Electives are often the subject of conversation at Xaverian. It can be a place where friends can learn together, grow together, or even sprout ambition for a possible career. Xaverian has introduced six new electives for students attending the high school this year: Introduction to Pharmacology, Kinesiology and Nutritional Science, Foundations of Education, Fashion Design, Sports Management, & Web Design and Development, with the last two gaining much attention.

“New electives are usually brought to us by teachers,” Mr. Spelman ‘92, the Assistant Principal of Academics, said about the process of creating new electives. “The teacher has an idea for one, usually, they'll develop a curriculum, develop a course, map an outline of what the course is going to look like, and then bring it to their department chair.” 

Mrs. Healey teaches the Web Design and Development elective class to juniors and seniors, which is also offered as an elective option for Seven Year Clippers. Web design is the process of creating, coding, and implementing several different kinds of user-friendly websites. The Web Design and Development class teaches several important skills regarding coding and design that can be applied to real-world situations. 

Mrs. Healey explains, “Regardless of what field you're going into, the ability to create and design is very beneficial.” 

 

The course covers several aspects of web design, such as being able to read and write basic HTML and CSS code, as well as how to upload the website code to a web server. The class also teaches different web design theories, along with current marketing and website standards. 

Mrs. Healey explains that Web Design is “a great skill to have, especially in today’s world.” 

Whether you’re into business, marketing, or want to create a website to promote yourself, the Web Design elective will teach you how.

Johnny Fitzgerald ‘24 stated, “Web Design has taught me the basic steps on how to make a webpage. It’s a cornerstone of social media marketing. It’s a great class for real-world skills.”

One of the most unique aspects of the Web Design elective is creating a fully functioning website based on a real-world business plan. The class allows students to work together to create a business plan and then design a website to model that business. Having these experiences better prepares students for future partnerships and other interactions that they may encounter in the workforce. 

Students who choose to take the Web Design class will not only leave the course with the ability to create websites, but will also improve their teamwork and presentation skills. The class can be taken as an elective, but it can also be used to satisfy the Art requirement needed to graduate.        

Sports Management, another new elective offered at Xaverian this year and taught by Ms. Chiusano, is exclusively for seniors, covering several characteristics of sports, as well as the sports industry. 

Several topics are covered, such as the different kinds of transactions regarding business operations, player recruitment, contract negotiations, as well as the social and ethical responsibilities of managing sports organizations and events. Students get to evaluate how several different groups interact within the industry – this covers the impact of athletes, teams, and organizations as a whole, as well as the fans.

While the class covers several major sports industries, such as football, baseball, basketball, and soccer, it also explores the industries of more unique sports, such as cricket and pickleball. 

“It’s a class anybody can take,” Ms. Chiusano says. “It’s not just for athletes, but really anyone interested in business.”

As part of the Sports Management elective, students obtain different perspectives on how certain aspects of the sports industry operate. For example, Mr. McCartney, the Director of Athletics, went into a class and spoke about what he does and how he’s been impacted by the sports industry. 

The class also covers career opportunities in communications and public relations and allows the students to see how athletes and their careers are impacted by social media.

As AnnaMaria Makrinos ‘24 explains, “With popularity and a good PR team, a player is able to receive endorsements from big companies like Nike and Adidas.” 

The Sports Management elective also allows students to learn how to communicate and work together, not just on a sports team, but from a business standpoint as well. 

Ms. Chiusano explained that the new and unique experiences that Sports Management offers will allow everyone to find something in the sports industry that they are passionate about. “It’s exciting for students to learn about something that everyone can relate to, even just a little bit,” she states.

AnnaMaria Makrinos ‘24 went on to say, “As a whole, this is a very fun and interactive class, and if you’re interested in business and marketing, you should take it.”