On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Xaverian Brothers High School celebrated the commencement of its 58th graduating class, the Class of 2024. Diplomas were conferred to the 174 graduates by Head of School Jacob Conca ’94, Ph.D. and Principal Michael Nicholson, P ’29, Ed.D. Graduates have enrolled in 80 different colleges and universities, including Boston College, Cornell, Northeastern, University of Michigan, Ohio State, Providence College, Bates, Purdue, Fairfield University, Lehigh, James Madison, Wake Forest, WPI, Tufts, UCLA, Rutgers , American, and Syracuse.

This graduating class helped lead the school to a robotics state championship and the state football championship, they set multiple records in track and field, debuted the school’s weekly news program, “Hawk News,” volunteered at more than 50 local service agencies, and traveled to Orlando to win a national music competition. The class also boasts four National Merit Commended students and three National Merit Finalists. 

Xaverian’s Class of 2024 valedictorian is Paul Fischer, son of Edward Fischer and Teresa Fung. Paul is a National Merit Scholarship Commended student, one of Xaverian’s Trustee Scholars, a member of the National Honors Society, the Harvard Book Award Recipient, and a dedicated member of the robotics, math, and chess teams. He will attend Cornell University in the fall. 

Graham Xavier, son of Ronald and Melinda Xavier, is Xaverian’s 2024 salutatorian. Graham is a National Merit Scholarship Commended student, was a member of Xaverian’s varsity rugby and soccer teams (Soccer Catholic Conference All-Star and team MVP), and has been active as a member of the Business Club and in the school’s campus ministry programs. He will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall. 

The highest honor bestowed upon a graduating senior at Xaverian is the Xaverian Award. Members of the graduating class, in concert with the faculty and staff, nominate a senior for this special honor and the recipient isn’t revealed until the graduation ceremony. The Xaverian Award recipient must have distinguished himself by living the mission and core values associated with the school, including humility, trust, simplicity, compassion, and zeal. The Class of 2024 Xaverian Award winner is John “Jack” O’Neil, son of Anne Luciano and the late Chris O’Neil. 

In his five years at Xaverian, Jack has stood out for his congenial personality, his performance in the classroom, on the ice, and on the field, and his commitment to Xaverian’s campus ministry program. Jack is a National Honor Society member, co-captain of the varsity hockey team, a member of the varsity lacrosse team, a leader on student council, and a member of both the “Hawk News” broadcast team and the Business Club. In the 2024 hockey season, Jack earned multiple titles including Catholic Conference All-Star, Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Academic All-Star, and team MVP. 

As Dr. Conca mentioned when announcing Jack as the Xaverian Award winner, one clear sign of Jack’s character and his impact on the Xaverian community is the fact that he has won Brother Raymond Hoyt, C.F.X. ’70 Awards every year at Xaverian. Brother Ray, a 1970 Xaverian graduate, served the school for 26 years as an assistant principal. In the spirit of his contributions to the school community, Xaverian created an award in his honor after his passing. Throughout the school year, faculty and staff are asked to nominate any student who they feel meets the award criteria in one of six categories, including humility, kindness, work ethic, generosity, discipleship, and respect. He was nominated an impressive 11 times.

Next year, Jack will be attending the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.

In his Commencement address to the Class of 2024, Dr. Conca spoke about the importance of “encounter,” or taking the time to be present in the moment with people one encounters in their day-to-day activities. “This is our ultimate prayer and wish for you. Whether your post Xaverian plans take you to college, to military service, to a post graduate year, or to another endeavor, our hope is that you find deep, rewarding, personal fulfillment in all that you do. And fulfillment is most often found in the people you encounter.”

Photo 2: Head of School Dr. Jacob Conca ’94, Valedictorian Paul Fischer ’24, Salutatorian Graham Xavier ’24, and Principal Dr. Michael Nicholson

Photo 3: Michael O’Conner ’24 and Declan Murphy ’24

Photo 4: Gregory Celestin, Jr. ’24, Nicholas Cerone ’24, and Antonio T. Ciolfi ’24