Xavier Magazine: Spring 2013

Growing through the Arts

Spring 2013

Xavier moment

Above: The Freedom Tower, a photograph by Theodore Scanapico ’13, was taken on March 23 from the rooftop of Xavier High School.

View From >> The TynanTown When Theodore Scanapico ’13 stepped on the rooftop outside of Xavier’s sixth floor Tynantown hallway, everything clicked. “I had the opportunity to look at 16th Street from an aerial view, something I had never done before,” he recalled.

Scanapico and other members of the Xavier Photo Club climbed higher and found an amazing view of the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan. “I snapped pictures of the tower’s great progress, but made sure to spend time taking in the moment with my own eyes,” he said. “September 11 had a huge impact on my life as a New Yorker, and it was amazing to see this new symbol of unity and freedom being erected. It was truly a priceless moment.”

While Scanapico certainly captured a breathtaking image, his statement about how he took it reveals so much about the Ignatian character embedded in all of the arts programs at Xavier. Initiative. Presence. Reflection.

Across every discipline, students are encouraged to take risks, move beyond their comfort zone and grow — emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

“Art is by its very nature Ignatian,” said Denise Iacovone, chair of the Fine Arts Department. “We talk a lot about being conscious, aware and reflective first. Technique and concept follow.”

Scanapico, who will study computer engineering at Hofstra University next year, said Xavier was the best decision of his life. CFX service trips, choir, band, musicals and the swim team all helped him grow into the man he is today.

“I will always cherish the memories I have of Xavier and know that the door is never closed to 30 West 16th Street,” he said. “I will always be a proud Son of Xavier.”

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From the President The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.1 Dear Sons and Friends of Xavier: The world is indeed charged with grandeur of God, and since man’s beginnings the arts have helped us to see, understand and share that grandeur with one another. As I write I have in front of me The Jesuits and the Arts, a magnificent book edited by John W. O’Malley, S.J., and Gauvin Alexander Bailey and published with generous benefaction by Saint Joseph’s University Press in 2005.

And the stereo is playing “The Apotheosis of Sts. Ignatius and Francis Xavier,” an opera composed by Johannes Kapsberger, S.J., in honor of the canonization of Ignatius and Xavier in 1622. They are reminders of the grand and glorious tradition of the arts in the Society of Jesus.

Once the Society made a commitment to schools, the arts — primarily the dramatic arts — quickly flourished. In 1558 the Jesuit school in Billon mounted 10 dramatic productions — five in French, four in Latin and one in Greek. More than entertainment, the plays were performed to encourage a love of literature, and like Jesuit operas of the day were a means of providing insight into the human condition. As the Society’s work expanded throughout the world, so did her relationship with the arts. Architecture, drama, music, painting, sculpture and iconography — always accommodating to local culture to achieve higher ends — helped shape, and were shaped by, Jesuit life in Europe, Asia and the Americas. From the sketches of Ignatius by Peter Paul Rubens to the music of the Guarini, the Society, her men and her works have encouraged, supported and often created work that helped all better glimpse God’s grandeur.2 The arts have a distinctive ability to draw us closer to God. They provide evidence of the transcendent, draw forth deep emotion, invite us to look at and think about the world in new ways. Ignatius knew well the power of imagination. In The Spiritual Exercises, he often asked retreatants to imagine themselves in gospel scenes or to look upon the world with God’s eyes. In considering Christ’s birth, he invites one on retreat to “observe the place or cave where Christ is born: whether big or little; whether high or low; and how it is arranged.” Ignatius realizes that our imagination and creativity can bring us closer to God and God closer to us.

The Society’s rich connection to the arts continues to play out today. In Hollywood and on Broadway we can find Jesuit graduates Denzel Washington and Nathan Lane at the top of their craft. Sons of Xavier have works in the collection of the Met (Augustus Vincent Tack 1890), documentaries that received great

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critical praise (Brian Schulz’s ’92 Brooklyn Castle) and musical compositions recently performed at Carnegie Hall (Ray Lustig’s ’90 “Latency Canons”). And Jesuits themselves are active engaged artists. We feature Mike Tunney, S.J., in this issue but we need not look far for others.

Frs. Bill Cain, S.J., and George Drance, S.J., are accomplished dramatists and actors. Bill is known to some of our Xavier alums from the Nativity Mission Center. George is the artist in residence at Fordham Lincoln Center.

The arts are flourishing here at Xavier. In class and out, students are taking risks, developing their talents and sharing their gifts. Doing so provides them and us glimpses of God’s grandeur.

And as our 15th Street project continues on schedule for the opening of school in 2015, we look forward to new space for music and drama that will provide for continued growth. As always we build on what has gone before us in the Society and at Xavier. I am sure Joe Caruso would applaud the planned space for our vocal musicians — today’s glee club.

As we focused on the arts, we wanted student artwork on the magazine’s cover. We had some great work to choose from. A collage by Gabe Ribes ’13 caught my eye. Beyond the bold colors, it is the skyward glace toward the moon and toward Xavier — eyes wondering about something bigger, something beyond — that was a great attraction. In his film To See His Face, Jim Mayzik, S.J. recalls gazing at the stars from Loyola, Spain and contemplating God’s creation. He realized he was gazing at the same sky as Ignatius. And it is the same God who created that sky who calls us to be fully human as he called Ignatius and Xavier to be fully human, to be alive in Christ. It is in the fullness of our humanity that we come to fully know the grandeur of God. And for all this, nature is never spent; There lives the dearest freshness deep down things; And though the last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.3

My prayers, God’s blessings,

John R. Raslowsky President

1 God’s Grandeur, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.( 1844-1889) 2 Much of this paragraph and the next are drawn from The Jesuits and The Arts, Saint Joseph’s University Press, 2005.

3 God’s Grandeur, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.( 1844-1889)

Xavier

In this issue

>> Spring 2013

Spring 2013, Volume 16 Number 2 Xavier High School John R. Raslowsky President Michael LiVigni Headmaster Rev. John Replogle, S.J. ’51 Assistant to the President Joseph F. Gorski Vice President for Advancement Michael L. Benigno ’00 Director of Communications and Managing Editor of Xavier Magazine Editorial & Design Services Erbach Communications Group Photography Matt Rainey Images Harisch Studios (Mark Moss P’08) Mike Benigno ’00

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GROWING THROUGH THE ARTS Arts have a starring role at Xavier with well-developed programs and talented faculty who put Ignatian ideals at the forefront of the process.

18. Q&A: Rev. Michael, Tunney, S.j.

A former member of the Xavier Jesuit Community expresses faith, humanity and even his Jesuitness, in art.

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Xavier Moment From the President News from 16th Street Maroon and Blue Class Notes Back Story

20. BENE MERENTI Four members of the Xavier community are recognized with the Bene Merenti Award for 20 years of service.

How to Reach Us Xavier Magazine Managing Editor 30 West 16th Street New York, NY 10011-6302 e-mail: benignom@xavierhs.org To submit a Class Note, e-mail classnotes@xavierhs.org Founded in 1847, Xavier High School is an academically rigorous, Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school in New York City that educates intelligent, motivated young men of diverse backgrounds and means.

Xavier teaches students to take responsibility for their lives, to lead with integrity, to act justly in service of others, to pursue excellence in every endeavor and to deepen their relationship with God. Ultimately, Xavier forms young men who will go forth to transform the world for God’s greater glory.

24. TAKING SHAPE Floors are adding up on 35XV, the high-rise that will bring a game-changing addition to the Xavier campus.

26. Part of their plan When Irma and Daniel Rodriguez ’58 revisited their estate plan, helping to sustain Xavier was an important priority.

On the cover: Self portrait collage by Gabe Ribes ’13.

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News from 16th Street

News from 16th Street

SUCCESSFUL OUTINGS FOR JROTC TEAMs

Xavier’s JROTC extracurricular teams reached new levels of success this year, providing members of the Regiment with ways to flex their leadership and competitive skills.

In April, the Raiders defeated former national champion Francis Lewis High School of Fresh Meadows, N.Y., in the team 3K run, held at Fort Dix, NJ. Led by Eric Castro ’13, Jack Profaci ’13 and Charlie O’Hagan ’13, the Xavier team finished in second place at the Brigade Championships later in the spring.

The cadet marksmen on Xavier’s Rifle Team placed within the top three in the Brigade, qualifying for Nationals in Camp Perry, Ohio, in February. The team was led

by Nicholas Balkovic ’13 and an outstanding core of seniors and juniors and will participate in several

training sessions with Olympic coach Debbie Lyman.

Xavier’s armed drill team, the X-Squad, made its first appearance at Army Nationals in two years. The squad benefited enormously from dedicated X-Squad alumni who drilled with the team for many hours on the Xavier roof. Christian Gene ’96 accompanied the team on the 14-hour bus ride to Louisville, Ky. in a gallant show of moral support.

Alumni also supported the team during an all-day meet at Francis Lewis Academy, where the X-Squad finished in second place.

Xavier’s unarmed drill team, the Saber Guard, vaulted into the top 10 in the nation at Army Nationals, held in Kentucky in March. Led by Cdt. Col. Bryan Laboy ’13, the team put forth a stunning performance of drill excellence, finishing in second place.

Watch Xavier GRADUATION ONLINE

Al Roker ’72, weather anchor on NBC’s Today, will address the graduating class at Xavier’s 2013 Commencement Ceremony. For the second year in a row, commencement will be streamed live online to allow alumni and friends to share in this wonderful event. Due to ongoing renovations and improvements taking place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, commencement exercises are being held at the historic Riverside Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Follow the Xavier Facebook page at facebook.com/xavierhs for a live link or visit xavierhs.org/graduation2013.

Video will begin streaming at approximately 7 p.m. on June 13.

Mass Celebrates Xavier Moms More than 200 Xavier mothers and their sons attended this year’s Mother Son Mass and Dinner on May 9. Rev. Jack Replogle, S.J. ’51 was the presider and homilist at the liturgy, with Rev. Jim Hederman, S.J., and Rev. Ralph Rivera, S.J., concelebrating. During the Mass, Mrs. Sandy Horvat, P’13 offered a thoughtful reflection on being a Xavier mom and also expressed her gratitude for the great gifts that a Jesuit education has given to her son. Senior mothers and sons then continued the new 4.

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tradition of offering a special blessing to one another, with seniors presenting their mothers with a special Xavier mother pin.

Following the mass, everyone headed down to the beautifully decorated gym for food, fellowship and photos. Director of Annual Giving Maggie Murphy commented, “This is such a special evening at Xavier, filled with great energy and spirit. It is a wonderful opportunity for our moms to spend time with their sons and with one another.”

Above: Mothers and sons filled the gymnasium.

Left: Linda Cappabianca P’05 and her son, John ’14.

