OF 5L

By ERIC KREBS

Aschool is made of three things: its spirit, the underlying mission and philosophy that guide it; its community, the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who give it life; and its physical plant, the bricks, beams, and boards that comprise a place for the community to call home.

In the 176 years since its founding, Xavier’s physical plant has undergone many transformations. It has migrated across Lower Manhattan, grown entire new buildings, new floors, and new classrooms. Amenities now taken for granted were once revolutionary additions: electricity, air conditioning, the internet.

As the world has changed, Xavier has changed with it. On January 26, Xavier unveiled its latest evolution: a remodeled and renewed 5L. The new space includes a “super classroom” outfitted with wall-mounted monitors and mobile desks; an additional lab with 3D printers, new computers, drones, high-end sensors, and programmable microcontrollers; a new student common space; a renovated office for student counseling; and two expanded and rejuvenated art studios. Altogether, the floor is fit for a new age of Xavier education, embracing the arts and technology alike.

Denise Iacovone, who has taught fine arts at Xavier since 1989, had always envisioned a greater role—and space—for the arts on 16th Street. Iacovone came to Xavier through her husband and artistic collaborator, Rocco Iacovone ’62, who founded the Blue Knight Band and taught music at Xavier from 1987 to 2007. “When we got to Xavier, the arts were very small,” said Iacovone. “We set out to make a college prep curriculum … that it would be such a high-level department that people would be attracted to Xavier.” Over the course of three decades, that vision has materialized.

In 2016, the arrival of Fernandez-Duminuco Hall brought with it a new band room, which features a professional recording studio, multiple sound-proof practice rooms, and smaller ensemble rooms for group rehearsal beyond class. Rocco Iacovone’s longtime wish was finally fulfilled, as the music program moved from the far hinterlands of 1D to a more central location on 2F.

Seven years later, Denise Iacovone saw her half of the dream realized, too.

For William Maloney ’01, who has taught art and design at Xavier since 2017 after joining the admissions staff in 2014, the new space on 5L has allowed students to dive into their craft like never before. “We have a lot more room, and more kids are stopping in to work on their projects independently,” said Maloney. “We have space for storage for students’ own personal artwork, so they can just go in, take the canvas out of their drawer, and set themselves up. We have the pallets, we have the brushes, and they know the protocol for cleaning up after themselves, too.”

With the expanded studios on 5L, there is no longer a competition for workspace, and the time students commit to their projects can go far beyond the time allotted in their schedules. “The guys can manage their time, so they’ll come in at the end of their lunch period and paint for 20 minutes and just put a little bit of extra work on their stuff,” said Maloney. “It’s a little hub of creativity and guys working not just on the assignments, but their own personal work. It’s awesome.”

For Osiris Alvarado Lemoine ’24, the renovated art studios have improved what was already his favorite subject. “It definitely feels more modern than before. You can fit more people, and it’s more comfortable,” he said. Alvarado Lemoine, who is currently enrolled in Art 3 with Maloney and plans to take AP Art with Sean McDonough ’03 in his senior year, wants to study graphic design in college. “I learned art at Xavier,” he said. “Before, I didn’t really experiment much beyond colored pencils.”

As much as Alvarado Lemoine enjoys the projects he’s completed in art class (scratch-board self-portraits were his favorite), he loves the community of collaboration, learning, and bonding that spaces like the art studios provide. “[During COVID-19] Art 1 was remote, and I felt like I wasn’t getting the full experience,” he said. “I like going to school, feeling the atmosphere, and building relationships with my teachers.”

Though art class no longer requires a Zoom login, the new studios have allowed the department to continue integrating technology into the classroom.

“It attracts young people when they see things that are very modern and cool, but we teach classical skills that Michelangelo practiced. The precepts that we’re teaching are centuries old; we’re not inventing anything,” said Iacovone. “But as you teach generation after generation, the teacher has to find ways to get new thinkers to understand old precepts.”

For one, photographing and projecting materials on classroom monitors allows the class to engage in closer examination and constructive critique of students’ artwork (obviating the need to poke pin-holes in students’ projects). Even cell phones—once verboten— can help in the art studio, allowing students to get up-close looks at the paintings and artists being taught. “The teaching is essentially the same in the sense that we encourage experimentation, encourage critical thinking … but you have to speak to your audience,” said Iacovone. “The one good thing that came out of the pandemic is that we had to learn to use technology. It’s an evolution.” circle in a large group and have good conversations, as well as break down into smaller groups,” said Drennan. “The new space allows us to have those conversations, whether about the technologies themselves, design issues, build issues, or the larger ethical impacts of engineering problems that are out there.”

“It’s unlike any other class I’ve taken at Xavier,” said Iden Ottmann ’23, who will be studying mechanical engineering at Northeastern University this fall. “The classroom is really fun. A lot of our classes are discussion-based, and the desks allow us to create a circle.”

But technology is not only a tool in the Xavier classroom; it is also a subject of study in and of itself.

When Patrick Drennan P’16’s senior science elective, Engineering Principles and Design, moved from the Kane building to 5L in January, the new location opened up a world of pedagogical opportunity. Drennan’s class, which in its first year boasted more than 60 seniors across three sections, focuses on tackling real-world projects and problems through a collaborative application of engineering concepts. “With the monitors around and mobile desks, we’re able to go into a

Among other projects, Drennan’s class has built miniature electric cars, analyzed the impact of solar panels on New York’s electric grid and natural environment, and built a bridge made of popsicle sticks (which, when tested, was able to support a whopping 290 pounds). The curriculum of Drennan’s class is, fundamentally, about technology: its designs, applications, and impacts. But beyond the curriculum, Drennan sees the classroom as a technology in and of itself, and one that is changing fast. And with new spaces like 5L, the Xavier classroom—and the learning it facilitates—can keep pace with the world around it.

“We’re moving in the direction that computers will be used to assist in teaching pretty much every topic. If you look at big data, ChatGPT, or AI, I think these are great opportunities,” said Drennan. “We need to use these tools to better understand the world around us because they’re not going away. The genie is out of the bottle.”

Computer science and technology department chair Michael Chiafulio P’23—who was instrumental in the development of the Gannon STEAM Room in Fernandez-Duminuco Hall and the new STEAM lab on 5L—agreed. “I’ve been teaching technology for 23 years, and it’s been really validating to see the world and the skillsbased economy move in this direction,” he said. “If we didn’t invest in that, we’d be missing the boat.”

Altogether, the new space on 5L furthers Xavier’s commitment to arts, technology, and, above all, Jesuit education. “It’s about cura personalis,” said Maloney, referring to the Jesuit ideal of educating the entire person, with all their idiosyncrasies, challenges, and talents. “Every artist is different, so it’s really about meeting them where they are, finding what kind of artist they will be, and bringing that out of them. One kid is going to do a photorealistic drawing of a still-life, and another will do an abstract painting, but both kids are still making art.” talked about the relationship between the foundations of traditions and peaks of creativity that is captured well in that church and in our Church,” said Kim Smith, Xavier’s headmaster. “Art is a means by which we seek new forms of expression, forms that help us continue to improve our ability to communicate about the wonders of God. We are lucky at Xavier, like at the Sagrada Familia, to have ourselves firmly rooted and ever-seeking. Our expanded space reminds us of that. I am eager to see what new ideas and revelations our Sons of Xavier discover there.”

“I listened to a Jesuit give a homily in the basement chapel of the Sagrada Familia once. And in that homily, Casey Beaumier, S.J.