Fostering a Musketeer community
How Xavier collaborates with Cincinnati’s first Jesuit Catholic elementary school to empower and educate students
Some elementary schools think college readiness and career preparation are outside their scope and responsibilities, but Xavier Jesuit Academy (XJA), a scholarship-funded Jesuit Catholic school for third-through eighth-grade boys in the Bond Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, knows better.
“We want our students to be accepted into top-performing college prep high schools in Cincinnati,” said Fr. Nathan Wendt, S.J., founding president of XJA and former team member at the Eigel Center for Community-Engaged Learning. “Hopefully, through formation at XJA, when they're in high school, our students will find more avenues to express being men for others in their neighborhoods and communities—while finding peer groups and adults that keep adding to the positivity that began at XJA.”
"Our ultimate hope is to help young men become great men."
Founding Principal Kyle Chandler
From the former St. Agnes School to Xavier Jesuit Academy
XJA's renovated facility on the campus of the Church of the Resurrection, formerly St. Agnes School, opened last fall after less than a year of renovation. XJA is sponsored by the Jesuits and supported by independent donors and Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship program. The foundation of XJA was laid by Cincinnati community leaders who felt compelled to offer a Catholic education opportunity for elementary-aged boys in the community.
"We have good relationships with Bond Hill, and I think people appreciate the activity and life coming into the space."
With a model that makes scholarship-funded education accessible regardless of economic background, XJA’s Jesuit mission states it will prepare “young men to be leaders and ‘Men for Others’ through disciplined academic preparation for life, in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition, while enriching their families and communities”–something Founding Principal Kyle Chandler believes it’s never too early to start.
“Our ultimate hope is to help young men become great men,” said Chandler. “We have five main attributes that we want every young man to have by the time he graduates: to be faith-filled, open to growth, intellectually competent, loving and committed to doing justice. Those five pillars are how you become a well-rounded human being.”
XJA has received overwhelming support from the community.
“We have good relationships with Bond Hill, and I think people appreciate the activity and life coming into the space,” said Wendt. “There are many seniors in the neighborhood who remember the Catholic school that was here, and they’re happy. They can see that it’s bearing fruit, that it’s good for the neighborhood, and we’re proud of that.”
"Because we knew our students would have varied learning backgrounds and skills, we wanted to make sure we did our best to design with them in mind."
As part of the XJA's Jesuit Catholic education curriculum, a STEM lab with 3D printing, laser engravers and more is available for students. The outdoor learning garden (created by the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens) is filled with native plants that educate and harvest students' appreciation for the plants and animals around them.
“We’ve tried to design the learning spaces to be pretty versatile,” said Wendt. “The spaces are designed with colors, textures, different types of furniture and walls that can expand. Because we knew our students would have varied learning backgrounds and skills, we wanted to make sure we did our best to design with them in mind.”
Xavier as a community partner
XJA has everything it lacks or needs in community partners like Xavier. During the construction of XJA, several staff members, including Wendt and Chandler, completed plans for the academy on Xavier’s campus.
“The University was very generous in allowing us to use their space during renovations,” said Chandler. “I don't even want to think about where we would have been. To be able to be on the University's campus and benefit from the connectivity was an unbelievable blessing.”
Last summer, XJA faculty, staff and students conducted their inaugural Summer Institute, a two-week program that offers student academic sessions, team building and leadership development on Xavier’s campus in the Health United Building.
"Many of these families had never been on Xavier University’s campus. To get introduced to the newest building on campus that is so robust– that offers instructional space and recreational space – it was a great introduction to XJA, and the level of excellence families could anticipate."
Chandler felt that being on Xavier's campus allowed his students to understand their academic worth.
“We told our students, ‘We don’t want this to be the last time you are on this campus. This needs to change your eye level. Wherever you go to school, maybe it’s Xavier… you deserve these resources, relationships and this level of communication,'” he said.
"Our students identify with Xavier University. They like the ‘X.’ They know Xavier means excellence, something good and something to aspire to."
Founding President Fr. Nathan Wendt
A bright future ahead
In December, President Colleen Hanycz visited XJA students on their campus.
“It’s hard to keep the attention of little boys,” said Chandler. “You have to be brief, high energy, ask good questions and she did all those things. For the president of Xavier University to take the time out of her day to spend time with our young men speaks to how much of a priority we’ve been for Xavier University.”
"Xavier students are also benefiting because they are getting to see a startup and the many facets it takes to run an organization."
The School of Education has partnered with XJA by having all of their staff participate in a Professional Learning Community, a professional development program for Catholic educators. The University student employment office has also enabled Xavier students to work on XJA’s campus in various capacities.
“Xavier students are good role models for our students. They are present, and they respond well,” said Wendt. “Xavier students are also benefiting because they are getting to see a startup and the many facets it takes to run an organization. They come with different skills and interests, and I see them growing.”
He continued, “Our students identify with Xavier University. They like the ‘X.’ They know Xavier means excellence, something good and something to aspire to. That’s why Xavier Jesuit Academy holds the Xavier name also, because we know in Cincinnati it means excellence, high standards and men and women for others. We’re riding on that, and that’s what we are going to keep aspiring to.”
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