With school in session, the Community System is up and running for its second year at Xavier and it is here to stay. The Community System consists of five Communities: Mother Theresa, Padre Pio, Juan Diego, Catherine of Siena and John Paul II, with the intention of cementing last year’s foundational progress. Guided by Mrs. Erica Ireland, Director of Communities, the Community System focuses on prioritizing the students at Xavier, socially, emotionally and spiritually. COVID-19 brought a barrier to students that no one prepared for. Not only did online learning distance people from each other but it also severed the connection between students, a connection that the Xavier community needs more than ever. Senior Abby Globokar, one of the four Community Directors and member of Catherine of Sienna community, claims that there was a prominent divide between grades when she first arrived at Xavier. Now, things are different. For example, spirit points are held against Communities rather than grade levels. With the Community System, students have a chance to fall back on their Houses, and have teachers, mentors and fellow students that look out for them. “I want to see more joy in this building. In the past two years, it has been hard to find joy and walk through the hallways and see smiles on faces and hear laughter. To bring that joy, which I believe is [through] Christ,” Ireland said. This year, the Community System is focusing on joy, with an emphasis on connecting with each other once again. The Community System has a goal of truly serving the mission of Xavier High School and to educate the total person in the Catholic environment. “Everyone plays a different role, but it is all for the same purpose and all to connect one another with each other, like a family,” senior and School Director Mary Kate Moeder said. The Community System has a unique perspective on leadership, having around 72 seniors leading the school. Ireland claims that in her first four years of teaching it seemed like the group of seniors leading were elite and, even then, most led for only a short period of time. “The way these kids are stepping up and leading, it is why we wanted Communities to come to Xavier in the first place. This senior class is going to leave a legacy at Xavier,” Ireland said. “I am so blessed to get to work with all of them.” For freshmen students, a House Induction Ceremony was put into place, welcoming students by name and introducing them to their House mentors and leaders, to help them feel included right from the very beginning. This shows how much impact the Xavier Community System has made and, hopefully, will continue to make for years to come.