The X’s: the Xpress, Xhilaration, Xuberance, Xperts, Xtras, XCEL, Xtravaganza, and now XCEED.

XCEED stands for Xavier Catholic Extraordinary Encounter Day, a conference based event allowing students to expand upon their faith and relationships in many divergent environments. This includes access to male, female, and mixed impact sessions, keynote speaker, Matt Fradd, as well as a catered Panera lunch.

These scheduled impact sessions will be held in place of the traditional individual class retreat days for freshmen and sophomore students, excluding Kairos for juniors and the senior retreat towards the end of the year.

“I’m excited to spend a whole day in impact sessions, hearing about what the speakers have to say,” junior Zach Noonan said. “I like that we get to pick which sessions we attend instead of the usual retreat style day that students are used to.”

In addition, parents are invited to partake in this new event, which will be hosted at Xavier High School on Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

What makes XCEED stand out from the many other “X” themed activities and programs offered at Xavier, according to Campus Ministry and Theology teacher, Mrs.Erica Ireland, is the aspect of faith.

“I hope students see that their faith can be something more in their life, by having this opportunity, especially tailored for them, to be able to choose where they will be going,” Mrs. Ireland said. “I want them to know that there’s so much more to their faith than what’s placed in front of them everyday, just by going to a Catholic school.”

Alongside giving students the opportunity to surpass and delve deeper into their relationships with Christ and others, staff members hope this conference will inspire students to become more involved and in touch with their values.

“It’s going to be the message that students want to hear. When people want to hear something, they will be more open and willing to accept it,” Xavier Campus Priest Father Dustin Vu said. “XCEED fits people’s needs in its own uniqueness and is all about focusing on something above, greater than us, something spiritual. God is inviting us into His invisible world, calling us to XCEED.”

Despite differing grade levels and various interests, Xavier has given its student body numerous opportunities to grow and develop, previously referenced above as the X’s. Now it’s the students’ turn to impact the community and return the favor. These are the O’s. This can be accomplished by students actively engaging in this opportunity with open minds, making the ordinary, xtraordinary.