Fr. Costantino To Lead Canisius High School in Buffalo Rev. Joseph Costantino, S.J., who served as pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier since Fr. Joe Costantino 2006, will leave his post to become president of Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. Under Fr. Costantino’s leadership, the parish thrived as a vibrant and welcoming faith community. He ushered in farreaching cooperation and collaboration among various parish constituencies, deepening the spirit of community and increasing its apostolic success. The historic Church of St. Francis Xavier also successfully completed the second phase of a top-to-bottom restoration. Funded in large part by the support of parishioners, the restoration earned the church a Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Victorian Society Award.

The move upstate marks a return to the site of Fr. Costantino’s first assignment as a Jesuit. He served at Canisius as a novice in 1978, first

teaching mathematics in the school’s Jesuit Higher Achievement Program.

“More than anything else, I will take away from my seven-year experience as pastor here the love that God has shown for me in and through God’s holy people,” Fr. Costantino said. “There has been great joy in ministering to such wide diversity of people, striving to be an instrument of unity amidst such diversity.”

“Fr. Costantino has been a great partner in the work here on 16th Street.

The parish is a dynamic Catholic faith community and the renovated church is a wonder. Both enrich the life, work and worship of the high school community.

Joe’s leadership, spirit and support will be missed on 16th Street, but I am happy to welcome him to the world of secondary education. I am equally happy to welcome Fr. Marina to Xavier.

He knows both the school and the parish well and will be a distinguished successor to Fr. Costantino,” noted Xavier president Jack Raslowsky.

Fr. Costantino has served as executive director of St. Ignatius Retreat

John Duffy ’78 finishes two board terms John Duffy ’78 completes two three-year terms on Xavier’s Board of Trustees and the school’s Advancement Committee this June.

As a board member, Mr. Duffy was committed to complex access and affordability discussions, focusing on ways to keep Xavier financially strong while remaining true to her mission and identity. He remains a generous school supporter and benefactor.

“John brought to the board all of the skills of an extremely bright banker, and much more. His sophisticated analysis and willingness to confidently voice a contrarian perspective made for good, healthy

governance. Above all, he’s been a good and faithful Son of Xavier,” said Richard Nolan, Esq ’83, chairman of the Board of Trustees Mr. Duffy is CEO of J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Private Bank. He is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and New York University’s Stern School of Business, and previously served as vice chairman to the investment committee of the Westchester Putnam Council of Boy Scouts of America. He lives in Rye, N.Y., with his wife, Patricia, and their three children.

John Duffy ’78

House and director of vocations for the New York and Maryland provinces. He currently serves as a trustee of Canisius College and Loyola School.

Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., currently associate pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola on Park Ave., will take over as pastor of the Church. Fr. Marina, a Xavier board member, holds a Ph.D. in higher education from Fordham University and has had an extensive career as a college and university administrator.

A Blessing for JESUITS When Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, S.J., was elected pope on March 13, it was a day of great joy for the Church and particularly the Society of Jesus and all her friends. Much has been written about Pope Francis, his downto-earth nature, and the reaffirmation of the Church’s long commitments to intellectual rigor, education, social justice and ecumenism.

Xavier President Jack Raslowsky recalled a former student who had drifted away from the Church. “He promised he would come back when a Jesuit was elected pope,” Mr. Raslowsky recalled. “He thought it was a safe bet. He’s back. I have been struck by the power of Francis’ example.”

Mr. Raslowsky continued, “Francis of Assisi exhorted his followers to ‘preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary use words.’ Francis, the first Jesuit pope is a reminder to all of us to do the same. May Mary, Mother of the Society, watch over him; and may God in God’s goodness strengthen and guide him.”

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Growing through the ARTS

Starring Role for the

Festival of the Arts is the culmination of an Ignatian process involving reflection, experimentation, collaboration and assessment.

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Arts

The Blue Night Band played “Sister Sadie.” A Little Knight Music, the Xavier High School choir, sang Broadway standards.

The Xavier Dramatics Society performed a scene from the spring musical, “Urinetown.”

More than 15 studentmade films were screened and hundreds of original paintings, drawings and photographs were on display for all to see. The annual Festival of the Arts was held on May 17, an event that is more than an impressive showcase for talent and work. It is the culmination of an Ignatian process based on reflection, experimentation, collaboration and assessment — plus a whole lot of trial and error — which is how Sons of Xavier grow and develop.

“If you have a good process,” observed one Fine Arts Department faculty member, “then you end up with a really good product.” And Xavier has a really, really, good process.

The cover story in this issue of Xavier Magazine details that process, elaborates on the role of Jesuit education in the arts and touches upon how well-developed programs in the Visual Arts, Music, Performing Arts, and Writing form better, smarter, more capable men.

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Visual Arts From the Page to the Screen Most high school students are highly proficient at consuming technology.

Filmmaking teacher Michael Chiafulio is on a mission to turn these consumers into content creators who will contribute to their professions and communities.

“We’re engaging students in technology in a creative and productive

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way,” said Mr. Chiafulio. “We want them to become creative forces.”

That process involves multiple components in the yearlong moviemaking and editing elective at Xavier. In the first half of the year, students learn the video editing program Final Cut Pro, complete editing assignments and work in small groups to develop a script. In the second

Growing Right Side through Headline the ARTS Community of Artists When Braham Berg ’13 visited Xavier in the eighth grade, he took one look at the art studio and knew 16th Street was where he wanted to be. Berg took every art class offered at Xavier and developed a portfolio that gained him admission to the architecture program at Tulane University. Matt Maquiling ’13 excelled in science and never imagined he would spend four years in Xavier’s art studio. Creating original art, he says, is a lot harder than it appears.

“I saw it as a hobby when I got here, but it’s a lot more in-depth and complicated than it looks” said Maquiling, who will study engineering at Duke University this fall. He credits Xavier’s visual arts program with helping him become a well-rounded individual who can think creatively.

Art teachers Renzo Ventrella ’92 and Denise Iacovone say one of the great strengths of the visual arts program is that it prepares students intent on attending competitive art and design institutions of higher education (97 percent of art students are admitted to their first choice school and 70 percent are awarded scholarships) and also caters to students like Maquiling who discover a love of art freshman year and want to develop their talent.

“It’s a different kind of discipline,” said Mr. Ventrella, who often identifies students with an inclination for the visual arts in the introductory course and encourages them to pursue upper level courses with Ms. Iacovone. “It teaches creative and non-linear thinking. A lot of people think art comes naturally. I want my guys to know that it’s a very deliberate activity.”

For Maquiling, that kind of thinking has extended to science classes and his work with the Robotics Club. “Art helps you with the method of creating. You have a final vision in your head and you’re able to work toward it.”

Reflection is also a significant part of the process, especially in the upper level courses that are modeled on the atelier, where a small group of artists work on individual pieces in the same place, at the same time. Within this supportive community, students also gain the language and skills to give and accept criticism. “It’s not just an art class,” said Berg, who appreciates the input he receives from peers who understand the process. “It’s a community of artists.”

half, they pitch completed scripts and begin the production process: casting, filming, editing, special effects, music — virtually every component of filmmaking — until they complete a short film. Mistakes are an inherent part of the process.

“Students learn as they go,” Mr. Chiafulio continued. “This class gives them freedom to experiment. With so

many variables, they are going to make mistakes.” As a result, novice filmmakers learn from experience and apply lessons acquired from one film to the next. By the time Xavier’s annual film festival rolls around during Festival of the Arts, approximately 15 student films are screened and judged by a panel that includes alumni filmmakers.

View from the High Line by Sean Pacheco ’13.

Taking it to the Streets What happens when Xavier photographers have the opportunity to explore New York, one of the world’s greatest cultural destinations? Some great photography gets produced, according to English teacher and Photography Club Advisor Jennifer Kennedy-Orlando. But even more, students constantly make new discoveries in familiar and not-so-familiar neighborhoods of the city.

The club has gone on excursions to Chinatown and the High Line, and students have explored in greater depth sites they pass every day, like Chelsea Market.

They also visit museums including the International Center for Photography (ICF).

The club, established six years ago, has gone from meeting once a month to gathering every Friday. Students discuss photography, hear from professional photographers, review work or go out and take more photos. “It provides an opportunity to see how great the city is,” Ms. Kennedy-Orlando said. “It’s good for them to go out and learn about their world, even if it’s two blocks away.”

“There are not too many opportunities for students to put their product out there for people to see, judge and critique,” Mr. Chiafulio said. One short film will garner an “Oscar” and bragging rights, but for all filmmaking students, bigger rewards endure. “They become self-directed problem-solvers who work independently in a collaborative way.”

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Music

Finding their voice Students like Vidal Baez ’16 do more than improve their singing voices by participating in the vocal music program at Xavier. Through formal voice classes, participation in the liturgical choir and A Little Knight Music, the extracurricular secular choir run in conjunction with

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Notre Dame School, Xavier students also find their own individual voices.

“I had a passion for singing in middle school,” said Baez, who takes vocal music to fulfill his freshman requirement in the arts. He also sings with A Little Knight Music, an experience the Xavier freshman finds gratifying.

Growing Right Side through Headline the ARTS Pushing Their Musical Boundaries Pink Floyd’s “Money” may not be a part of the Blue Night Band’s repertoire, but that’s the first song Alejandro Pavon ’16 played as he picked up the upright bass on a recent Tuesday morning. Creative experimentation is exactly what music teachers William Pace, D.M.A., and Jerome Neuhoff want, and the band room is a fertile musical space.

When Dr. Pace was first exposed to the “Graduate at Graduation” principles that provide the pedagogical framework for Jesuit education, he applied it to Xavier’s instrumental program. “I want our students to graduate with the ability to play one or more instruments and to have a repertoire of music for performances on and off campus. They will also leave with a working understanding of music theory and an entrée into the technology that is available today.”

The Xavier music studio is a comfortable, creative space that combines the right mix of instruction, technology and hands-on performance time to enable musicians of all levels to learn music in a holistic way. Freshmen learning trombone sit next to more experienced upperclassmen who serve as backup musicians while they reinforce their own skills. The atmosphere is supportive, and Dr. Pace and Mr. Neuhoff frequently find alternative ways to communicate musical ideas.

Digital video cameras in the studio, for instance, build stage confidence while serving as an aid for self-appraisal. Instructional videos have provided the framework for bass players like Evan Calzolaio ’13 to learn a second instrument — in his case, guitar.

“I use the instrumental playalongs on Logic Pro both in the studio and on my home computer,” Calzolaio said. “You hear a song, you play along with it and also look at the notation. Eventually, you don’t need the music.”

All of this is working to “flip the classroom.” Students have the ability to try new material at home and push their skills further on their own terms while adjusting their abilities and fine tuning their performances in school.

“The band has made me into a competent musician,” Calzolaio said.

“Even if I do not choose to continue music study in college, this style of learning has added to the well-rounded, open-to-growth person that Xavier aims to create. Whether on the track team or in the band during college, we have that extra component that Xavier promises.”

