This newsletter from Xavier High School provides updates on events from December 2017 including: - The principal's message about preparing for Jesus during the Advent and Christmas season. - Announcements from the campus ministry, business office, and athletic department. - Recaps of recent events like the Hour of Code workshop and Microsoft Office certification. - Recognition of students who earned all-state honors in football and golf and the dance team winning a state championship. - Upcoming events like Catholic Schools Week in January.

1. December 2017 | Volume 20 | Number 4The official monthly newsletter of Xavier High School
Inside
Principal‘s Corner: 2 | Business Office News: 3 | Campus Ministry News: 4 |
Hour of Code: 5 | Microsoft Office Certification: 6 | All-State Honors: 7 |
Dancing with the Saints: 8 | Xavier Dance is Back-to-Back Champs: 9 |
Good News: 10 | Students & Faculty of the Month: 12
Reason
Seasonfor the
Jesus is the

2. 2
Principal’s Corner: Reason for the Season
“And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?” That
question was posed by John Lennon over 30 years ago.
Upon receiving this issue of the Navigator, we will be
nearing the end of Advent – a time of waiting, a time of
anticipating, a time of preparing. I would guess that, as
Christmas approaches, we might agree that we experience
a lot of waiting, anticipating and preparing.
We certainly wait. We wait in line a lot at this time of year.
We wait in stores. We wait in traffic. We wait in restau-
rants. We wait in airports.
We anticipate. We anticipate having students home
instead of in school. We’re ready to welcome friends and
family into our homes. Some of us anticipate the return of
our college students. We anticipate what gifts may come
our way on Christmas morning. We anticipate joy in the
faces of those who receive our gifts.
And we prepare. We decorate. We trim. We
shop. We wrap. We mail. We clean. We bake.
We move people out of their rooms so relatives
have a place to sleep. Sometimes the prepa-
ration means we pack our bags to be that
relative that displaces someone from his or
her room.
The waiting, the anticipation and prepara-
tion can frazzle the best of us. Unless, of
course, we slow down and remember the
reason for the season. If all we’re waiting,
anticipating and preparing for is Santa,
gifts, and parties, we’re missing the point.
Advent is about preparing for Jesus. We
wait for the coming of Christmas not only
because it marks the birth of Jesus but
because it reminds us that Jesus made a
promise to come again. The anticipation of
that day is almost too overwhelming to com-
prehend. It’s easier to avoid thinking about it.
That in turn leads us to fail to prepare. So rather than
prepare our hearts for the coming of Our Lord, it becomes
easier to prepare for the Christmas that man has created –
the one with tinsel, with lights and with cookies.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas for many of the
reasons mentioned above. All I ask is that we acknowl-
edge that Advent is a reminder that we must constantly
be ready for the promised day. It is a call to action – to
cleanse ourselves of sin and to prepare the Way of the
Lord. It’s the end of the year and it’s a time to reflect on
who we’ve become and whether we’re ready for the sec-
ond coming.
Here’s hoping all of us answer John Lennon’s question,
“And so this is Christmas, and what have we done?” by
responding, “I have prepared for the coming of the Lord.”
I wish you and your family a most wonderful and blessed
Christmas. May the distraction of the “holiday” not inter-
fere with our celebration of the “Holy Day.”
Sincerely,
Tom Keating, Principal
@phillyboy14
Tom Keating
Xavier Principal

3. 333
December 22 - January 2 –
Christmas Break
January 3 –
Christmas Season Mass
Second Semester Begins
January 4 –
Girls Retreat (Jr/Sr)
January 5 – Boys (9-12) &
Girls Retreats (Fr/So)
January 18-21 – Kairos 30
January 20 –
“Dancing With The Saints”
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@XavierSaints
@PhillyBoy14
@AngelaOlson19
@XavierSaintsAD
@XpressNewspaper
@Xavier_Catholic
@JodyEsker
@SaintNickXHS
@XavierBands
@XavierHSdrama
@CRXavier_XC
@CRXavierTennis
@CRXavierBBall
@XHSDanceTeam
@XHSVolleyball
@CRXwrestling
@XcentricsFTC
@CRXavierFB
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Business Office Updates:
With our First Semester ending, please make sure you are up to
date on your tuition payments. Third semester payment and second
Semester payments are due January 10, 2018. As a reminder if you
need a statement for your tuition tax credit when you go to do your
taxes, please sign into My Back Pack and print those out.
Instructions can be found here:
www.xaviersaints.org/parent/business-office/tuition-tax-credit-infor-
mation/. Remember that Xavier does not send out statements.
TUITION PAYMENT DATE REMINDERS
January 10th 2nd Semester payment due
3rd Quarter payment due
March 10th 4th Quarter payment due
May 10th Final EFT payment will be processed
We thank all families who pay their tuition in a timely manner!
Congratulations, Coach!
Congratulations to Xavier Football head coach, Duane Schulte, on being named the
The Des Moines Register’s All-Iowa Coach of the Year and the Cedar Rapids Ga-
zette’s Coach of the Year after leading the Saints to the Class 3A state championship!
XDT Brings the
Christmas Cheer...
Earlier this month, the Xavier Dance
Team visited the HACAP Horizons
preschool classroom which they
adopted this Christmas season. The
Saints delivered Christmas gifts to
the children and gave a special
performance.

