X-Ploration Center

Xaverian’s X-Ploration Center Changes the Face of Learning

By Nicholas Daoust ’21, #XBCorps

This multidisciplinary space encourages students to unleash their creative potential.

Between new plexiglass installations, socially-distanced desks, and hybrid classrooms, Xaverian Brothers High School looks a lot different this year; however, not every change was COVID-related. This September, Xaverian officially opened the new X-Ploration Center, a multi-purpose space that encourages students to unleash their creative potential.
 
The X-Ploration Center provides teachers and students with the opportunity to engage in project-based learning through design, creation, and experimentation. With access to the latest technology, students are able to discover solutions and develop a deeper understanding of key concepts through the act of making. Plans for this innovative addition to 800 Clapboardtree Street began in December of 2019, and though the coronavirus pandemic complicated matters, construction was still able to proceed in early June. 
 
Thanks to the generous contributions of Xaverian’s donors, the X-Ploration Center is currently home to four 3-D printers, including one Formlabs Form 3 that utilizes stereolithography, by which three-dimensional objects are made through the manipulation of light. The center also houses an Epilog Laser Fusion Pro laser cutter, which is connected to a program that can transfer any design onto a variety of materials through superfine etching. This machine alone has already been used to engrave wooden displays, acrylic advertorial designs, and personalized metal keychains—just a few examples of its even broader potential. For those who have an interest in woodworking, the Center boasts an Axiom Precision CNC router and a woodturning lathe from Wen, not to mention over 90 hand tools and 30 cordless tools which have the potential to bring student dream projects into reality.
 
Mr. Ryan Howard, longtime Xaverian science teacher and now the Director of the X-Ploration Center, explains that the center is intentionally designed to feel different than other spaces in the building. “We want students to walk into the X-Ploration Center and realize that a new way of expressing their content knowledge is being emphasized,” he said. This space differs from Xaverian’s nine other academic centers in that there’s no focus on one particular area of study. Whereas the other department centers are individualized hubs for one-on-one interaction between students and teachers of a specific subject, the nature of the X-Ploration Center is in its interdisciplinary approach to education. Here, all subjects can be researched through the various available assets. “In this center,” Mr. Howard explains, “students will find resources to promote creativity in project-based learning,” whether the project be an English class video assignment or a rocket prototype for a science course. 
 
“Students have already made use of center resources in both curricular and extracurricular activities,” says Principal Mr. Michael Nicholson. The X-Ploration Center has hosted various classes across departments, including honors biology students who used 3-D printers to make animal models and grade 8 computer science students who made use of the laser cutter to learn about computer-aided design software. As for extracurriculars, in October members of the Art Club were invited to create a design that could be etched into a pumpkin using a variety of tools, while a new club, X-Ploring the World of Modern Science, was created especially for the new center. In and outside of the classroom, students are encouraged to take full advantage of the X-Ploration Center’s exciting new resources. 
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800 Clapboardtree Street
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Xaverian is a Catholic, college-preparatory school for boys in grades 7-12. As an inclusive community, we embrace diverse experiences and perspectives, welcoming students and families from all faiths and backgrounds. Through exceptional academics, athletics, the arts, faith formation, and service opportunities, we help young men discover their unique gifts and talents so they can share them with a world in need.