“I enjoy it,” he added. “It’s fun to sing in a group.”

Campus minister Dee Kittany, who also leads the vocal music program at Xavier, is always looking for ways to push students out of their comfort zone. “I like to open the door a little bit,” she said. For instance, if a singer

is uncomfortable taking on a full-blown solo, then a reading portion of a psalm or a call and response during Mass is an opportunity to step forward.

“It’s a good way to ease students in,” Ms. Kittany explained. “In small groups, it’s easier to take a risk.”

the xavier record label Johann Sebastian Bach used the Jesuit motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God), or A.M.D.G., on all of his musical compositions. The powerful phrase is often invoked at Xavier High School, so when it came time to name the school’s own recording label, A.M.D.G. Records was the natural choice.

“Of course [recording] is a technological process, but it goes back to our Jesuit identity to be reflective and open to growth,” said William Pace, D.M.A., director of instrumental music.

“The professional recording builds something lasting.”

The fully equipped recording studio performs multiple functions. Students are able to listen, reflect on their work and identify areas for improvement. By building ownership and accountability, musicians become deeply invested in the work. “The students seem to enjoy it,” said Jerome Neuhoff, who teaches Introduction to Music and co-directs the band. “They definitely see themselves improve in a realistic light.”

For the senior project, students take charge of a collaborative musical process, recording and mixing original compositions and standards on the A.M.D.G. label. “At the beginning of their Xavier career, it’s a teaching tool,” Dr. Pace said. “But by the end of senior year it’s a trophy of their hard work.”

The CDs and sample tracks produced for each graduating class are also posted on the Xavier Instrumental Music website. Listen to sample tracks at xavierjazz.weebly.com and click on “A.M.D.G. Records.”

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Performing Arts

Crafting Young Storytellers A few years ago a group of Xavier juniors petitioned to convince the school to offer a class in creative writing. It didn’t take a lot of convincing.

Today, the popular elective attracts a wide spectrum of students. The course is modeled after a college-level workshop.

“The students are required to write eight12.

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page short stories and submit them to their peers and to me,” said program director Aidan Byrne. “Then we spend 40 minutes per story talking about the different elements and craft that go into writing good stories. We discuss each story’s strengths and what might need to be improved. The only rule that we have,” he added, laughing, “is that there are

Growing through the ARTS Good for Everyday Life To fully appreciate the stellar performance of Xavier students in the satirical comedy musical “Urinetown” earlier this year, you need to look backward. Before the long rehearsals, and even before auditions, a number of students discover an interest and talent for performing in Nicole DiMarco’s Introduction to Acting class.

“Casket, dead and dog,” were the prompts Nicolas Gangone ’15 recalled as he described a guided improvisation exercise from a recent acting class. Ms. DiMarco tasked a small group with developing a scene around the three words, and the challenge was to perform the scene without actually saying the words. Once the scene was finished, the rest of the class guessed which words were used to form the scene.

“It was a very somber topic that turned into a hilarious scene,” recounted Gangone, who played the lead role of Eugene in last year’s “Biloxi Blues” and Hot Blades Harry in “Urinetown.” When the sophomore started at Xavier, he never imagined he would audition for and star in Xavier Dramatics Society productions. Acting, he says, is liberating.

“It’s on you to figure out what you have to do. It’s your choice where you want to go with something, whether it’s acting or the arts in general. It’s your original idea.”

Ms. DiMarco, who also directs the fall play and spring musical at Xavier, says the school’s drama program spurs intellectual and personal growth. “It allows students to work on a broad spectrum of skills and that translates to other studies,” she said. “They come in on the first day very hesitant and then you see them come out of their shells. They’re raising their hands more and participating in discussions.”

Improvisation also helps students become agile thinkers. “Acting is good for everyday life,” Gangone stated. “You become someone else and that helps you when you come back to the real world. Faced with new situations and challenges,” he continued, “I’ll know how to go about doing it because of something I’ve learned from playing another character.”

Whether it’s an improv exercise in acting class or a big musical production, Ms. DiMarco encourages student-actors to always “see what isn’t there.” “It’s about thinking outside the box,” she explained. “We want our guys to see the problems, and find the answers. And really that’s what we want them to do in life, to solve the problems of tomorrow and to be ‘Men for Others.’ ” no zombie stories. We have a one-deadbody limit. If you have to ground a story in your every day life, it requires a little bit more imagination on your part to make it interesting.”

Students are so inspired that they often decide to study creative writing at institutions such as Kenyon College and Johns Hopkins University. And while the

class gets their creative juices flowing, they soon learn that writing is also hard work. “They’re surprised by how much work goes into writing a story,” Mr. Byrne noted. “That makes them appreciate the literature that we cover in class and they begin to really understand just how much craft goes into it.”

There are other surprises, too. “Our

The Lexicon of Youth Most writing in high school only gets read by a teacher. But The Lexicon, Xavier’s literary journal, provides a wider audience for the creative work of students.

“We take stories, poetry, photography and original art,” said Lexicon moderator Kathy Concannon. “I think it’s fun for all the students, even if they’re not really good critics or don’t get the best grades in English class. This is a very different form of writing.”

Ms. Concannon said the students not only contribute their work but also collaborate to produce the journal in its final form. “We’ve had some quality work, and in the two years I’ve been moderator, I’ve been extremely proud to be connected with such a strong group of writers. Students have also found the publication to be extremely rewarding,“ she said.

class is a good blend of creative, artistic kids and really academic kids,” said Mr. Byrne. “And sometimes you have guys who are really, really quiet in their other English classes but they start to reveal themselves in their stories. Their classmates are blown away by the work they can produce. It’s a great class.”

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Dee Kittany

Denise Iacovone

Renzo Ventrella ’92

Keeping their Edge On Xavier teachers are also working artists

D

ee Kittany can’t remember when music wasn’t a big part of her life. Raised in a small town in Arkansas, Ms. Kittany, a campus minister and vocal music teacher at Xavier, played piano and loved to sing with the church choir. “It was part of who we were and what we did,” she noted. Her focus in college, however, turned to science and she later earned a master’s degree in biology and became a science teacher. Yet her passion for music never abated. “I knew music would always be a part of my life and that I would continue to learn and grow in it,” Ms. Kittany said.

That she has. A longtime member of the New York Choral Society (NYCS), the 180-member choral group widely recognized for its outstanding performances, Ms. Kittany has performed at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall and has also traveled extensively to sing with NYCS at international music festivals in Mexico, Greece, Israel and Austria among others. She also completed additional coursework at Westminster Choir College at Rider University in choral conducting.

The pursuit of an artistic life outside of Xavier classrooms, she says, is not unusual. “All of us who teach in the Fine

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Arts Department are all working artists as well. We do as we teach. We live in a city where we do have opportunities to keep our edge on and bring that into the classroom.”

“I try to bring my experience to my teaching,” said music teacher Jerome Neuhoff. Questions about a piece of music such as Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring,” can spark in-depth conversations because Mr. Neuhoff has performed it many, many times. A classical timpanist, he has decades of experience playing for the Regina Opera, Staten Island Philharmonic, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra and many other music ensembles in the metropolitan area and beyond. Mr. Neuhoff is also a composer of original music for numerous performing arts organizations including the Dance Collective, a New York City based modern dance company.

Chair of the Fine Arts Department Denise Iacovone keeps her edge as an improvisational painter. She recently finished an ambitious series, “The 72 Names of God.” The 72 paintings took four years to complete and each painting, said Ms. Iacovone, “is based on the Hebrew symbols that represent an aspect of God, such as peace, humility and health.” As an artist, she also embraces the Ignatian ideals Xavier instills in its students, such as

Growing through the ARTS

Jerome Neuhoff

Nicole DiMarco and the cast of “Urinetown.”

“We do as we teach. We live in a city where we have opportunities to keep our edge on and bring that into the classroom.” openness to growth. “I’m learning how to create digital oil paintings on the iPad,” said Ms. Iacovone. “It’s so realistic and very exciting.”

Outside of his teaching duties, Renzo Ventrella ’92 is a freelance illustrator and sequential artist involved in a variety of projects. He has collaborated on stories published in anthologies by DC Conspiracy, a group of comic creators, writers, artists and editors in the Washington, D.C. area, and recently completed illustrations for a forthcoming book of Rex Ryan sports quotes called Fifty Shades of Rex. Mr. Ventrella also uses his talent to help others, most recently by contributing time and talent to the comic book Solestar. Siike Donnelly, a writer and brain aneurysm survivor, initiated the project and requested the help of other artists to create a comic book about a

Japanese superhero’s last day on earth. Solestar is being sold at conventions and other venues, with proceeds benefiting the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.

While some faculty members are longtime teachers, others, like drama teacher Nicole DiMarco, have taken a different route. “I wasn’t very good at the starving artist thing,” said Ms. DiMarco, who was a New York actor for several years. The need to earn a living while she auditioned for parts, got her into coaching students for auditions and teaching summer workshops in the performing arts. She later earned a master’s degree in International Studies from City College and was a team leader for Women for Afghan Women, an allfemale volunteer group. She continued to work with young actors and connected with Xavier when she choreographed the spring musical in 2011. When the position of drama teacher became available, Ms. DiMarco knew she found her niche.

“The sense of community amongst my colleagues is more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined,“ she said.

“Add to that the amazing, talented students I get to work with, and it’s like a dream job. And even though I am their teacher, I learn something new from them every day.”

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After Xavier

Hall of Fame Inductees

Three of New York’s leading young creative professionals discuss how their long days in the art studio on 16th Street led to successful careers in advertising and design.

J

esuit education. Ignatian values. Downtown Manhattan. These core traits have defined the Xavier experience for generations of graduates, but the school also offers students opportunities to define themselves as individuals. The arts program is rife with these opportunities.

Three alumni — Rich Greco ’03, Ryan Pitula ’01, and Anthony Scerri ’01 — have firmly established themselves within the highly competitive and often impossible-to-crack field of art direction and design.

Each has navigated his own path, but they share one starting point: Xavier.

Mr. Scerri, who attended the School of Visual Arts (SVA) after graduating from Xavier, is the art director of Muscle & Fitness, where he oversees and supervises the overall vision of the publication. It’s his responsibility to maintain visual appeal while ensuring that every

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page is accessible and understandable to the magazine’s readership.

He explained the role Xavier played in helping to shape his career path. “I was already leaning in that direction, but Xavier solidified that,” he said. “A group of students and our teacher, Ms. Denise Iacovone, developed a class where we built our portfolios to help us get into the art schools that we wanted to go to. I had no problem staying in that class for three or four hours after school, until they kicked us out. And without that, I doubt that I would have even gotten into SVA.” Mr. Greco, who attended Pratt Institute, is head of the design department at Droga5, an award-winning advertising agency. Last fall, he was named number 10 on Business Insider’s “30 Most Creative People in Advertising Under 30.” His current clients include ubiquitous brands such as American Express, Puma

Growing through the ARTS Social, Prudential and Kraft, and somehow he even makes time for his own endeavors, including a digital comic called The Greatest Time of All Time.

