in Salzburg, Austria, during two different school years while working on undergrad and graduate degrees. ’03 DANIEL SYLVESTRI graduated from Northeast Ohio Universities Medical College on May 21 with a Doctor of Medicine degree. He attended Loyola University in Chicago and graduated with a B.A. in theology and a B.S. in biology in 2007. He is currently doing a residency in internal medicine at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. ’05 PAT METZ graduated with honors from Purdue University in 2009 and now lives in San Diego where he attends UCal San Diego, pursuing a Ph.D. in biological studies. Pat still plays ultimate Frisbee on a city team. ’06 NICK DAWE accepted an NCAA Division I position with the Fordham University women’s and men’s rowing teams in New York, NY. He will be the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, responsible for coaching and all high school recruiting. ’07 JOE METZ is working on a mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University (the former GM Institute) in Flint, Michigan. He has been vice president on student council and president of the Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity. ’07 CHARLEY HESSLER received his commission in the United States Navy on May 27 after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He went to Pensacola, Florida, for pilot

training in September after spending the summer as a sailing instructor at the Academy for incoming Plebes. ’07 KIERAN CRONIN has a full scholarship in theatre at the University of Arkansas. He is in a three-year program which will result in a Master of Arts degree. He’ll even do a little teaching next year (2012) as an intern. ’11 JACK DOYLE joins BEN BLANK (’08) on the travel squad for the Saint Louis Billikens men’s club hockey team. SLU competes in the gold division of the Mid-America League, members of the central division in the American College Hockey Association. The Billkens were 2011 regular season and tournament championships. Ben and Jack played against UC in Cincinnati Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. WEDDINGS ’00 IAN HENNESSEY and Leanne Brooks, 7/30/11 ’03 TOM ROBINSON and Laura Hart, 6/3/11 ’04 MATT HOTT and Kimberly Stevens, 6/18/11 ’04 DAN VERDON and Krissy Mehal, 7/9/11 ’05 NICK SCHULTE and Ianthe Alatis, 7/15/11 BIRTHS ’91 PATRICK AND KATIE KLUS, Samuel Patrick, 7/1/11 ’92 JASON AND CHRISTINE DIMACULANGAN, Jacie Sage, 6/28/11 ’93 MATT AND RACHEL CURRAN, Abraham David, 1/19/11 ’93 TIM AND SARA SPAETH, Jacob Thomas, 2/24/11 (right) Jacob Spaeth (’29) shares his first smile.

’94 BRIAN AND SARAH BEDINGHAUS, William Thomas, 7/20/11 ’95 BRIAN AND MAY BARRERA, Elizabeth Anne 5/20/2011. ’01 MATT AND CARLY HALE, Samuel Joseph, 5/25/11 STAFF EMILY GEISEL AND DEAN, Vera Lily, 6/12/11 DEATHS ’30 J. HAROLD KOTTE ’30 ALEXANDER J. KOVACS ’35 ROBERT G. HOGAN ’39 WILLIAM R. HILLEBRAND ’39 STANLEY A. HITTNER ’43 RAYMOND F. JUNG ’45 EDWARD KUERZE ’47 ROY A. KRABACHER ’48 RAY J. HAUNERT ’48 HUBERT G. NEFF ’48 CARL F. ORTH ’48 WILLIAM E. STRYBEL ’49 THOMAS W. ZIMMER ’50 PAUL F. KELLEY ’50 ADAM F. MEYER ’51 ELMER J. BERGER ’51 ANTHONY RE ’54 W. THOMAS SOHNGEN ’56 ROBERT T. NOONAN ’56 GEORGE P. VAN LOKEREN ’59 EDWARD R. KOHL ’59 PATRICK W. SHIELDS ’60 JEROME A. GRIESSMANN ’60 JAMES H. SCHEPER ’62 ROBERT R. DISSELKAMP ’63 ALBERT J. HADLER ’65 JAMES H. POSINSKI ’68 BRENDAN J. KEENAN ’72 RICHARD J. KATHMAN ’81 F. MARCELO ESTEVES ’86 STEVEN A. SHOOP

FALL/WINTER 2011

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X-Peditions ON THE GLOBE, the long blue line is the equator. In St. X parlance, the Long Blue Line of alumni and student body appears all over the globe. Bomber blue turns up all over the map and we want the evidence. Send us your pictures wearing St. Xavier High School gear or hoisting a copy of St. Xavier magazine at an exotic locale or local landmark. Maybe a picture of Bombers at the Pyramids of Egypt or posing at the Pit. Either way, let us know where you’ve been displaying your X pride. Send your high-resolution digital images to mmotz@stxavier.org or mail prints to Mark Motz c/o St. Xavier magazine, 600 W. North Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45224.