4. The Campus Ministry department is ex-
cited to welcome in 2018 and to experi-
ence all God has planned for our school.
Kairos #30
Kairos #30 will be held Jan 18-21, 2017
at the American Martyrs Retreat House
in Cedar Falls. This is a powerful week-
end of growth in our relationship with
Christ and with each other. Thank you
for your prayers in support of this re-
treat. The final Kairos (Kairos 31) of the
year will be March 1-4.
March for Life
March for Life will be Jan 19 in Wash-
ington DC. Click here for information
on March for Life. You can join in the
march with a livestream on EWTN. Pray
for the sanctity of life!
Catholic Schools Week
Catholic Schools Week will be celebrat-
ed Jan 28-Feb 4
Jan 30 – Xavier Catholic Schools Liturgy
10:00 a.m. Students from LaSalle, St.
Joseph, Regis and Xavier High School
will gather at Xavier to celebrate the
Catholic Schools Week liturgy. Rev.
Mark Reasoner will preside.
This year’s theme is: Catholic
Schools, Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.
Activities for the week are currently be-
ing planned. They will be announced
the second week of January.
Friday Morning Mass
There is Mass in the Chapel every Friday
morning that school is in session at 7am.
All are welcome! Mass is followed by
adoration until the end of the school
day. Stop in anytime and spend some
time with the Lord. Additionally, we are
offering an optional mass when there
is an Xcel class period and Father Vu is
available. All are welcome to attend,
you can check with the office.
Reconciliation
The sacrament of Reconciliation is avail-
able by appointment anytime Father
Vu is in the building. He is typically at
Xavier Wednesday and Fridays. Just
stop by his office and let him know you
are interested.
TEC
Senior parents: Please encourage
your student to attend one of the TEC
(Teens Encounter Christ Weekends)
held throughout the Archdiocese of
Dubuque. This three day retreat centers
on the Paschal Mystery. TEC is a great
opportunity for seniors to reflect on
their relationship with Christ as they
complete their high school career and
move forward as young adults. Dates
and online registration for upcoming
TEC retreats can be found here .
Senior Mentors
Senior Mentor applications will be going
out to all juniors. This is an opportunity
for current juniors to apply for a leader-
ship role as a senior mentor. Please
look for these applications early in sec-
ond semester.
Quest
Quest retreat for freshman and sopho-
mores is coming up in January.
Click here for registration and more
information.
Faith Opportunities
Looking for youth focused faith op-
portunities… follow the Xavier Campus
Ministry group on Facebook. You
could also follow Jody Esker on twitter
@jodyesker.
4
Campus Ministry Update
Submitted by Jody Esker
XHS Campus Ministry
Fr. Ivan Nienhaus of St. Patrick’s parish celebrates
mass with our Saints on the Feast of the Immacu-
late Conception on December 8th.