The classrooms of Renzo Ventrella ’92 and Denise Iacovone presented Mr. Greco with safe, comfortable settings where he could hone his skills and understand

“I was definitely nonchalant about my ability, but Ms. Iacovone helped me realize what my strong points were and gave me a better work ethic.” his talent. He also acknowledged the value the Cartooning and Illustration Club had for him. “That was my interest when I was first getting into art,” he said. “I would go there once a week, and we would work on publications within Xavier. We would work on our own comic as a group, and that was the first time I did that type of project.”

He also credited Ms. Iacovone as being one of his earliest supporters. “I was definitely nonchalant about my ability, but Ms. Iacovone made me realize what my strong points were and gave me a better work ethic,”

he said. Mr. Greco recalled one experience in particular where Ms. Iacovone, or Ms. I, as her former students endearingly refer to her, made a real difference for him.

“I was late getting my AP work together — I think I was the last one to shoot it — and I was very close to ‘having the ship sail,’ as she said. She kept her lights on while we were working to get it finished.” The faculty’s support and confidence in students helped pave the way for Mr. Greco, and certainly for many others.

A judge at Xavier’s annual Festival of the Arts, Mr. Greco shared a recent revelation about the first time he saw artwork on display at a Xavier open house, when he was in the eighth grade. “I walked through the room and saw all the work on the wall. It was funny, years later, to realize that my work was there, [which] completes that small circle.”

Mr. Pitula, who also attended SVA, is a designer and art director, focusing on print and web design.

Recent clients have included WWE and HBO GO, and he is currently working in Oxygen’s off-air creative department. He expressed appreciation for the lessons he learned within Xavier’s fine arts program.

“Xavier is a very regimented school, and there are a lot of rules,” he said. “I remember Ms. I saying, ‘Listen, it’s okay to break the rules, but you’ve got to be smart about breaking the rules. And you’ve got to think about the consequences of breaking the rules.’”

He continued, with gratitude in his voice, “I think any artist needs to hear that. You can break the rules, but if you do it in an intellectual way, you’re going to have good results. I’ve taken that philosophy in my life, as an artist, to this day. I break the rules in the smartest ways possible.”

Mr. Pitula has found great value in this careful rulebreaking. “I do it, and I push myself, because they need that in the art world.”

Pairing talented students with inspirational, memorable mentors like Mr. Ventrella and Ms. Iacovone has proven to be a winning combination. Mr. Scerri put it this way: “Genuinely, if it wasn’t for them, a lot of us wouldn’t be where we are today.”

From left to right: Anthony Scerri ’01, Rich Greco ’03 and Ryan Pitula ’01.

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Upholding Our Mission They are stewards, benefactors and champions for Xavier. Since 1847, the Board of Trustees has been entrusted with overseeing the operation of Xavier High School and upholding its mission to send forth leaders for the city, Church and nation. Now, new and veteran trustees reflect on their responsibilities to Xavier and sustaining the Catholic and Jesuit character of an institution that shaped their lives.

Expressing Faith, Humanity and Yes, Even His Jesuitness

Think of Rev. Michael Tunney, S.J. as a Jesuit artist. Or as an artistic Jesuit. Fr. Tunney was a member of the Xavier Jesuit Community while he pursued an MFA in painting and an MS in Art History at Pratt Institute. For more than a decade he taught art history and studio art at Canisius College, where he is currently the director of mission and identity. His paintings have been exhibited at museums and galleries across the nation. We caught up with him to explore the role of the arts in education and life.

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Growing through the ARTS When did you start painting?

As a little kid. I remember for Christmas, probably when I was about six years old, getting model kits with canisters of paint and building those. I was a rather impatient kid and always much too hasty in trying to finish things. They never turned out as well as I would want them to so I had to learn patience and to slow down. That was one of the first lessons.

When do you find time to paint now?

Usually late at night. That’s when I typically get things done. I call a halt to all the other work of the day and focus on art for a period of time.

So, describe that space you enter when you leave the day behind and become a painter.

It’s a re-entry into space that’s always in the back of my head, cooking with ideas. It’s a discipline, a craft. I relate it very much to the practice of preaching and writing homilies, or to any kind of creative process, whether it’s poetry, written or visual. You settle into that quiet, personal internal space. It’s an internal dialogue, very much like prayer and meditation.

Do you work with religious themes?

For years and years I steadfastly avoided any kind of religious subject matter. I did not want to be a religious artist or an artist who did religious things. I thought that was too typical and my contrarian spirit wanted to go elsewhere, to make my mark in the regular, ordinary art world. But then, in more recent years I actually did start to look at religion, my faith and being a Jesuit priest. Finding where the intersections are with my humanity and Jesuitness and priesthood, and bringing all that into conversation.

What have you learned about that intersection?

It’s all there. It’s always engaged. It takes me in any number of directions. It always has that mark of desire about it. The classic Ignatian concept of great desire in service to others, in service to the Church, but it has a very personal psychological stamp to it for me.

What has surprised you about your exploration of yourself as a painter?

It gets better over time. There’s never an end point to it. One set of works leads to another. I guess I’m pleasantly surprised that there’s always a next challenge and there’s always the ability to go deeper, which is a classic Jesuit Ignatian ideal: challenge, that sense of the Magis. Not to do more like a crazy, overworked maniac, but to go deeper and deeper into

the reality, into the truth of your given situation. And to say something that’s worth sharing with people.

Do you think that everybody is — in some way, shape or form — an artist?

I do, actually. I think one of the shortcomings of American education is that so very little is given to the arts. And when programs are cut back in public schools and private schools, some of the first things that go are support for the arts — ­­ whether it’s musical, literary, visual or the performing arts. I have had plenty of students who have really never done art of any kind. And unfailingly, the students who make the most progress are those who come in rather cold to the whole discipline. They make beautiful work.

That sounds like Ignatian spirituality, the sense of praying or reflecting not in a two-dimensional way, but in a threedimensional way. Really entering into the scene...

Exactly. It’s the application of the senses that is at the heart of the Ignatian prayer experience in The Spiritual Exercises.

How do people react when they learn that you, a Jesuit priest, are an artist?

It often creates amusing situations. They’re surprised and intrigued. They start quizzing me about different things. I still remember a course that I took at Pratt while I was doing my MFA studies. There was a Jewish professor who smoked me out pretty quickly on the first day of class. He reviewed my background and just looked up and called my name. I raised my hand and he said “Are you a Jesuit?”

Whether people are Catholic, or non-Catholic, or even have no religious upbringing, they are always surprised. Some have said, “What are you doing here?” But when they went a little further with it, they became very curious and engaged and interested in hearing stories from the world of religion.

What would you say to people about the role or place or importance of all kinds of art in spiritual life?

I would invite them to go to Genesis I. We are called and invited to be co-creators with God. There is that capacity that’s a natural part of us to be Godlike in the creative experience, whether it’s making and raising children or teaching students or working on some project in one’s own chosen discipline and area of work. We all have that ability to tap into the creative, into the imagination, and use it for the good, for what I like to call ‘raising up the Body of Christ.’

Opposite page: (clockwise from top) Rev. Michael Tunney, S.J., (photo: courtesy of Canisius College Marketing and Communication); Fr. Tunney with a Canisius art student in the Peter A. and Mary Lou Vogt Gallery (photo: Rev. Michael Flecky, S.J.) for the opening of his exhibit, “A Life in Arcadia;” watercolor and gouache on paper titled, “Abuzz;” and “Square 4 Peg and Larry.”

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Bene Merenti

Three faculty and one staff member will be recognized during Commencement Exercises on June 13.

Embracing Cura Personalis

passing through her office,” he said. “She always looks to meet people where they are, care for their needs in the moment and ensure that they walk away happy with the result. And she does so in her humble, understated and quiet way. Barbara never seeks attention.”

Vice President for Advancement Joseph Gorski complimented Mrs. Ciulla’s knack for going above and beyond the call of duty. “Her attention to detail in making sure that each and every donor is not only acknowledged in a timely manner, but also made to feel special in their support of Xavier. This is a very important part of the success of Xavier’s fundraising efforts. She gives a lot of care to all that she does, and is attentive to every detail in the process. Over the course of these 20 years she has built relationships with our alumni and parent donors that are just as valuable as any other relationships built within our department.”

When asked what keeps her at Xavier, Mrs. Ciulla said, without hesitation, “It’s the people. They’re the kind of people you want to be with all day,” she said. “And the boys, they’re fantastic. I was laughing when I came in. A young man was eating, and he said, ‘Have a great day!’

These are teenagers, and they stop to be so courteous, and so nice. And the people I work with — the staff, the teachers — are wonderful.”

Barbara Ciulla Advancement Office Manager Barbara Ciulla has been making a difference at Xavier for 20 years. Since 1993, she’s managed fundraising efforts — particularly gifts and acknowledgements. This year she takes on an additional role: Bene Merenti recipient.

And while Mrs. Ciulla doesn’t work in front of a classroom full of students, she witnesses the results of a Xavier education through her own frequent contact with alumni. She said, “This is what we want to produce; this is what we want the world to be like.” Her correspondence with alumni reveals their great pride in having attended Xavier. “It’s wonderful to hear their stories,” she said. “You get them on the phone and they just love to talk about Xavier. They could be out 50 years, and they have stories to tell you.”

Director of Development Mark Mongelluzzo acknowledged Mrs. Ciulla’s expression of Jesuit ideals in her day-to-day work. “Barbara embraces the Jesuit concept of cura personalis because she is a kind and caring person who always concerns herself with the needs of others, whether the needs of her colleagues, an alumnus she is speaking with over the phone or a student who is 20.

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Xavier PEOPLE with the Bene Merenti Award for 20 years of service to Xavier High School

Still Growing Patrick Dormer From the current construction on West 15th Street, which happens to be right outside his window, to the transition from Jesuit to lay leadership, Bene Merenti recipient Patrick Dormer has seen his fair share of change at Xavier over the past 20 years. However, he has also been touched by what remains the same: the students. “They’re hardworking, they’re fun to be around, and they come from all over the city,” Mr. Dormer said. “Each [student] brings a different perspective to the classroom, and they make it a lot of fun for me. To me, what makes the school special is the type of kid who comes here.”

Head coach of the cross country and track and field teams and chair of the History Department, Mr. Dormer wakes up each morning with a long day ahead. The Nassau County resident commutes more than one hour each way, but he doesn’t mind the haul.

He places great value on tradition, and within that tradition is the growth and development of every student and team member. “It’s great watching the kids grow from freshmen to seniors,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of pride on the team, and they pass that on from class to class.”

