Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring Xavier Academy, which is nestled in the lovely neighborhood of West U. Director of Admissions Julie Pomerantz gave me a lovely introduction and background of the school. Xavier was started by a gentleman named Mr. Richard De La Cuadra who was an extremely gifted tutor in the area and who changed his students lives for the better. A few parents of the children he served encouraged him to put his gifts to further use and to open a school. Xavier serves students in grades 5-12 who are average to above average in intelligence. It is a nontraditional, small group setting where students really get to know their teachers. The campus is spread out through a couple of buildings which have been leased out to Xavier, and I felt like I was on a small college campus as I saw small groups engaged in learning all over the place. Xavier has hired a full time therapist, dyslexia specialist, a life coach, and a full time college counselor. Students are allowed to go through the curriculum at their own pace- some ahead of their peers and others behind. The Xavier student may be the outstanding athlete that needs a flexible learning environment so that he can maintain his level of athletic competition…or the child who has been bullied for years and has a broken self confidence…Or how about the anxious child who is stressed out by the big school environment…Or perhaps the child who struggles in school because of dyslexia or ADD.
I witnessed several classes in action- All students were engaged. There were English classes where students were working on writing essays. I saw students working closely with their teachers to better understand their assignments. I saw calculus problems on the dry erase board and students and teacher engaged in discussion and problem solving. What a comfortable, yet collegiate, environment! Check out last year’s graduating class!