5. Earlier this month, Saints partook in the
global “Hour of Code” movement and had
an opportunity to do various computer cod-
ing exercizes and visit with industry experts.
What is the Hour of Code and
how did it start?
The Hour of Codes is a global movement
started by Hadi Partovi of
code.org five years ago to introduce stu-
dents of all ages to computer science. It is
estimated to have reached tens of millions
of students in over 180 countries and has
been dubbed “the largest learning event in
history.”
What did it take to start it up at
Xavier?
Xavier has participated in the Hour of Code
since it began in 2013, but each year we
have gotten more organized and added
to the activities available for students. This
year, with the help of Ms. Konzen and Mrs.
Marshall, we were able to offer many ses-
sions throughout the week of December 4th,
which is Computer Science week. We had 11
guest speakers which took some planning
and required many emails and phone calls.
Why is the Hour of Code impor-
tant for students to learn?
Not everyone is going to be a computer
scientist! Not everyone has to be fluent in
multiple computer languages. But everyone
benefits from learning the critical thinking,
problem-solving skills and art of persever-
ance that computer science promotes. And
those that find they have a knack for it or an
interest in it can take it to the next level. But
if they are never exposed or encouraged to
try it they won’t develop this talent. Plus, the
Hour of Code lets students try something
new without a long-term commitment of an
entire semester or year-long course. By of-
fering this opportunity we just might be able
to help some students find a new passion.
Who were some of the speakers
and what did they discuss?
Ann Oleson and Taylor Gehrls of Converge
Consulting focused on digital advertising,
showing kids how to launch an ad campaign
through social media with an emphasis on
Facebook and Instagram. They discussed
how to track analytics like cost-per-click. Stu-
dents were also introduced to creating their
own website for a club or special interest.
Xavier parent Matt Miller of Mobile De-
mand inspired students with the fun side of
technology. He brought a couple of the new
Microsoft Hololens and let students try this
augmented reality experience. He discussed
the software development his company does
for rugged tablets and 3D applications and
told students about a top-secret idea of his
own for a new software product.
Jason Marshall from Grant Wood AEA did an
“unplugged” activity with kids demonstrat-
ing the Design Process, a concept important
to software engineers and computer scien-
tists involving testing, troubleshooting, and
refining their design.
Samantha Dahlby who works for
code.org at NewBoCo showed off two kinds
of wearable technology - an Adafruit brace-
let and a circuit playground. Students began
to code their own projects using Arduino.
Ms. Dahlby promotes computer science
education in schools throughout Iowa.
Xavier parent and Vice President of IT at
Great America Financial Services Jim Burns
shared various occupations that are available
in information technology and the skills an
employer is looking for in this field.
Michael Lyon, a Xavier grad with a biology
degree, talked to students about his journey
into computer science. He now works for
Bio::Neos solving bioinformatics problems.
He does medical data analytics, writing
software to analyze large scientific datasets.
He showed kids how to code sensors, writing
code that would notify him when the plants
in their office need water. After school, he
worked with students on html and css code
for website development.
Shannon Hampsher and Chris Leonard from
GoDaddy emphasized the need for young
people to practice good digital security and
digital citizenship, reminding them that their
digital footprint is everlasting. They had
students practice coding by changing the
Google logo create their own holiday emoji
through code. Students were encouraged
to get internships and support women in
technology.
Tom Schuster, a Xavier parent who is
employed at Crystal Group as an electron-
ics engineer, taught students to code with
a Python tutorial at codecademy.com. He
packed a lot of content into a short session:
strings, variables, data structures, lists and
functions. Students were able to advance
comfortably at their own pace.
Why should students get
involved?
Anyone can participate, regardless of experi-
ence level. There is always more to learn;
all it takes is a willingness to try. If students
missed the Hour of Code, or they want to try
more, many of these activities are available
year-round. A good starting point is https://
hourofcode.com/us/learn
Anyone interested in starting a coding club
at Xavier should contact Mrs. Miltner at
barb.miltner@xaviersaints.org.
Hour of Code!
Submitted by Barb Miltner
XHS Technology Coordinator
5

6. 6
Saints Earn Microsoft
Office Certification
Congratulations to the following Saints who all earned
their Microsoft Office Certifications in Word and Excel
as part of Mr. Tim O’Brien’s Computer Business Ap-
plications course:
Top Photo:
Pictured (L to R):
Seated: Jared Brown, Ryan Keating, Adam Fields,
Sarah Gannon, Jenaya Devereaux, and Kirsten Smith.
Middle Row: Cole Langer, Nate Stoltenberg, Isaac
Ball, Jackson Miller, Caleb Burken, Nick Hentges,
Jacob Hines
Back Row: Matthew Jordebrek, Kyle Krezek, Carson
Hennings, Hayden Ostwinkle, Wyatt Johnson, and
Jack Lemke.
Bottom Photo:
Pictured (L to R):
Seated: Marissa Lyon, Rilee Lansing, Olivia Richards,
Sophie Schmit, Britt Bowersox, Camille Spencer
Middle Row: Andrew Guastaferro, Matthew Koop-
mann, Ethan Nasution, Alexander Kilburg, Bryce
Armstrong, and Braden Albert
Back Row: Michael Olberding, Matthew Ropp, Nate
Pisney, Mitchell Talyat, Rory Bostwick, and Will Grafton.
Not pictured: Cameron Kadlec