He proudly described his students’ impressive work ethic. “The kids who come here, they take on the idea that they’re going to work really, really hard and challenge themselves in every aspect of their life,” he said. “To me, that’s really important. And I’m overjoyed my son is going to be a freshman next year — it really means a lot.”

“Mr. Dormer was the best coach I ever had,” said Keith Mesidor ’11, now a member of the track and field team at Notre Dame University. “I remember my freshman year when I wanted to quit track because of the time commitment and he told me that I had all the talent in the world to be successful in track and it would be a shame if I wasted it. He’s one of the reasons that I am here at Notre Dame, and for that, I will always be forever grateful. He genuinely cares about his athletes’ success on and off the track.”

The significance of being a Bene Merenti recipient has a direct connection to Mr. Dormer’s interactions with his students and teams. He said, “I still feel like I’m becoming a better teacher and a better coach every year.

I also feel that this is a place where people are going to help me grow.”

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Bene Merenti

There are now 38 living Bene Merenti recipients who

Daughter of Xavier Margaret Gonzalez “I have never woken up, in the last 20 years, and said, ‘I wish I had another job,’” said English Department Chair Margaret Gonzalez, who is also the director of freshman drama. “I feel like that’s such a blessing.

[Xavier is] a great place to be.”

Ms. Gonzalez’s commitment to Xavier, however, reaches far beyond her academic and dramatic roles.

This Bene Merenti recipient speaks of her career at Xavier with love and pride. She considers her colleagues family, and she is filled with optimism when she speaks about her students.

On the academic front, Ms. Gonzalez appreciates the trust the administration places in her decisions as English department chair. She said, “Though we still have a very traditional core of academics, the last couple of administrations have been very open to expanding the choices that students have with regard to academics, encouraging teachers to go beyond the box and to take advantage of being in a school in the middle of New York City.”

To that point, Headmaster Michael LiVigni describes Ms. Gonzalez’s cura personalis as being a truly lived experience. “For Margaret, education and English 22.

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in particular is about experiencing and exploring. She wants her students not just to understand the literature that they are reading, but also to feel it, so that they can better understand themselves and the human condition.”

As a Kairos retreat leader, Ms. Gonzalez sees firsthand the impact retreats and service projects have on students. And her belief in Jesuit education is rock solid. “I love this whole idea of ‘For the Greater Glory of God,’” she said. “I love Ignatius’s teachings about finding God in all things — that has been one of my mantras as a teacher. Especially when you’ve got a kid who’s really testing you, you remind yourself that one of our charges is that we find God in all things.”

In the classroom, Ms. Gonzalez pushes her students to do and be their best, always. “I’m not going to settle for mediocrity,” she said. She explained that her students indeed rise to the challenge. “They’re good boys. Really, really good young men. I teach freshmen and seniors, so to see that growth, to see some of these same kids blossom has been amazing.”

This perspective has not gone unnoticed. Mr. LiVigni noted, “Her students know that she loves and cares for them deeply. We call our alumni ‘Sons of Xavier,’ but Margaret has earned the right to be called a ‘Daughter of Xavier.’”

Xavier PEOPLE

embrace Ignatian ideals and are guardians of Xavier’s Jesuit mission.

Giving Back for Good Joseph Sweeney ’85 The sole 2013 Bene Merenti recipient who is also a Xavier alumnus, Joseph Sweeney ’85, started teaching with a four-year plan in mind. “I left a Ph.D. program to teach at Xavier with the intention of giving back four years, and then going to teach in public schools,” Mr. Sweeney said.

Instead, he stayed on 16th Street. “The more time I’ve spent here, the more I’ve understood the mission of the school, and our way of proceeding as an Ignatian school. I just believe in it and love it more and more,” he explained.

Director of Rugby, former dean of faculty and, now, returning history teacher, Mr. Sweeney compared the Xavier experience for today’s students to his own experience three decades ago: “I think we ask more of our students today than we did then,” he said. And while there are fewer Jesuits at Xavier than there were while Mr. Sweeney was a student, he and others grasp the impact of their perspective and contributions. “Clearly, they’re still an important part of our presence here,” he said.

Headmaster Michael LiVigni echoed this sentiment.

“Our Bene Merenti teachers are the guardians of our mission in very real ways. They convey it not just to our students, but also to their younger colleagues,” he said. “It is the goal of the Society of Jesus that their lay colleagues

take more responsibility for that mission. Our Bene Merenti faculty have more than accepted this challenge — they have thrived with it.”

As Mr. Sweeney prepares to return to teaching fulltime, he reflects on his administrative experience. “I can look back and ask, ‘Did I help make a better community among the faculty?’ and I know there is a better community,” he said. “It makes me happy that I might have had some influence on that.”

While the structure of his days will change, he will continue his role as director of Rugby. Mr. LiVigni acknowledged Mr. Sweeney’s unwavering commitment to the rugby program. “He motivates the team to want to be better, to grow and to understand themselves better.”

As a student, Mr. Sweeney was part of the squad that captured the rugby national title in 1985, and as a coach, he takes pride in how the sport has grown at Xavier.

“When I was playing here, it was the first time we were considered an actual varsity sport,” he said. “And what I’ve seen in the 20 years I’ve been here is a tremendous expansion of the program. That expansion is not only due to today’s students — it’s also a credit to the alumni.”

“The thing that makes Xavier special is that alumni remain important in each others’ lives and in the life of the school. And I think probably in no place is that more evident than with the rugby team,” he said.

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Advancing XaVIER

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Taking Shape The stories are rising quickly on 35XV, the 25-story high-rise that will add six floors and more than 30,000 square feet of state-of-theart space to Xavier High School. When the facility is completed in fall 2015, Xavier’s Blue Night Band will have a purpose-built facility to practice, record and perform. Scheduling pressures will be relieved with the addition of flexible, multi-purpose space that can accommodate everything from JROTC drills to a Xavier musical production. Students will have more optimal space to socialize, study and collaborate on projects.

Located on West 15th Street, adjacent to the Xavier campus, the capital project has been described as a watershed event for the institution. The project is also innovative — nearly half the cost of the $25 million project was raised through the sale of Xavier’s air rights to Alchemy Properties, the developer of 35XV; the other half will be raised through fundraising. The school will own and occupy six floors of the new building, while residential condominiums will fill the upper portion of the building, through the 24th floor.

“We are bursting at the seams,” Xavier President Jack Raslowsky told The Wall Street Journal in an April 16 article about the project. He added that the partnership with Alchemy allowed Xavier to assume control of its destiny, while meeting some very basic educational and programmatic needs.

“The new space will allow us to do our work even better.

Music and the dramatic arts will have dedicated space in the heart of the new building. The additional classrooms and common space will enhance teaching and learning and strengthen the community in countless ways. Adding the space is not about doing more, but doing things better. The new space will allow all of us to live the Xavier experience more deeply,” he added.

Now that members of the arts faculty can see the 30,000 square foot addition taking shape, they are excited about its many possibilities. Denise Iacovone, chair of the Fine Arts Department, said the music and drama programs will be housed in the new space. “It is going to give us a lot of versatility,” she said. “The new space will help elevate everything.”

Acting teacher Nicole DiMarco, who also directs most of the Xavier Dramatics Society productions, says that in the Above: Renderings of the new six-story wing adjacent to Xavier High School. new wing, “You can really dive in. We make the best of our (Beyer Blinder Belle) current space, but this new space will free us up to do so much more. It’s going to be great.”

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Part of their Plan

Irma and Daniel Rodriguez ’58 share a great love for one another — ­ and for Xavier.

Their estate plan ensures that Xavier will continue to feel that love.

Irma and Dan Rodriguez ’58 at the annual Celebrate Xavier Gala.

Irma and Daniel Rodriguez ’58 feel incredibly blessed.

The Brooklyn couple has been married for 37 years, and Dan’s alma mater remains very much a part of their life. When the time came to re-visit their estate plan, both believed strongly that helping to sustain Xavier High School was a priority.

“I appreciate everything we have today and attribute it to the education Danny received at Xavier,” Irma explained. “It’s something I treasure, and I hope that this kind of institution will be around for the future.”

Dan is an architect and co-founder of the design and engineering company Montoya-Rodriguez PC Architects, located right here in Chelsea. He reconnected with Xavier 15 years ago, when he volunteered his expertise for renovations and improvements to 16th Street facilities. That led to two terms on the Board of Trustees and the chairmanship of the Plant Committee, where he laid the groundwork for the Kane Building’s state-of-the-art science labs and upgrades to classrooms in the Lynch Building.

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But the Rodriguez’s relationship with Xavier isn’t all work. Friendships Dan formed with classmates on 16th Street during the 1950s continue to this day. “We keep pretty close,” said Dan, describing his relationship with 25 fellow alums who meet on a regular basis. The couple attends many Xavier events, such as the annual Celebrate Xavier Gala, held for the past two years at the Tribeca Rooftop. It’s a way to support the institution they both love while spending time with lifelong friends.

“We’ve formed a family and a social life,” Irma said.

“Xavier has a way of bonding people together forever.”

By including Xavier in their estate plan, the Rodriguezes are now part of the Larkin Legacy Society, the planned giving society named after the institution’s founder, Rev. John Larkin, S.J. Their generosity and foresight enable Xavier to meet many of the school’s annual financial responsibilities and ensure that a high quality Jesuit education remains accessible to deserving students, regardless of their financial circumstances.

That’s important to Dan, who is not only grateful for the education he received, but also has a great appreciation for what he sees happening in Xavier classrooms today. The intellectual rigor and high level of discourse he witnessed at events such as Trustee Shadow Day made a deep impression on him. “I like the exchange between faculty and students,” he said. “It struck me as being very advanced. The school was fine when I was there, but it’s even better now and doing very well.”

The architect hopes more Sons of Xavier consider the various options and benefits of planned giving.

“I’d like more people to be aware of it and know that there’s another way to support the institution,” Dan said. “We’ve had estate plans in place before, but in our major restructuring we wanted to make sure that once everyone was taken care of, part of what we have returns to Xavier.”

“It was important to us that whatever we could give back would go to Xavier,” Irma added. “It couldn’t go to a better cause.”

To learn more about the advantages of planned giving, contact Director of Development Mark Mongelluzzo at (212) 901-5151 or mongelluzzom@xavierhs.org.

Advancing Xavier

Introducing Automated Giving

Annual Fund giving just got easier

Giving to the Xavier Annual Fund just became easier with new, online giving options. Three donor-friendly options provide alumni, parents and friends with all the tools necessary to make their annual gift to Xavier effortless.

1. Give Now option — make your annual gift all at once 2. Scheduled Payment option — schedule your annual gift over a number of months 3. Perpetual Gift option — select a monthly annual gift amount until you decide to stop All you need is a credit card and a few minutes to set it all up. Donors can even pick when to have a credit card charged — the first of the month, the 15th of the month or the anniversary of the day upon which you initiate the transaction. Donors receive reminders before, as well as confirmations after each charge is made.

