The school year is off to a good start at Saint Xavier.

Principal Shawn Augustine said enrollment in the school is doing well. “I think we’re down approximately 10 students but I kind of expected that. Most of our new families that have come in are not military families, and I’m hoping or expecting that there’ll be another push of military coming.” Approximately 62-hundred deployed soldiers are due to return to Fort Riley in October.

Augustine said there are 139 students in K-12, and the high school has about 20 students.

There have been a number of new staff hired for the school. I’m extremely happy with new staff that we brought in to start the year. We had a lot of new staff that have come on board and just have meshed really well with our returning staff, so it’s just been a phenomenal start to the school year.” There have also been painting improvements to Building A where the high school is located and more is planned next summer. The principal stated, “We’re also getting ready to put on, or it’s in the process, a royal blue metal roof, so it’s going to look just outstanding when they get that on there.” There is a plan to add signage to the building and there have been upgrades to new LED panel lighting in Building A.

In the area of academics Augustine stated the school has been trying to do a higher curriculum push to a higher level for math. “We’ve done a push so now our students are going through and having calculus. We’ve also added statistics which we didn’t have before at the high school level. And one other thing we’ve added  at the high school, just to keep building up our curriculum, is now we have an anatomy course that’s new this year.” Courses that existed last school year are being maintained with the new additions providing more options for students.

In athletics at the middle school level Augustine noted there are decent numbers. “Since we’re down in the high school a bit it has hurt with the volleyball end of things. We didn’t have enough to make a team for volleyball this year. We are not stopping volleyball. We actually are doing a co-ed right now where they’re still having an opportunity to work on skills and practice.” That will allow players to work on fundamentals to prepare for next year, when Augustine believes there will be enough numbers to compete. In cross country there are 15 participants out for the sport, spread between middle school and high schools.