Clipper Conversation

Second to None

Working at Xaverian is so much more than a job. It’s a vocation. No one knows that better than Assistant Principal for Academics Daniel Sharib ’96, whose time at Xaverian spans 24 years. He sat down for a conversation on the school’s rising academic profile and the core beliefs that are drawing outstanding students and faculty to 7100 Shore Road.

You graduated from Xaverian in 1996. Did you think you would come back to Shore Road and become an educator? Not at all. Back then, I never saw myself as a teacher. I was on a different path. I was going to go to law school. Initially, I thought I’d go to law school at night and work during the day. And once I started teaching at Xaverian, I realized that this was what I was meant to be doing. And to be honest with you, in 20 years, I haven’t looked back, which tells me I made the right decision.

Many alumni serve as Xaverian faculty and administrators. What’s the draw? There is something special about this place that makes people who went here for four years want to come back. It’s interesting because high school is not always the easiest four years of a young person’s life. But there is an enormous number of people who come back and decide they want to make this their vocation.

People don’t look at it as a job. You’re here because you want to be here. You want to be a part of what this place is doing. There is something special about being a part of Xaverian, especially now. The school is in a really strong place academically; it’s second to none.

What accounts for the school’s strong academic position? We have a President and a Principal who are very mindful of how students learn in this time and place. We have our eyes open to seeing what it is kids are interested in studying. It began about 10 years ago, when we started programs in economics, political science and the liberal arts. As time went on, we investigated STEM education and now we have pre-professional pathways in biomedical science, engineering and computer science.

We’re constantly looking at programs that capture kids’ imagination and make them want to come here. At the same time, our standards have gotten higher and higher. It’s not very easy to get into Xaverian. You have to work to get in, but you also have to work to remain here.

One of the core principles of the Xaverian mission is ‘Learn with Zeal.’ How does this tradition that is rooted in Xaverian Brothers’ history translate to 21st Century learning? We talk a lot about the idea of being life-long learners, people who want to learn for the sake of learning. One thing I notice about the generation who are at Xaverian right now is that they are not afraid to test the waters and try things.

Our students’ willingness to explore beyond academic requirements makes them a special group. If kids are talking about something that’s interesting to them, that they are passionate about, that also makes a lot of sense, we’re willing to keep that door open. Sometimes it becomes a class. Sometimes it becomes an extracurricular club. But we’re always willing to involve kids in that conversation. You’ve talked a bit about the newer academic programs and students’ outlook on their education. What would you say hasn’t changed at Xaverian? The family atmosphere is something you immediately recognize. It doesn’t matter how long ago you graduated. The relationships between kids, the faculty and the administration and amongst each other are the things that make the place as special as it is. It’s something that past generations have always talked about. Back then, it was the Brotherhood and the family. That element is still very much in place. The sense of community is stronger than ever.

Xaverian’s reputation has certainly grown in the last decade — it’s emerged as the school where students want to be. What do you hear in the community that makes you proud to be a Clipper? Whenever you hear ‘this is the place students want to be,’ it makes you proud. It’s something we don’t take for granted. Our principal, Deacon Kevin McCormack, always talks about not being complacent. So, we are constantly keeping our eye on the ball, making sure we hire the most effective teachers who understand the mission and that we all hold our kids to a high standard.

It feels great to hear all the positives about Xaverian, especially where I live on Staten Island, because it means we’re reaching communities outside of Bay Ridge in a very decisive way. I think it keeps us driven and focused, because we want to make sure this place is here for a whole other generation of kids and beyond.

Daniel Sharib ’96 is the Assistant Principal for Academics and teacher of AP U.S. History. He began his Xaverian career as a history teacher, and also served as Director of Admissions and Dean of Academics. Mr. Sharib holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, a master’s in School Building Leadership from Fordham University and a master’s in Secondary Education with a Social Studies concentration from the College of Staten Island. Raised in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, he currently resides on Staten Island.