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1. T. Michael Weber Sr. (’70) and Thomas M. Weber Jr. (’05) brought some St. X spirit aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America in Honolulu, Hawaii. 2. Mark Motz (’87), Joe Seta (’59) and son Gregory Seta (’92) explored the farmers’ market in Union Square Park, New York City, in late June. 3. The annual 2011 St Xavier-Elder golf outing took place in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Clockwise from left are Greg Siegmundt (Elder), Tim Hisch (Elder), Mike Rowekamp (Elder), Kirk Fischesser (Elder grad, Xavier dad), John Specht (Elder), Terry Rowekamp (St X) and Mark Siegmundt (St X). 4. Cousins and brothers Colin Reenan (‘09), Matthew Bauman (‘03), Philip Bauman (‘06), Scott Reenan (‘00) and Adam Bauman (‘09) showed they had the spirit outside the patronal St. Francis Xavier Church in Petoskey, Michigan, after Mass while on vacation with their families at Walloon Lake in July. 5. When Mimi Berning (widow of Richard Berning, ’48) celebrated her birthday in Siesta Key, Florida, a huge contingent of the family came along for the party. Among those celebrating mom/grandma and the indomitable Bomber spirit are Mike Berning Sr. (’81), Mike Berning Jr. (’05), Patrick Berning (’07), Eric Berning (’08), Matthew Berning (’11), Ryan Berning (’13), Rich Berning (’79), Steve Berning (’83), Steve Rohrer (’75), Todd Rohrer (’07) and Chad Rohrer (’99) (not pictured). 6. Bill Glines (’82), and sons Sam (’19) and Ben Glines (’15) pose on Ft. Myers Beach in Florida. Ben’s Cincinnati Astros 14U baseball team played in the PerfectGame Baseball World Series for the best 14U teams in the country. 7. Larry Schneider (’61) and a friend rode to the top of Mt. Evans, Colorado (elevation 14,200 feet), this summer, the highest paved rode in North America. Larry took St. Xavier on the high road with him. 8. William (’15), David (’86) and J.P. (’14) Burleigh brought some St. X to the steps of St. I’s, specifically at San Ingnazio Church in Rome, on a family vacation in June. 9. Faculty member Dick, David (’95) and Cindy Piening explored the national parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands) in southern Utah. 10. Luis Miguel Francisco (’12) travelled to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands over the summer with St Xavier. 11. Senior Bradford Johnson (’12) and mother Laura Fletcher took St. Xavier to Davy Jones’ locker on the summer family vacation scuba diving in Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles. 12. Matt Aubert (’93) and Brian Aubert (’97) did not have a St. X magazine on the dune climb in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan, but did have a St. X pillow case.

