Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Passavant

By Liam Sheeley, Assistant Reporter

October 15, 2020

Mr. Mason Passavant graduated Xavier High School in 2012. He has joined the faculty as a full-time substitute teacher. The assistant crew coach of two years has spent much of his time so far this year helping Mr. McGrath, who is teaching virtually, run his classes. I recently had the chance to sit down with Mr. Passavant and hear more about him and his life outside of Xavier.

Teacher Spotlight – Ms. Peterson

October 14, 2020

With Xavier back in session this 2020 academic year, a number of retirements left the faculty with some holes to fill. Of the retirements, Mr. Magner's hit especially close to home, as he had just instructed me in Driver's Ed only a year prior. Ms. Peterson arrived on the scene to fill Mr. Magner's vacancy,...

Teacher Spotlight: Dr. Griffen

By Andrei Abarientos, Assistant Reporter

October 8, 2020

Dr. Griffen, one of our new additions to the science department, is a talented and intelligent teacher of Accelerated Biology and Accelerated Algebra I. She also moderates the Envirothon club. Here is some information she shared with the Xavier Kestrel. Can you tell us a little bit about your early...

What I Wish I Knew as a Xavier Sophomore

By Aidan Higgins, Editor

August 10, 2020

1. Slow and steady wins the race When setting goals, one would be well-advised to dial back his or her initial schedule/deadlines by 50% or more. It's much wiser to set humble goals that can be incremented further down the line than to set overly-ambitious goals that you cannot accomplish. My fatal mistake th...

How to Get up in the Morning

By Aidan Higgins, Editor

May 31, 2020

If you're anything like me - well, first of all, I'm sorry everything turned out this way. Second of all, you are probably well-acquainted with the psychological turmoil involved with trying to get out of bed every morning. You may have moderate-to-severe PTSD that is triggered by the sound of Apple's...

How the Nature vs Nurture Debate Contradicts Free Will

By Aidan Higgins, Editor

February 27, 2020

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the psychological argument I have alluded to in the title, the nature versus nurture debate is an intellectual conflict that has been waged across various fields of study (including, but not limited to, biology, psychology, and philosophy) since the mid-1800s....

Why Banning Pornography Is Not The Right Solution

By Aidan Higgins, Editor

January 20, 2020

On December 6, 2019, Representatives Jim Banks, Mark Meadows, Vicky Hartzler, and Brian Babin submitted a letter to Attorney General William Barr, beseeching him to follow through with the Trump campaign's anti-pornography pledge, which they fear has long-since been forgotten by the current administration....

A Beginner’s Guide to 5G

By Aidan Higgins, Assistant Editor

January 9, 2020

Unless you rely strictly on the Xavier Kestrel as the only reliable source for world news (a sensible and commendable choice, I would say), you very well may have heard or seen some mention of "5G," the fabled fifth generation of mobile broadband that, according to legend (and the decree of tech moguls),...

Student Spotlight: Luke Lappe

By Sam Rector, Assistant Reporter

October 17, 2019

Just over two weeks ago, Xavier baseball player Luke Lappe committed to the University of North Alabama, a Division 1 school in the Atlantic Sun Conference. As a sophomore on varsity last season, Luke hit Xavier’s only home run and led the team in RBIs. He also garnered SCC All-Quinnipiac honors. As a...

Teacher Spotlight: Ms. Walsh

By Justin Caulfield, Assistant Reporter

October 12, 2019

Xavier High School has a long history of great and extraordinary teachers, each one of which with a different story. Ms. Walsh, from Suffield, recently started her career at Xavier and shared some of her story with the Kestrel. What do you currently teach at Xavier? I teach ninth and tenth grade ...

What I Wish I Knew as a Xavier Freshman

By Aidan Higgins, Senior Reporter

October 3, 2019

1. Experiment with different methods of studying There is a stark difference in the workload of a middle-schooler and that of a Xavier student. If a Xavier freshman wishes to succeed academically, he must compensate for this difference and learn how to maximize the effectiveness of his studying. Personal...

How our Dress Code is Impairing our Academic Abilities

By Eric Myskowski, Senior Reporter

January 24, 2019

A recent study published in the scientific journal Neuroradiology has shown that wearing a neck tie reduces blood flow to the brain by 7.5 percent, something that can lead to a loss in productivity and minor health problems. The idea of wearing a neck tie started in the 1600s, when France hired Cr...