| 51st | Top boarding schools |
| Xavier College | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sursum Corda (Latin for "Lift up your hearts") |
|
| Established | 1878 |
| School Type | Independent, Co-educational (P-4), Single-sex (5-12), Day and Boarding |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic, Jesuit |
| Key People | Dr. Chris Hayes (Principal) Mr. John Ralph (Chairman) Fr. Thomas Renshaw SJ (Rector) Mr John Hickey (Director of the Senior Campus) Mr Peter Cooper (Head of Burke Hall) Mr John Fox (Head Of Kostka Hall) |
| School Fees | AU$10,719–16,410 p.a (Day) AU$28,812–30,267 p.a (Boarding)[1] |
| Location | Kew and Brighton, Victoria, Australia  |
| Coordinates | 37°48′44″S 145°1′54″E / 37.81222°S 145.03167°ECoordinates: 37°48′44″S 145°1′54″E / 37.81222°S 145.03167°E |
| Enrolment | ~2,000 (P–12)[2] |
| Colours | Red and Black |
| Homepage | www.xavier.vic.edu.au |
Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Xavier was founded in 1878 by the Society of Jesus, and is part of the international network of Jesuit schools begun in Messina, Sicily in 1548. Originally an all-boys school, the College now offers co-education until Year 4, and an all-boys environment from then on. Xavier has three campuses around Melbourne, the Senior Campus and one Junior School, Burke Hall, are situated in Kew, while the other Junior School, Kostka Hall, is located in Brighton. The school currently caters for approximately 2,020 students,[2] including 76 boarders.[3]
Xavier is a school of the Archdiocese of Melbourne,[3] and is affiliated with the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),[4] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),[5] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),[6] and the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS).[7]
Culturally, Xavier has been described by notable alumnus John Roskam as Victoria's "last bastion of old-style Labor Right, DLP education".[8]
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Xavier College's Senior Campus was established in 1878 on land known originally as Mornane's Paddock. Formed as a Jesuit school, it was originally named St Francis Xavier's College. Construction continued for the early part of the school's life, with the main oval in 1883 and the West Wing and Great Hall in 1890.[9]
In 1900, Xavier replaced St Patrick's College in East Melbourne as the sole Catholic school in the then six-membered Associated Public Schools.[3]
In 1920, Xavier acquired Studley Hall, a gift from T.M Burke, a Catholic businessman. Studley Hall was opened in 1921 as Xavier's first Preparatory school, and was renamed Burke Hall several years later in honour of its benefactor. In 1926, Burke's wife provided funding for a construction of a chapel in memory her deceased brother.[9] The Burke Hall campus was later extended with the donation of an adjacent mansion from the estate of John Wren following his death.
Whilst this was occurring, a Memorial Chapel on the Senior Campus was constructed in memory of Old Xaverians killed in the First World War, opening in 1934. In 1937, the Kostka Hall Junior campus was opened in Brighton, originally consisting of two buildings, Maritima and Marchwood (also known as St Johns).[9] Kostka Hall had originally been a boarding school but now is composed completely of day boys. There have been many upgrades to the buildings, and Marchwood no longer exists, with a multi-purpose hall, including a music school and a stage, now in its place.
In 1993, the multi purpose Sports Centre, The Stephenson Centre was opened, including a 25 metre pool, basketball stadium, gymnasium and multi purpose rooms. The building's Gleeson Centre has views onto the main oval.
In 2002, a co-educational Early Years Centre was opened on the Burke Hall campus for students up to grade four. A similar facility opened at Kostka Hall campus in 2005. Xavier, however, remains a boys-only institution from Years 5 to 12.[3]
The Senior Campus saw commencement of construction of a new Science facility and the Eldon Hogan Performing Arts Centre in 2005. The development includes eleven science laboratories, a large music rehearsal room, and a 500 seat Auditorium. In April 2008, science classes began in the new laboratories. The Centre officially opened on July 25, 2008 with a blessing by the Archbishop.
On December 31, 2008, principal of eleven years Chris McCabe retired. [2] At his appointment in October 1997, he was the first lay principal of a Jesuit school in Australia.[10] Chris Hayes was announced as his replacement on August 25, 2008.
Xavier has three campuses around Melbourne: the Senior Campus and one junior campus, Burke Hall, are situated in Kew, while the other junior campus, Kostka Hall, is located in Brighton.
