Xavier High School (Massachusetts)

Xavier High School was a private all-boys college preparatory Catholic high school in Concord, Massachusetts which operated from 1962 to 1971.

Xavier High School
Location
Concord
,
Massachusetts
01742

United States
Coordinates42.4539619°N 71.3737237°W / 42.4539619; -71.3737237
Information
Religious affiliation(s)Society of Jesus[1]
Established1962 (1962)[1]
FounderJesuits of the New England Province[1]
Closed1971 (1971)[1]
Grades9–12[2]
GenderMale[3]
Capacity1,200 students[3]
Classrooms35[4]
Campus size17 acres (6.9 ha)[5]

History

The school was located at the Concord Turnpike[6] section of Massachusetts Route 2[7] in Concord, near the corner of Route 2 and Massachusetts Route 62 and was built at a cost of $3 million.[3] The building was a 3-story building with 35 classrooms[4] and while the school was able to accommodate up to 1,200 students.[3] it never reached capacity. The total enrollment for the 1965–1966 school year, for example, was 401.[2] The first graduating class in 1966, who attended Xavier High School for all four years, consisted of 87 graduates.[8] The final graduating class before the school's closure in 1971 consisted of 91 graduates.[9]

The all-boys school[3] had required entrance exams for incoming freshmen.[10]

The auditorium had a seating capacity of 1,300, making it the largest space for indoor gatherings in the city of Concord at the time.[4] Because of this, the school's auditorium was used for non-school activities, especially when the smaller Concord High School auditorium was insufficient.[11] These programs included adult education lectures[12] and group psychotherapy sessions,[13] ecumenical services,[14] Pi Lambda Theta conferences,[15] science congresses,[16] concerts,[17] and orchestra events.[11]

Closure

The Jesuit priests who ran the school made a decision in 1970 to close the school the following year in 1971, blaming a decline in enrollment, rising costs and a shortage of religious teachers. The headmaster, Rev. John R Vigneau, said there had been "a gnawing doubt which over the years became a conviction that we are not fulfilling service for the greater good of God's people at Xavier."[18]

The closure reflected a shifting viewpoint and re-evaluation in the Jesuit order concerning the best way to teach the highest number of people in the most effective way. The headmaster Rev. Vigneau said "we do not reject you but we sincerely have tried to raise the basic question of whether we can serve God best here or elsewhere and the answer for some of us...whispers back that there are other more demanding needs."[19]

After closing

The Concord-Carlisle Regional School District briefly considered purchasing the school for use as a school within their own school system, but ultimately rejected this idea as it would have required expensive renovation[4] because the building itself did not meet the school district's educational specifications.[20]

Instead the plot of land was rezoned for commercial use[20] and sold to the Minuteman Companies,[6] an insurance company whose headquarters had been in Concord since the mid-1800s.[20]

The town briefly used the school's large auditorium for town meetings after the school closed in 1971[21] and continued using it after it was purchased by the Minutemen Companies.[22]

Extracurricular activities

Xavier High School had sports programs including basketball[23] as well as a theatre program[24] and community outreach volunteer work.[25]

The school participated in a series of debate tournaments between Catholic High Schools organized by the Catholic Youth Organization,[26] and students also were involved in overseas trips to locations including France, England, and Germany.[8]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "RG 10.24 Xavier High School Records, Finding Aid". crossworks.holycross.edu. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  2. Mangold, Eugene F. (January 1, 1966). "Enrollment Statistics Scholastic Year 1965–1966". Jesuit Educational Quarterly. XXVIII (3): 156–170 – via Jesuit Online Library.
  3. "New Girls' High School Planned in Arlington, Cardinal Reveals". The Boston Globe. October 2, 1961. p. 4. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Korell, Priscilla A. (September 20, 1971). "Propose high school addition". The Lowell Sun. p. 9. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Korell, Priscilla A. (January 2, 1972). "Concord put youth first". The Lowell Sun. p. 16. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "At Absolute Auction – The Entire Contents of the Xavier High School". The Boston Globe. December 17, 1972. pp. A71. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Briefs". Fitchburg Sentinel. August 23, 1962. p. 9. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Many Honors Among 87 In 1st Xavier Class Tonight". The Boston Globe. June 8, 1966. p. 15. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "5370 seniors in area". The Lowell Sun. May 25, 1971. pp. A4. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Concord Xavier Plans Entrance Exams Feb. 8". The Boston Globe. January 19, 1964. p. 54. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Siders, Harvey (January 11, 1964). "Boston Dance Theater Salutes Walter Piston". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Catholic Programs List Top Speakers". The Boston Globe. September 23, 1969. p. 55. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Lectures". The Boston Globe. February 22, 1970. pp. A44. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Suburbs – Concord". The Boston Globe. October 13, 1969. p. 14. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Continuing Events". The Boston Globe. January 16, 1966. pp. A39. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "650 Students Attend Science Session at Concord". The Boston Globe. January 20, 1963. p. 46. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Concerts". The Boston Globe. October 24, 1965. pp. A73. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. Ward, Robert L. (January 14, 1970). "Xavier High closing stirs action in Concord". The Boston Globe. p. 11. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Weidmann, Gerard (February 11, 1970). "Catholic orders heed shifting tides of '70s". The Boston Globe. p. 41. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  20. "Way cleared for Xavier plan". The Lowell Sun. February 11, 1972. p. 33. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. Korell, Priscilla A. (June 13, 1971). "Residents may bark dog sentiments at special town meeting in Xavier H.S." The Lowell Sun. pp. B1. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Town meeting site". The Lowell Sun. September 6, 1972. p. 58. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "St. Bernard's Gains Easy 76–47 Win". Fitchburg Sentinel. January 16, 1965. p. 8. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. Sheehan, Kevin (February 7, 1971). "Xavier High fourth quarter may bring drastic changes". The Lowell Sun. pp. D7. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. Sheehan, Kevin (October 25, 1970). "Xavier High boys aid health clinics". The Lowell Sun. pp. F7. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  26. Denvir, Philip J. (December 11, 1965). "C.Y.O. Sponsors school debates". The Boston Globe. p. 15. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  27. Tribe, Shawn (October 8, 2009). "NLM Interview with Ethan Anthony, President of Architectural Firm HDB/Cram and Ferguson". New Liturgical Movement. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
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