“I chose automated giving because it seemed to be the simplest way of donating,” said Dylan Kitts ’09. “The e-mail reminder and confirmation e-mails are great tools for me to manage my account.”

Donors have the option to set up credit card charges up to two years in a row and can change their monthly charge amount at any time by simply logging in and changing the amount.

“Automated giving eliminates one more thing to worry about,” noted Director of Development Mark Mongelluzzo. “Not only can donors easily maintain their giving

history, but Xavier is also provided with monthly cash flow through the Annual Fund. Many other institutions have seen great growth in their annual giving by setting up automated giving; we expect that the more alumni are made aware of it, the more will sign up.”

Trustee and Advancement Committee member Bill Kelly ’91 was the impetus behind Xavier’s effort to move forward with automated giving. “I really see it as integral in getting younger alumni to engage and to give,” Mr. Kelly commented. “It’s a lot easier for alums to think in terms of $21 or $84 per month, the equivalent of a night out with friends, rather than $250 or $1,000 all at once.”

Automated giving provides one more way that alumni, parents and friends can help keep a Xavier education accessible. As with all gifts to the Annual Fund, donors can designate where their

automated gifts go: athletics, the arts, the JROTC, campus ministry or financial aid.

“I have absolutely zero complaints, and find it extremely convenient,” Mr. Kitts added. “Xavier taught me invaluable lessons about social justice, work ethic and the value of helping others. I specifically wanted to help with financial aid because I think every academically qualified student deserves the chance to receive a Xavier education. It makes me proud to know I am supporting the future generation of Knights.”

To check out the automated giving options, go to xavierhs.org/ annualfund and follow the prompts at the bottom of the page. And yes, Xavier does take American Express.

Book Your Name for 2013 The Xavier Annual Fund runs on a fiscal year from July 1– June 30. Alumni and friends who made gifts between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013 will be recognized in the 2013 Xavier Annual Report. Donors need to be mindful of these dates when setting up their automated giving options if their desire is to donate a certain amount by the close of the fiscal year in June.

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Maroon AND BLUE

Beyond the Field Xavier’s standout Class of 2013 student-athletes

Standout Class of 2013 athletes Cody Mangano ’13, Tito Ovalle ’13, Connor Sweet ’13, Issa Sylla ’13 and James Buckley ’13.

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fter four years of success, studentathletes like Issa Sylla, Cody Mangano, James Buckley, Connor Sweet and Tito Ovalle — all members of Xavier’s Class of 2013 — have seen the skills they’ve honed on the athletic field translate into valuable life lessons.

“Pray like everything depends on God; work like everything depends on you,” quoted Sylla, who plays wing on the Xavier rugby A-side.

In March, the team returned undefeated from a trip to California, topping number-one ranked Jesuit High School (Sacramento). Sylla scored in two out of three matches, and he says the quote from Saint Ignatius has served as a mantra, guiding him for years, including through two injuries that hampered

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his sophomore and junior year performances.

“I’ve learned to keep getting back up,” he said. “Now, it’s more about playing to my heart’s content and working hard in the off-season to make sure I don’t get hurt. I’ve learned to work for success and not just wait until the season starts.”

Ovalle, who played on both the Xavier basketball and baseball teams, sees a common thread among the teams he played on: brotherhood.

“Especially during my senior year, I went out and played hard and practiced hard every day,” he said. “I learned that you have to be dedicated and you have to love the game. It meant more to me knowing this year would be my last year playing here with guys that I really enjoy and who have become my closest friends.”

On the court, the senior point

guard helped Xavier earn a 2–1 record against rivals in San Diego over Christmas break. When the team came back, they finished the season in second place in their division and won the first round of playoffs.

Ovalle had a great four years on the baseball diamond as well, as shortstop and center fielder. In his sophomore year, the team made it to the city semi-finals. As an upperclassman, he enjoyed working with a mostly younger team. “Both of my coaches have told me that I am someone who leaves it all out there, and I’m proud of that,” he said.

Varsity football captain and rugby flanker Sweet will graduate knowing the value of helping others. After Hurricane Sandy displaced one-third of the Xavier football team, four of Sweet’s teammates lived with him and his family in Manhattan for

more than a month. The 2012 season was legendary; the Knights gained national attention by going all the way to the top as New York Catholic High School Athletic Association (NYCHSAA) champions.

Challenging as the post-Sandy season was, Sweet was left with in important take away. “Even schools we competed against as rivals stood at our side, and I will take that away and remember that my whole life.

When someone’s down — no matter who they are — you should help,” he said.

“Pray like everything depends on God; work like everything depends on you.”

Buckley earned All-American status as part of Xavier’s legendary 4x800 meter indoor track relay team, which finished under the eight-minute mark three times this year. The 4x800 is equal parts speed, intensity and mental motivation, he said.

“If someone passes you, you know you have to get back ahead. You know your body is capable of running that fast, but it comes down to whether you’re mentally strong enough.”

Buckley was also displaced due to Hurricane Sandy, relocating from Belle Harbor to Marine Park.

The success of the 4x800, however, affirmed his grit and determination.

“Throughout the season, we were always doubted by some of the higher ranked teams. What I will walk away with is the ability to overcome adversity,” he said. “I can definitely apply that to my life this year, with Sandy. In that recovery, it

was comforting to know I had the team here. The track team has grown to be my family over the years, and I’ve grown with them.”

“My teammates have provided a friendship that we’ve seen on and off the field, through and through,” echoed varsity baseball right fielder Mangano.

Mangano was tied for best offensive player his senior year with 19 hits. He is also a previous Junior Varsity Most Valuable Player and a winner of the team’s Silver Slugger Award.

“Many of the sports at Xavier have tight teams,” he explained.

“When practice ends, most times, you stay and are with friends. You learn who has your back on the field, and with certain guys there’s a connection where you don’t even need to talk.

You understand who is going to do what and you just cover each other.”

Mangano added, “I’ve learned to open up to my teammates. In the beginning, you don’t know a lot of people, but by senior year it’s an extended family.”

Issa Sylla ’13 was accepted to Dartmouth, where he intends to play rugby. Connor Sweet ’13 was elected to the New York Post’s senior bowl and earned a spot on their All-League team for tight end. He will attend UC Berkeley in the fall, joining four other Xavier grads on the rugby team. James Buckley ’13 plans to run cross-country for Scranton University in the fall.

Cody Mangano ’13 will either attend Brooklyn College and potentially play on their newly reformed team or Loyola University Maryland and play on their club team. Tito Ovalle ’13 received a baseball scholarship to Sacred Heart University and will play there next year.

Four Runners Earn AllAmerican Status Four Xavier track runners achieved AllAmerican status earlier this year after their team emerged as a powerhouse in the classic 4x800 meter relay.

Dominick Ronan ’16, Isidro Camacho ’13, James Buckley ’13 and Eliot Kaufmann ’14 three times broke the famed eight-minute mark for the 4x800, setting the school record three times this season. The relay team finished sixth in the nation with a time of 7:53.24 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals on March 9. The intense, high-speed relay is a showcase high school event nationwide and is even run ceremoniously at the start of major college and professional competitions.

Ronan is one of just five freshman All-Americans in the country. “I am thankful for my teammates, because without them I never would have been able to achieve this tremendous honor,” he said.

“In New York state alone, 900 teams posted a time in the 4x800 indoor relay.

Nationally, there are more than 5,000 teams who run this event,” said Patrick Dormer, Xavier track coach. “Out of all of those teams, we finished sixth.”

The relay was just one highlight of an excellent track season. Varsity indoor track won the NYCHSAA championship for the first time, and also won the indoor Jesuit Championship for the first time in 30 years.

Xavier Magazine

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Sons of Xavier 1.

Celebrate Xavier Gala 2013 2.

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M 1. Xavier President Jack Raslowsky, Issa Sylla ’13, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, Board Chair Rich Nolan, Esq. ’83. 2. Lt. Col. Roy Campbell with Michael and Marianne Palillo P’13 ’16. 3. Rev. Vincent Biagi, S.J. ’67 with Lisa Seccia. 4. Peter Lekkas P’14, Melissa Augeri, Xavier Board Member Pete Seccia ’85 and Christina Lekkas P’14.

5. Jeanne and Bruce Lubin P’16 bidding on a live auction item. 6. Director of Annual Giving Maggie Murphy and Rev. Jim Keenan, S.J.

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Xavier Magazine

ore than 350 alumni, parents and friends helped raise nearly $100,000 for the Xavier Scholarship Fund while enjoying a fantastic evening out. The second annual Celebrate Xavier Gala, held on March 7 at the Tribeca Rooftop, brought together an enthusiastic and generous group of supporters to commemorate the work of the school’s patron saint, Francis Xavier.

Xavier, along with Ignatius of Loyola and their companions, co-founded the Society of Jesus. At the festive Gala, guests sampled culinary delights from the many countries he visited in his lifetime.

“It is fair to say that Xavier himself would have never imagined a school situated in the capital of the world bearing his name, thousands of miles from the land of his birth in the serene, rolling countryside of Spain,” said Xavier President Jack Raslowsky.

“Our God is a God of surprises, and within those surprises, grace abounds.”

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer made a surprise appearance. The senator expressed admiration for Catholic education and discussed his work with the Xavier Board of Trustees to acquire playing fields for Knight athletic teams.

The gala also featured silent and live auctions, music by the Blue Night Band and a tuition raffle drawing of $5,000 and $10,000 to the K–12 institution of the winner’s choice.

Class NOTES Following this issue’s theme, “Growing through the Arts,” arts-related Class Notes are in maroon.

1935 William Murray wrote to say his brother Frank Murray ’32 celebrated his 99th birthday on January 29, 2013.

1940 Francis X. Mascola, now a snow bird in Florida, celebrated 60 years of marriage and has five children and nine grandchildren (eight boys and one girl). He still has his Xavier football uniform.

1948 Karl Faeth has rowed more than eight million meters and this spring was named an official member of the Concept2 Eight Million Meter Club. He is also a member of the USA Weight Lifting Hall of Fame.

1950 Dan Gorman was elected to the board of Christendom College, the Catholic college in Front Royal, Va.

1953 Bill Uber says “Hello” to his ’53 buddies and reports that his beautiful wife of 50 years, Virginia Marie Mc Aleer Uber, passed into the Kingdom on October 16, 2012, after battling ALS for four years. May she rest in peace.

1958 Dennis Corrigan lives in New Hampshire.

He enjoys his retirement playing golf and traveling to visit his five grandchildren.

and his wife have two children and six grandchildren.

1968 John Corless has been living in Charleston, S.C., since his graduation from Georgetown University and Medical School and actively practices gastroenterology. He and his wife, Maureen, have four lovely daughters.

1969 John Flood is currently building a home in Sarasota, Fla., where he and his wife, Carla Melfi, plan to retire with their 10-year-old son, William.

