On Wednesday, April 10th, 2024, the juniors of Xaverian celebrated the annual Junior Ring Ceremony. This year’s ceremony was held in the Xaverian Performing Arts Center at 6:30 PM. The night was filled with magic and memories as the juniors moved on to the next chapter in their Xaverian journey. 

It is a Xaverian tradition for students to have someone special present their ring to them at the ceremony. Most students brought a family member such as a parent, aunt/uncle, or sibling. As students’ names were called, they and their ring sponsors walked across the auditorium with their rings. Their sponsors put the ring on the student’s finger and then took a photo. 

Mr. Robert Alesi ‘78, the President of Xaverian, shared a personal anecdote about receiving his high school ring. While delivering a speech about what the ring means for students, he shared that he had given his junior ring to his girlfriend at the time, who ended up being his wife. 

“We choose to give our students their class ring during junior year because it’s such a special time in their high school journey. They’re not seniors just yet, but they’ve grown a connection to this place and have grown into the people they are today as they receive their rings. That’s what getting a class ring is all about,” Alesi said. 

The history of class rings traces back to the year 1835. Almost 180 years ago, the students at the United States Military Academy at West Point were the first to wear a class ring. 

From that point on, creating class rings has been a tradition for every graduating class of West Point as a representation of unity, and over time, it is a practice that has become common at all major high schools and universities. 

Students arrived filled with joy and anticipation, excited to show off their school spirit with their ring. Once they arrived, they waited with their sponsors until it was time to enter the auditorium for the ceremony. 

Two guests per student were permitted to attend in order to allow all families to have a chance to witness this special day for our students. 

Junior Charlotte Murray ‘25 explained, “I think it was really moving to see how excited everyone was when they got their rings and when the message set in: this is our school, and we’re proud to be here.”

She went on to explain that she asked her grandfather to be her ring sponsor because he’s always been her biggest supporter. She dedicated her ring to him by putting a design with two hearts on the side. These hearts represent the two of them, signifying not only her love for him but her love for Xaverian. 

In the past, most rings were fairly similar to each other in design. However, in recent years, students have been able to personalize the rings with engravings and different shapes and styles. White or yellow gold are the traditional metals used, with the center stone being a deep blue, representing Xaverian’s school colors. 

In order to visually display the unity among the class, students were allowed to choose a unique design on one side of their ring while the other was a Clipper ship, which was consistent with all rings. 

Some chose to put their sport or club on their ring while others dedicated a design to someone. The ultimate goal for adding a personal design to the ring is to showcase something which would remain as a remembrance of the time they have spent at Xaverian. 

  

A class ring is typically worn on the ring finger of the right hand and is a symbol of a student’s school spirit, and identifies them as a proud student of Xaverian. 

Juniors, wear your rings proudly!