7. 7
CongratulationsXavierFootballAll-StateHonorees!
CongratulationsXavierFootball&GolfAcademicAll-StateHonorees!
Saints Earn
All-State Honors!
Congratulations to these Saints who earned All-State honors
on the field/course AND in the classroom!
7

8. 88 88
VOTING IS NOW OPEN!
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DANCERS AT XAVIERSAINTS.ORG/DWTS
this year’s event will raise money for new uniforms for all xhs activity programs (including marching band)
Second Annual
88
Mims Named
“Athlete of the Week”
Congratulations to Xavier Basketball’s Matt Mims
on being named the KCRG Athlete of the Week
earlier this month after scoring 27 points in a win
over Linn-Mar and 30 points in the Saints’ victory
over Waverly-Shell Rock.
8

9. 9
XDT =
Back-to-Back
State Champs!
Congratulations to head coach, Jess Novotny, and the
Xavier Dance Team on placing 1st in the Pom Division
at the Iowa State Dance Team Competition earlier this
month!
This is the second consecutive year our dance team has
taken 1st in this division. The Saints also placed 3rd in
Contemporary.
9

10. 1010
Good News!
10
Angel Tag Project
On December 11th, Saints helped load a horse
trailer with gifts destined for children in need
this Christmas. These gifts were donated by
XHS families via the Tanager Place Angel Tag
Program and will go toward making Christmas a
little brighter for 150 children that Tanager Place
serves. We ask for God’s blessing on these chil-
dren as well as on the workers at Tanager Place
whose good work goes to support nearly 3,000
children in our community each year!
Robotics Team Goes
Undefeated Again at
Competition
The Xavier Xcentrics Robotics Team com-
peted in their fifth and final regular season
League Meet on December 19. Two
alliances, of two robots each, compete
against each other in 2 ½ minute matches.
The Xcentrics finished the Meet with a 5-0
record as the robot reliably selected Jew-
els, decoded the Pictograph, and scored
Glyphs in the Crytobox.
Congratulations to our robotics team and
Mrs. Stacy Mickelson!
Freeberg, Janson Named “Know
Your Constitution” Finalists
Xavier seniors Cody Freeberg and Jamison Janson
have been named finalists in the “Know Your Consti-
tution” initiative from the Iowa State Bar Association.
Know Your Constitution involves a multiple choice
quiz and short essay for students in grades 9-12 on
the U.S. Constitution. Winning entries are selected
from each of Iowa’s 100 legislative districts. The
selected students and their teachers are honored at
a special luncheon in January where five students
and their teachers are selected to attend a week-long
program in Washington, D.C. through the Close Up
Foundation.

11. 1111
More Good News!
11
Giving ‘Em A
Break!
On December 13th, Saints worked hard to give
our maintenance staff a few well-deserved hours
off! Thank you Saints for stepping up to “give
‘em a break”!
Also thank you to our facilities director, Mr. Tom
Wille, and his staff for always keeping our cam-
pus beautiful and everything in working order!
Saints Visiting
About Saints
This first week of December includes the feast
days of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6) and the patron saint
of our Xavier Catholic Schools, St. Francis Xavier
(Dec. 3). On December 6th, Xavier students held
a prayer service and then XHS Student Ambas-
sadors spent part of their day visiting with our XCS
feeder schools about these two important saints.
The Ambassadors also handed out chocolate gold
coins and prayer cards for both saints.
Tour of Champions!
Earlier this month, senior members of our state cham-
pion football team visited our elementary and middle
schools around our Xavier Catholic Schools system
with some newly-engraved hardware!
Our current Saints showed our future Saints what is
possible when you work hard enough, refuse to be
satisfied, believe in yourself & your teammates, do
your job, and give the glory to God. These are great
life lessons that transcend sports and serve to further
inspire our younger students to persevere in the class-
room, in their activities and in their faith!

12. Xavier High School | 6300 42nd Street NE | Cedar Rapids, IA 52411 | (319) 294-6635 | XavierSaints.org
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Xavier Saints Xavier Saints @XavierSaints
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