1972 John Moran is swimming coach at the Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah. He was named the 2012 Girls Swimming and Diving Coach of the Year by the Utah High School Activities Association.

1973 Bob Wilke is construction project manager at CMG of Easton, Pa. Blaise Piazza reports that after 33 years as a Special Agent he retired from the U.S. Customs Service/D.H.S. in 2012.

Joel Allegretti has published four collections of poetry, most recently Europa/Nippon/ New York: Poems/Not-Poems. He is currently editing an anthology entitled Rabbit Ears: TV Poems, which will be published this fall

by Poets Wear Prada. It will be the first anthology of poetry about television. More information at joelallegretti.com.

Bill Johnson writes: “I am the executive director of the Greenville, S.C., Symphony Orchestra, a major regional symphony in the Southeast, which is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. My son, Russell Johnson, Esq. married Rebecca Clarke, M.D., on Sept. 29, 2012 in Radford, Va. My daughter, Meredith Johnson, married Cole McCook on April 14, 2012, in Greenville, S.C.

Rene Medina is still a humble, country lawyer practicing in NYC. He writes: “I will never be able to retire, thanks to my 12-year-old son.”

1963

James Weatherall writes: “I am about to relocate to Los Angeles, Calif., as my wife, Maureen, has started a new job as vice provost for enrollment management at Loyola Marymount University — which, for all you East Coasters, is the largest Jesuit university on the West Coast.

We’re both looking forward to meeting the students and Jesuits in the LMU community.”

Martin Heagen retired after 42 years as a pricing actuary in the insurance industry.

1964 Raymond Catanzano retired as a full professor of law and continues in a fulltime law practice. He has been mentioned in a number of volumes of Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. He

1974 Philip Whalen’s daughter, Lindsey, has begun her freshman year at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

1975 Tim Giambrone chaired the Southeast Convention for the International Council of Shopping Centers, held in Atlanta in October 2012.

1977 Charles Goerke’s triplets are all in their first year of college at Mount St. Mary’s, Temple and Monmouth.

Gary Grubb is alive and well, and is a retired detective from the NYPD. He lives in Wantagh, N.Y., with his wife, Thea, and two children.

1978 John DeMarco says “Hello” to all his classmates and wonders, “Where did 35 years go?”

Thomas McGinn has been named chairman and professor at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine and North Shore-LIJ Health System.

Kevin McNamara is still vice president of LG Electronics USA, and lives in Atlanta.

1979 Angel Rivera writes: “I am proud to report that my son, Sean Edward Rivera ’14, is a member of the Xavier Varsity Rugby Team.”

1984 Eric Wakeham is a New York City EMT/ dispatcher. In March, he celebrated 22 years of service, and has three years to go until retirement. He lives in Poughkeepsie with his wife, Deborah.

1986 Peter Cox is now an information systems architect with the Cerner Corporation.

Justin Barocas is a founding partner of Anomaly, an award-winning marketing communications company started in New York in 2004. Anomaly works with major clients providing a variety of services including advertising, design, media, technology, innovation and new product development. Justin was recognized with two Emmy Awards and a James Beard Award as executive producer and writer of Avec Eric on PBS.”

1990 Ray Lustig is a composer. He just made his premiere at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. He released his first solo recording entitled Xavier Magazine

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Sons of Xavier

Reunion Four hundred graduates and guests filled the halls of 16th Street for a great afternoon and evening of tours, cocktails and the Reunion Gala Dinner on May 4. The 50-year Class of 1963 shattered all prior reunion giving records, with over $301,000 raised (61% participation) to establish the Class of ’63 Scholarship and benefit the Annual Fund and several other school funds. Mike Ford, Bill Bradt, Joe Burke, John Draghi, Pete Canning, Gene Gaughan, Tom Keaveney, John Piazza, Bill Porter, Peter Schwimer, and Roy Van Brunt served as members of the ’63 Reunion Committee and were recognized for their outstanding efforts at engaging their classmates and building support for the reunion event.

Michael Johnson ’83, Calvin Palmer ’83, Gus Schmidt ’83, Darryl Washington ’83 and Liberto Forbes ’83.

Above left: Michael Ford ’63, and Joseph Devlin ’63; Above right: Roberto Gonzalez ’88, Bridget Jankovic and Louis Jankovic ’88. Left: Malcolm Harris ’63, Rev. James Fedigan, S.J., Robert Fedigan ’63 and Mary Fedigan.

“Figments,” and is currently composing a new work for star tenor Nicholas Phan and the Lexington Chamber of Music to be performed this summer. Visit raymondlustig.com for more info.

1991 Peter Garcia is a contractor for the United States Military in Afghanistan.

1992 Steven Libert is vice president of Harbor Transport. He and his wife, Brenda, have two children, Luke, seven years old, and Mia, four years old.

“The Architecture of Life” by Jason Cauchi ’98 32.

Xavier Magazine

Brian Schulz produced an award-winning documentary, Brooklyn Castle, about an inner-city public school that has the best junior high school chess team in the country. Brooklyn Castle was the recipient of the 2012 South by Southwest Audience Award for Documentary. The film can be viewed on iTunes and cable VOD and was optioned by Scott Ruden/

Sony Pictures. Brian is also a recent recipient of a National Sports Emmy for his director of photography work on the Showtime series, “The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants.”

More info at brooklyncastle.com Luke Sheridan P’15, father of Devery Sheridan ’15, writes to remind us that the Xavier Blue Knights Band, under the direction of Dr. William Pace, has an amazing web site/calendar.

1998 Jason Cauchi, a New York fashion designer, continues to design for leading international retailers. His collection, Dallin Chase, has been worn by celebrities such as Rihanna, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashians and Jennifer Lawrence, and has been featured in numerous magazines. This year, Jason began working on the foundations he learned here at Xavier: painting. His series of

Right NOTES Side Headline Class mixed media paintings will be complete early 2014. Four pieces in the series are collaborations with other New Yorkbased artists.

2000 John Khinda graduated from Iona College with a degree in Theater Arts/Speech Communication in 2005 and is an actor.

He’s appeared in several independent and student films, as well as webisodes and music videos. He was married earlier this year at City Hall, just weeks before attending another Xavier Beefsteak Dinner. John has most recently appeared in “BQE,” which was screened at the Queens World Festival on March 8, 2013, and the Chicago Latino Film Festival on April 12, 2013. He has just launched his website, JohnKhinda.com.

David Cabral recently began fundraising for Hudson Climbing, an indoor sports center and climbing center he plans to build in Hoboken, N.J. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ HudsonClimbing.

Tim Williamson was promoted to Director of Athletic Communications at Harvard.

2002 Robert Cyparski, Pharm.D., completed a post-graduate residency program at the VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va. He will be staying on board as a clinical pharmacist.

Ariel Guerrero is a candidate for New York City Council in the 8th District, which covers East Harlem, Randall’s Island and the South Bronx.

2003 Salvador Rivas has started an apprenticeship to be a Sandy Hook Harbor Pilot.

P.J. Brennan plays the role of Doug Carter in the British Television Soap Opera “Hollyoaks.”

Segun Akande starred in a number of commercials in recent years and had a supporting role in the drama Mother of George, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

Andrew Dosunmu directed the film that also starred Danai Gurira (The Visitor, The Walking Dead, Treme). He also recently completed Philadelphia’s firstever professional production of A Raisin in the Sun since the play premiered on Broadway in 1959.

2004 Steven Strait plays “Stevie Evans” in Starz’s “Magic City,” a television series set in 1950s Miami. Steven also played the lead role in “10,000 BC” and starred in independent films Sleeping with the Fishes and After.

2006 Matthew Lal graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with honors in May 2010. Matthew writes: “I have been working in operations for the New Yorkbased hedge fund, King Street Capital Management, L.P., since 2010. I am a CPA and currently studying for level II of the Chartered Financial Analyst exam.”

2007 2LT Mike Nilsen graduated from Army Ranger School on April 5, 2013.

1LT Michael Chiaia USA graduated from the U.S. Army Flight School at Fort Rucker, Ala., and is a UH-60 Blackhawk pilot assigned to the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Christian Seabaugh is entering his third year as an associate online editor at Motor Trend magazine in Los Angeles.

Over the past two years, he’s been published multiple times, and played a part in Motor Trend signature events like the internationally-recognized Car of the Year and the supercar-filled Best Driver’s Car. 2LT Brandon Scaturro is currently deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom XVIII in Regional Command East with 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AASLT). He serves as an airborne ranger and infantry platoon leader for a highly mobile scout recon platoon.

2008 After two years of study at the Pontifical North American College, the seminary of the American Bishops, in Rome, Nicholas Marco Colalella will be returning home for the summer months to serve in a parish in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Nicholas shared in the excitement of being in St. Peter’s Square during the election of Pope Francis. He writes: “It was very exciting, as an alumnus of a Jesuit school and a future alumnus (God-willing) of the Pontifical Gregorian University.”

Matt Patterson has released two digital albums so far: “The Getaway,” an EP, in 2011 and “Back in Business” in 2012.

In his young career, Matt has already opened for hit artists Miguel and Mike Posner. He has also released music videos for his hit singles off “Back in Business,” “Let Em Talk” and “WHOA (feat. KQuick).”

2009 Dylan Kitts graduated from St. John’s University in December 2012 with a bachelor’s degree Summa Cum Laude in history and philosophy. Dylan writes: “Since then, I spent three months volunteering with a South African nonprofit organization in Walmer Township. Along with founding St. John’s first undergraduate history journal and participating in my second philosophy colloquium, I was also awarded the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship award for Indonesia during the 2013–2014 school year.”

MIDN ENS Stephen Chiaia USN is preparing for his final summer of training evolution at the United States Naval Academy. He will attend the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center and will be the CO on his small ship cruise in August.

2010 Robert Bruns earned a place on the Dean’s List for Fall 2012 semester at SUNY Cortland.

2011 Adam Salazar is a college freshman studying in the BFA Musical Theatre Program at Pace University. He recently completed a workshop for a new musical called “Lost Boy” and just finished playing the lead role in “Footloose’ at the Vital Theatre.

2012 Jack Johnson is proud to be back at 16th Street coaching the Xavier Golf team.

He is finishing up his freshman year at the College of Staten Island and is majoring in communications journalism.

Xavier Magazine

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Sons of Xavier

Mileposts Marriages Michael Kirkman ’02 married Alicia Costa on April 27, 2013.

Ralph Marucci ’03 married Jessica Aflak on April 21, 2013.

Christopher Silvestri ’03 married Stephanie Savoia Pearl on October 14, 2012 in Egg Harbor, N.J. Michael Walter ’84 married Kelly O’Neil on March 30, 2013. The couple honeymooned in Iceland.

Stephen Haller ’05 married Elyse Busch on August 3, 2012. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Anthony Soohoo, S.J., former director of campus ministry at Xavier. The couple resides in Woodhaven, Queens.

