Honors Assembly Recognizes Student Achievements

On February 26, the Xavier High School community gathered to celebrate student academic and co-curricular achievements and recognize the crucial values of hard work and dedication.

The ceremony began on an inspirational note as Headmaster Michael LiVigni delivered remarks about the educational and emotional value of losing and the development of resilience. “Even a failure can call forth the best in us,” Mr. LiVigni said, “so embrace that and don’t be afraid to take that risk.” To read the full text of Mr. LiVigni’s speech, click here.

Notable honors celebrated at the ceremony included the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2015, the members of which have earned $6.5 million in college scholarships to date. Sixty-two percent of the class earned acceptances to colleges under Early Action, Early Decision, or rolling admissions, and of the 144 students accepted, 120 earned admission to a Jesuit college or university (including Boston College, Fairfield, Le Moyne, Loyola Chicago, Loyola Maryland, Marquette, St. Louis, Scranton, and Xavier). Other notable colleges and universities that offered admission to Xavier seniors include MIT, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, Wesleyan, Vanderbilt, the George Washington University, Georgia Tech, Purdue, and Tulane.

Special recognition went to National Merit Scholarship Finalist James McLaughlin ’15, one of the top 15,000 scorers out of more than 1 million students who took the PSAT last year. Posse Foundation Scholar Charles Micelli ’15, who earned a full-tuition scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University, was also recognized, and the newest members of the Loyola Chapter of the National Honor Society were inducted.

Major achievements outside the classroom were also noted, including the success of the speech and debate team. Under the direction of Mr. Ed Walsh, Xavier will send 11 students—its largest-ever delegation—to the New York State Forensic League Championship in April.

As Mr. LiVigni told honorees at the ceremony, “Each of you has demonstrated a commitment to excellence that is a model for your classmates to follow.”