In addition to these three main campuses, Xavier has an outdoor education facility in Buxton, near Marysville, and a rowing shed on the banks of the Yarra River. It also currently leases out the historical mansion Billilla in Halifax street.
Recently the Buxton outdoor education center has been temporarily closed due to extensive damage from the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.
Sport, Music, Drama and Debating provide the main avenues for co-curricular activities. Students may also join a specific interest group such as the Chess Club. Outdoor Education is compulsory in Years 5 to 9. Students spend up to one week at the College's Outdoor Education Centre at Buxton, or an alternative venue, where they are given instruction in a variety of activities.
The school encourages students to participate in community service, and a minimum amount of completed service hours is mandated. Each Friday evening Xavier students volunteer their time at a tutoring school in housing commission apartments in Richmond, where many residents are recent migrants or refugees.[citation needed] Year 11 students must also complete an additional 35 hours while on a week-long community service placement, and a Maytime Fair is held annually to raise money for the Jesuit Mission in India. This event raises over AU$100,000 each year. [11]
Xavier College participates in the Debaters Association of Victoria league, with students from Year 8 onwards given the option of participating. The school competes in the Hawthorn division.
Sport is compulsory for all students at Xavier. The school's Australian rules football team has produced numerous VFL/AFL players[citation needed], and has won the most football premierships of any APS school.[citation needed] The Old Xaverians Football Club has also been successful in the VAFA, winning eight premierships in the last decade.[citation needed] In addition, a range of sporting activities are offered including triathlon, cricket, basketball, rugby, soccer, tennis, athletics, hockey, rowing, swimming, water polo, volleyball, cross country, lawn bowls, badminton, sailing and martial arts.
Xavier College has a history of the Performing Arts spanning back to 1929, with Musical Theatre/Operetta's and Dramatic Plays having a shared focus in the the colleges co-curricular program. The school conducts an annual Senior Musical Production with Genazzano FCJ College, and an annual Winter Play is held in association with Loreto Mandeville Hall. The two Junior Campuses, also have Performing Arts and Dramatic programs, with each campus staging a major production every year.
The Maytime Fair has been held annually on the first Saturday in May for the past 58 years. The fair is hosted by Xavier College, and raises funds for the work of the Jesuit Mission, with support from friends and benefactors connected with schools, parishes and other communities in Victoria and beyond.[12]
The most recent Fair was aided by Genazzano FCJ College, Ruyton Girls' School, Sacre Coeur School, Loreto Mandeville Hall and Methodist Ladies' College. These schools, along with Xavier College, provided student-run stalls such as "Go Nuts for Donuts", a Fairy Tent and face-painting, amongst other things, to raise over $5000 for the Jesuit Missions.[citation needed]
Every stall and attraction at the Maytime Fair donates 100% of its profit for the work of Jesuit Mission (except for the few stalls and attractions that are hired in for the day). The Maytime Fair consistently contributes over $100,000 each year for work in the developing world, including India, Cambodia, East Timor and Myanmar. [12] In 2008, over $130,000 was raised. From that, money will be given to assist in the relief effort by Jesuit Missionaries in response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake particularly.
Alumni of Xavier College are commonly referred to as Old Xaverians, and upon their graduation automatically become members of the schools alumni association, the Old Xaverians' Association (OXA).[13]
Amongst the school's notable alumni are Sir James Gobbo, the 25th Governor of Victoria, The Most Reverend Denis Hart, the 8th and current Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Simon Whelan, Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court, best-selling author Timothy Conigrave, and Paul Dumbrell, a V8 Supercar driver.
Xavier's main sister school is Genazzano FCJ College. Together, students from both schools participate in an annual musical production, orchestral workshops, fairs, debating, and masses. Other associated schools include Loreto Mandeville Hall, St Ignatius' College, Riverview, St Aloysius' College and Loyola College, Mount Druitt in Sydney and Saint Ignatius' College, Adelaide in Athelstone. Since 2007, Xavier College has also been associated with Saint Ignatius College, Geelong. Every year Xavier College and Lauriston Girl's School hold a combined concert in which ensembles containing musicians from both schools perform.
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   | Xavier College website - Welcome to Xavier College, Melbourne |
| | Old Xaverian Football Club website - All the news from Xavier Nation |
| | Top of the class - Students with 99.95 - Top of the class - Students with 99.95 - theage.com.au |
| | From drip to scholarship, Irene excels - From drip to scholarship, Irene excels - National - theage.com.au |
| | Xavier College - Catholic Education Commission Victoria |
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