Births John Brenkovich ’87 and wife Stacy welcomed a daughter, Avery Karen, on March 18, 2013, in Greenwich, Conn.

Dave Melendez ’88 and wife Gussie Habeck welcomed their third child, Joaquin Xavier Melendez, on March 2, 2013.

George Sinnott ’97 and wife Jessica welcomed a daughter, Caroline Jane on March 10, 2013. Caroline joins her big brother, George, at their home in Brooklyn, N.Y. Matthew Dory ’97 and wife Danielle welcomed a daughter, Lola Carol, on April 12, 2012.

Please send Class Notes and news of marriages, births and deaths to Classnotes@xavierhs.org.

29th Annual Golf Outing June 27, 2013 North Hempstead Country Club Port Washington, NY Awards Dinner Honoring The 1993 National Championship Rugby Team with the Rev. William J. McGowan, S.J. Spirit Award For sponsorship opportunities, contact Shane Lavin ’03 at lavins@xavierhs.org or (212) 924-7900, ext. 1611.

Presented by

Paul J. Scariano, Inc.

Building Integrity and Professionalism

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Xavier Magazine

Class NOTES

REMEMBRANCES Eugene Michael (Gene) Feeney ’42 passed away March 2, 2013. A former Jesuit priest, Mr. Feeney co-founded New York’s Nativity School, the first Jesuit middle school, which served underprivileged youth. More than 60 Nativity branches have since opened nationwide, and the Lower East Side location served as a feeder school to Xavier and other New York Jesuit secondary schools for many years.

He will be remembered for his involvement and concern for Nativity students.

“He was a visionary who saw that real change was the only way to improve the situation of these children,” said Rev. Jack Podsiadlo, S.J., who taught under Mr. Feeney’s leadership. “He was an army veteran with a thick Queens accent. He could recognize the challenges these kids had and reach them at a strong and direct level.”

Mr. Feeney is survived by his wife, Jeanne, three brothers, Thomas ’47, Bernard ’51 and James; as well as a sister, Eileen, numerous nieces and nephews and four stepchildren.

In Memoriam

Alumni Mr. Charles J. Tantillo ’33 1/30/2013 Mr. Edmund A. Donnelly ’35 9/16/2012 COL Robert L. Willis, USMC ’37 7/11/2012 Mr. John N. Fallon ’40 2/24/2013 Mr. William F. Fantone, Jr. ’42 3/2/2013 Mr. Eugene M. Feeney ’42 3/2/2013 Mr. Richard C. Bargon ’43 6/21/2011 Mr. Joseph A. Lennon ’44 11/21/2012 Mr. Gerard P. Tully ’45 4/12/2013 Mr. William R. Lohr ’46 4/28/2013 Mr. John P. Clarke ’47 12/13/2012 Mr. Roland E. Caron ’50 3/10/2012 Mr. James G. Brown ’51 10/7/2012 Mr. Timothy A. Foley ’51 12/31/2005 Mr. Robert J. Hourihan ’52 3/21/2006 Mr. Glenn R. Cella ’53 2/6/2013 Mr. Robert T. Donahue ’54 11/4/2012 Edward F. Weiss, Esq. ’54 11/8/2012

Brooklyn Prep Legacy is HOnored More than 400 Brooklyn Preparatory grads spanning many decades filled the Church of St. Francis Xavier on May 2 to remember classmates who passed away in the last calendar year, including Xavier’s athletic director, Rod Walker BP ’71, and Rev. Gerald Chojnacki, S.J. BP ’61, former provincial and rector of the Xavier Jesuit Community. The Mass was celebrated by Rev. Daniel Fitzpatrick, S.J. BP ’53.

In thanksgiving for the great generosity of the BP alumni, Xavier commissioned a bronze plaque to honor the alumni of Brooklyn Prep for their support. During mass, Jack Raslowsky thanked the BP alumni for their great commitment to Jesuit education. Fr. Fitzpatrick blessed the plaque, which will hang in the lower lobby at the entrance to the Xavier gym.

“The plaque perfectly captures the spirit of Brooklyn Prep and the mission of our alumni,” said Michael Comerford BP ’72, Brooklyn Prep Alumni Association (BPAA) president. “The presentation really struck a chord among our members and we are grateful to Xavier for permanently displaying this tribute to our school.”

Mr. John R. Krystof ’58 10/24/2012 Mr. Arthur E. Bingay, Jr. ’59 1/20/2013 Mr. Philip J. Matyi ’59 4/11/2013 Mr. William P. Flanagan ’62 12/3/2012 Mr. Jeffrey D. Barnes ’63 5/19/2003 Mr. George V. Dennison ’63 4/8/2010 Mr. George S. Kelly ’63 9/19/1993 Mr. Robert J. Maraia ’63 2/16/2011 Mr. Paul B. Nedza, CPCU ’63 2/8/2013 Mr. Robert F. Catanzano ’64 8/7/2011 William S. Feiler, Esq. ’64 3/22/2013 Mr. James Hicks ’65 11/15/2010 Mr. Joseph G. Collins ’68 3/17/2013 Parents Mrs. Mary Gildea P’70, mother of James Gildea ’70 and grandmother of James Amadeo ’14 2/18/2013 Mr. Daniel Dolan P’89, father of Gregory Dolan ’89 2/18/2013

Following the Crown Heights school’s closure in 1972, the BPAA committed itself to maintaining the fraternal bonds of Brooklyn Prep while providing financial support to the remaining Jesuit high schools in the New York Province.

Six current recipients of BPAA scholarships attended the Mass. Emma McCauley of Loyola School and Christopher Mezi ’14 of Xavier spoke about experiences that have helped them grow at their respective Jesuit institutions. Rev. James Keenan, S.J., former Xavier president, was the recipient of BPAA’s Honorary Alumnus Award, which recognized his dedication to Jesuit secondary education. Dr. Thomas Hayes BP ’60 received BPAA’s Alumnus of the Year Award. Dr. Hayes has worked extensively with refugees and victims of disease around the world.

Rev. Anthony Azzarto, S.J., Jack Raslowsky, Xavier president, Rev. Dan Fitzpatrick, S.J., Michael Comerford, president of the BPAA, and Jack Barry, past president of the BPAA.

Mr. Emil G. Giordano P’75, father of Emil R. Giordano ’75 12/7/2012 Spouses Mrs. Marie Nolan, wife of LTC Kenneth J. Nolan ’53 1/6/2013 Mrs. Marie Dunn, wife of Francis X. Dunn ’51 12/8/2012 Mrs. Nancy Schneider, wife of John E. Schneider ’74 3/3/2013 Mrs. Jessie Reppy Keker, wife of John P. Keker ’59 2/28/2013 Children Mr. Kevin McEwen, son of Arthur I. McEwen ’51 1/12/2013 Mr. Peter J. Rader, III, son of Peter J. Rader ’60 11/15/2012 Former Faculty/Staff Mr. Ronald A. Sarno 3/8/2013 Bro. Emil Dentworth, FMS 2/18/2013 Xavier Magazine

35.

Back story

A Haunting Little Voice

Frank Orlando, J.D. ’67 said that from a young age he heard “this sort of haunting little voice” in his head talking about a religious vocation.

For a while he considered the priesthood, but instead got married and had two children. He studied theology at Fordham University and then taught the subject for 12 years at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx. But the demands of providing for his family grew, so he went to law school and then joined the United States Coast Guard as an officer in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.

Still, the “haunting little voice” stayed with him.

Finally, on June 24, 1989, following four years of formation, Frank Orlando was ordained a Deacon by John Cardinal O’Connor, the Archbishop of New York.

Today, the Xavier alum directs the deaconate formation program for the Archdiocese, a position that includes recruiting new deacons.

“I’m not looking for theologians,” Deacon Orlando said. “I’m looking for men who have the heart of a deacon 36.

Xavier Magazine

— someone who’s willing to go over and wash his brother’s feet. It’s that level of service that we’re looking for.”

Training to be a deacon is demanding. “There are three aspects to it: academics, spirituality and a practical piece. It’s rather rigorous. They train in things like pastoral care for the sick and dying. Some are engaged in hospital visitations during the week,” he explained.

Formation also includes working with grammar and high school students and teaching the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

Being a deacon is not just a side job. “It’s become my life,” Deacon Orlando noted. It’s how I identify myself at this point. It’s all-consuming, and I mean that only in the greatest way. I’ve been very blessed with a wife who is supportive of me in my deacon role.”

The call to serve the Church as a deacon began for many men during their time at Xavier. “I don’t think there were any better four years of formation in my life than what I had at Xavier. We were surrounded by giants of faith. We had Fr. McDonald, Fr. McGowan, Fr. Heavey, Fr. Joe Latella... so many of those Jesuits who were just so influential in our spiritual and religious lives. From the time I was 14 years old all the way through to the end of college, the Jesuits were a presence.

A guiding presence.”

Called to Serve A significant number of Sons of Xavier have served and continue to serve the Church as deacons. In order of class year they include: Deacon Ed McCarthy ’54 Deacon Walter Dauerer ’55 Deacon Michael DeBellis ’58 Deacon John W. Mahon ’63 Deacon Thomas Michnewicz ’67 Deacon Frank Orlando ’67 Deacon James Maher ’73 Deacon Frank Morano ’74 (Additionally, Michael Brescia ’72 is completing the formation program and will be ordained by Archbishop of New York Timothy Cardinal Dolan on June 8 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.)

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NOMINATIONS

The President’s office is now accepting nominations for the Xavier Hall of Fame with induction to take place in November 2014.

Qualifications for admittance require that the person be a graduate, a former faculty member or administrator. The nominee should have a history of exemplary service to community, church and nation in the tradition of St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier.

For a nomination form, please call Helene Strong at (212) 924-7900, ext. 1654 or xavierhs.org/ hof2014.

Prayer

The Society of Jesus in the United States Responding to the Call of Christ.

Service

Everyone has a great calling.

Let us help you discern yours.

Community Director of Vocations 212-774-5500 vocations@nysj.org

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Alumni Event Calendar

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Xavier Magazine

Tiffan Meloney ’14

Knights at the Cyclones

June 18, 2013

29th Annual Xavier Golf Outing Pres. by Paul J. Scariano, Inc.

June 27, 2013

Rockaways Reception

July 9, 2013

Spring Lake Reception

July 11, 2013

Class of 2013 Send-Off

Aug. 12, 2013

Quogue Reception

Aug. 22, 2013

Cape Cod Reception

Aug. 24, 2013

Drinks at Xavier

Aug. 27, 2013

Xavier Society/ Loyola Associates Reception

Sept. 18, 2013

President’s Council Dinner

Sept. 25, 2013

To register or for more information contact Shane Lavin at lavins@xavierhs.org or (212) 924-7900, ext. 1611 or go to www.xavierhs.org/summer13.