1. 1. Members of the Kuechly family Tom, Eileen, John and Henry ran into former St. X President Fr. Walter Deye S.J. (’66) at the airport in Ft. Meyers, Florida, where former Bomber assistant principal Fr. Brad Schaeffer S.J. snapped this photo. 2. St. X students spent 10 days in Ecuador on a summer mission trip, taking the X factor international. 3. Matt Fritz (’72) and John Fritz (’19) took their St. Xavier magazine on a trip to visit Peter Fritz (’99) at The College of the Holy Cross in Boston, where Peter is an assistant professor and the Edward Bennett Williams faculty fellow in Roman Catholic systematic theology. 4. Dave Mooter (’62) and wife Gail posed at Mt. Rushmore National Monument in July. David said, “My X shirt may be older, but it still gets put to use.” The Mooter family spent a week vacationing in the Black Hills. 5. 2007 St. X alumni Chris Komoroski (computer engineering), Adam Jabs (computer engineering), Brian Hughes (mechanical engineering) and Kevin Flaherty (material science and engineering) graduated from the University of Illinois in May and remembered their Bomber roots in the process. 6. Senior Gabe Albacarys (’12) spent some of his summer abroad, including visits to Compostela, (Spain), Pisa (Italy) and this stop in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. 7. Chet Jechura (‘07), Fr. Jerry Overbeck S.J. (’64), Steven Baarendse (‘07), and Ed Kelly (‘07) made their marks after Baccalaureate Mass at Loyola University in Chicago. Fr. Jerry concelebrated at the Mass and three students graduated from Loyola in May 2011. 8. John Reber (’07) poses with St. X counselor Dr. Dan Funk (’67) at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. Reber finished in his final year studying International Relations at St. Andrews. Funk said, “He was the first of our students to attend overseas, which took a lot of guts on his part. He was the icebreaker, the adventurer, who created a path so that others could say that this is a possibility to consider.” 9. Brothers Luke (’08) and John (’10) Keefe donned some Bomber gear while serving on an August mission trip ago in Guatemala City. Both are now students at the University of Dayton. 10. Tim Maly (’05) recently climbed Mt. Elbert in Denver, the tallest mountain in Colorado at 14,443 feet. He made the ascent with St. Xavier in hand and dad Jim Maly and uncle Jerry Maly at his side. Twin brothers Jim and Jerry are graduates of LaSalle High School on the other end of North Bend Road. 11. Chandler Robinson (’14) visited mom Cynthia Khoo Robinson’s old high school in Penang, Malaysia, where he posed for a picture. SXI is also an all-boys Catholic school, but the 13th year includes young ladies from the neighboring all-girls school. According to Cynthia, “It was so funny to have Chandler walk around my hometown in his St. X T-shirt. He was asked several times if he attended SXI.” 12. Bob Auberger (’49) visited Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville, Virginia, via train this summer. With him are grandchildren Franklin (’16) and Joseph (’19), the sons of Chris Auberger (’84).

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X-Peditions X-Cerpts/X-Peditions WHAT IS UP? You can let us know in a variety of ways—send a photo for our X-Peditions feature or tell fellow Bombers about your wedding, a recent move, your latest promotion, a family addition, your retirement or other news via the Alumni X-cerpts pages. Just fill out and send in the form below. We’re looking forward to hearing from you soon.

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MAIL THE FORM TO: St. Xavier High School (Magazine) 600 W. North Bend Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45224. FAX 513-761-2586 or e-mail: mmotz@stxavier.org

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3. 1. Brett, Brad (’11), Lana and Craig Hines pose at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London this past summer. Brad and his family paid homage to the Beatles on his graduation trip to England. 2. Ken McMurry (’85) and future Bomber sons Luke (age 9) and Jack (6) posed on the Great Wall of China in June. 3. Layne, Pete, Gus and Hank Rumpke (‘12) visited Dreams Park in Cooperstown, New York, while Pete’s Eastside Sluggers team played baseball there for a week. The squad was inducted into the Dreams Park Hall of Fame and the Rumpke clan showed some Bomber pride during a memorable family vacation. 4. Former St. X President Fr. Walter C. Deye S.J. (’66) bumped into Mike McGraw (’08) outside the Jesuit residence in Chicago, the second such chance meeting on the streets of the Windy City in a month. 5. Jack Wenstrup (‘50), Jay Wenstrup (‘80), and Brian Wenstrup (2015) plus Brad Wenstrup (‘76) and Michael Hinckley (‘05) all were part of the annual Wenstrup family vacation at the Portage Point Inn in Onekema, Michigan. 6. Jacob Westerkamp (’14) and dad Jim Westerkamp (’86) show off St. Xavier at Tracy Arms, Alaska, where the entire Westerkamp clan took a cruise in late June 2011. 7. Steve Carpenter was on a business trip in Denver and did some exploring at Dinosaur Ridge, where he showed off the 2007 state football championship ring he won as a Bomber coach next to the tracks of an Allosaurus. Steve’s son Andrew (’08) is in his senior year at Ohio Dominican. 8. The Locaputo clan brought St. Xavier on its annual family vacation to Hilton Head in June, 2011. From left to right are Jeff, Lauren, Beth, John, Heather, Ella, Drew (’91) and Molly. 9. Dakota Stephens (’14) and dad Scott (’84) brought St. Xavier on their mini weekend camping trip at Maumee Bay in northern Ohio.

