BAY RIDGE — Xaverian High School is poised to break ground on a $26 million expansion, called the Exploration and Innovation Center, to enhance academic, extracurricular, and spiritual programs for current and future “Clippers.”
Construction for the center will begin in May, and it’s expected to be operational for the 2027-2028 school year, according to the school.
An April 24 release stated that this expansion is the “cornerstone” of the multi-year “Look to the Stars Capital Campaign.”
Aspects of the new building include a new STEM and fabrication lab, a science lab, a rooftop terrace, and six new classrooms, including a dedicated business lab. In addition, a new St. Michael’s Chapel will also grace the new wing.
This year, the student body comprises 1,700 students, grades 6-12. But the school’s president, Bob Alesi (class of 1978), said the expansion isn’t sought to boost enrollment.
The purpose, he said, is to “make use of the space in a much more efficient and appropriate way for teaching and learning.”
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That includes improving opportunities for teachers.
“This is an opportunity for them to really dream and to be able to have the space that will support their dreams in building a curriculum,” Alesi said in an interview with Currents News.
The center, Alesi added, is also intended to help “kids to be kids.”
“They want to be with one another, and this will provide an opportunity for them to do it in a really dramatic and beautiful way,” Alesi said.
The new center will be named for Michael Strianese (class of 1974), who is the former chairman, president, and chief executive officer of L3, a global aerospace and national security company.
In 2013, Strianese donated $1 million to help create a cutting-edge STEM program at his alma mater in partnership with Project Lead the Way (PLTW).
According to the school, the STEM program has drawn students from all five boroughs who go on to study medicine, computer science, engineering, and other STEM fields at top colleges and universities.
In 2023, Strianese donated $5 million to the capital campaign. This effort has already funded renovations to the cafeteria and the main office, as well as the installation of an array of rooftop solar panels.
The campaign also supports the growth of an endowment that provides financial aid for qualifying students.
Alesi said the capital campaign is an excellent opportunity for alumni to give back to Xaverian, which was founded in 1957.
“This allows us to continue to grow our academic programs, our spiritual programs, our extracurricular programs,” Alesi said, “and really chart the path for the next generation of Clippers.”
Currents News reporter Jessica Easthope contributed to this story.
