Xavier High School officially started its school year 2025-2026 with this year’s KIXSTART program, June 9.
The program serves as a way to get its students back into the school mood after their summer break, giving them a warm welcome back to the campus, and preparing them for a bright year ahead.
Students were greeted at their gates by teams of welcomers who motivated passersby, offering them snacks and well wishes for their return to academics. After an open house and a short kumustahan with their new teachers and classmates, classes then headed off to the High School Gym to watch the program proper.
Drummers and singers were all near the stage playing and chanting, all to elevate the students’ morale and to establish the mood for the entire year. Students also participated in a variety of well-known traditions within the Xavier community, with chants like “Represent! Xavier Represent!” filling the air as the program hosts welcomed their ahias and shotis to their seats.
After everyone was settled down at the gym, teachers filed through the aisles in a flash-mob style performance, dancing and singing to get all the students riled up, from the Grade 7 newcomers to the graduating Grade 12 students.
The KIXSTART program also made students aware of the importance of starting the academic year right. School President Fr. Joseph Haw, SJ delivered his welcome remarks, connecting the day’s events to the current 2025 Jubilee Year in the Catholic Church, reminding them of the year’s theme, “Pilgrims Of Hope” and how hope can drive students through the struggles of school life.
Mrs. Ma. Theresa Ladrido, the High School Principal, also went on stage to talk about the new year’s hope in a more relatable way. She discussed Tyrese Haliburton’s Game 1 victory with the Indiana Pacers at the NBA finals, and how even though he wasn’t the star player of the team all the time, he had full trust in his teammates which he used to turn the team’s struggles into a last-minute win right before the game ended. She also detailed her recent visit to Spain and France to participate in the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, wherein she walked 120 kilometers in six days.
Performances from Xaverian talents such as DanceX and Halik followed talks from the school’s leadership, making sure that students leave the school with a back-to-school day to remember.
This edition of the school’s KIXSTART set itself apart from previous years, doing more than just getting the school year started. Through its talks and performances, the program surely set the tone for another strong school year ahead.