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fall/winter 2011-2012 CALENDAR Alumni Gatherings and School Events NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

4

11:30 a.m. First Friday Mass/ Luncheon at St. Xavier Church

1

9:30 a.m. Feast of St. Francis Xavier Mass in Berning Gym

3

Classes Resume

10

2

11:30 a.m. First Friday Mass/ Luncheon at St. Xavier Church

7:30 p.m. TX opens The Kentucky Cycle at Performance Center

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11:30 a.m. Open House at St. Xavier H.S.

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8:30 a.m. Entrance Exam at St. Xavier H.S. 7:30 p.m. TX closes The Kentucky Cycle at Performance Center

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ALL DAY Canned Food Drive Canvass

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22 Parent Conferences at St. Xavier H.S.

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Thanksgiving Holiday—No Classes

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5 p.m. X-Changes: Diversity Celebration in Chapel/Reynolds Room

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7 p.m. College Financial Aid Night in Performance Center

SFX Holiday—No Classes 9 a.m. Mother Club Boutique in Savannah Center 11:30 a.m. First Friday Mass/ Luncheon at St. Xavier Church

4

ALL DAY Canned Food Drive Canvass

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ALL DAY Father-Son Retreat at Milford Spiritual Center

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6:30 p.m. St. Francis Xavier Scholars Reception in Performance Center

Canned Food Drive Packing Day

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Canned Food Drive Delivery Day 7 p.m. Choral Christmas Dinner in Performance Center

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7 p.m. Christmas Concert in Performance Center

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Start of Christmas Vacation –No Classes

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7 p.m. Class of 2006 Five-Year Reunion in Reynolds Room

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7:30 p.m. TX: Night in Black and White Benefit Performance Center

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1:30 p.m. Multicultural Candidates Reception in Reynolds Room 7 p.m. Knightwatch Retreat in Chapel

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Martin Luther King Day–No Classes

18-20 Second Quarter Exams

FEBRUARY

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11:30 a.m. First Friday Mass/ Luncheon at St. Xavier Church

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8 p.m. Winter Dance at Kolping Center

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Parent Conferences at St. Xavier H.S.

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3 p.m. Faculty Recital in Performance Center

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6 p.m. Hall of Fame Induction Evening in Ellis Gym

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Annual Florida Reunion

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7 p.m. Knightwatch Retreat in Chapel

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President’s Day—No Classes

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9:30 a.m. Ash Wednesday Service in Berning Gym

THANK YOU to the classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996 and 2001 for making Grand Reunion Weekend 2011 such a success. We’re already looking ahead to next year with classes from 1967, ’72, ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97 and 2002 celebrating anniversaries. To get involved in the planning for your class, please contact Alumni Director John Schrantz (’96) at jschrantz@stxavier.org, Local phone: 761-7815, ext. 116, Toll free: 800-572-5340, ext. 116 Reunion information always is available on our web site at www.stxavier. org. Click on the Long Blue Line Alumni tab.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

600 W. North Bend Road Cincinnati, OH 45224-1499 www.StXavier.org

Cincinnati, Ohio Permit No. 5253

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

X-Changes 50 Years of Racial Diversity

ON SATURDAY, NOV. 26, St. Xavier High School recognizes a 50-year milestone. In the fall of 1961, St. X admitted its first three African-American students. The school marks the occasion with Mass, a cocktail reception, sit-down dinner catered by Funky’s and a program celebrating those who opened the doors to diversity on North Bend Road. Sponsored by the Healy Society, St. X’s minority alumni association, the event promises to be fun and informative. Cost is $50 per person. Register online at www.stxavier.org/healy2011.