Waltham Students Honored At Xaverian Brothers High School Graduation

WALTHAM, MA — Four Waltham students were honored at the 2022 Xaverian Brothers High School Commencement, held on Saturday, May 14.

At this year’s ceremony, diplomas were conferred to the 187 graduates by Head of School Jacob Conca ’94, Ph.D. and Principal Michael Nicholson, Ed.D. The Class of 2022 includes students from 55 cities and towns and comprises the 56th graduating class since Xaverian opened its doors in Westwood in 1963.

Collectively, the graduates have enrolled at 94 different colleges and universities, including Harvard, New York University, Notre Dame, Brown, Boston College, Cornell, West Point, Syracuse, Holy Cross, Providence College, Northeastern, Tulane, Baylor, and many more.

Waltham resident Zachary Usher was selected as the Class of 2022 Salutatorian. He took 11 AP classes during his time at Xaverian and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. In addition, Usher held multiple leadership positions within Xaverian’s Model UN, including Head of Underclassmen Recruitment, Junior Chair, and Senior Chair, and also served as Co-President of the Politix Club.

Usher led the student bulletin news team as Editor-in-Chief, helping to compile daily news to share with the Xaverian community, and was also an active member of Speech and Debate and the Student Council, serving as Student Council Secretary his senior year. Usher is a member of the National Honor Society and was the recipient of the Rensselaer Medal.

Waltham residents Christopher “CJ” Curtin, Michael Parent, and Aaron Mack were also honored at Saturday’s ceremony, with Curtin and Parent receiving this year’s “Loyalty and Service Awards.” Curtin will attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Parent will attend University of Notre Dame, and Mack will attend Roger Williams University.

In his Commencement remarks, Conca noted that throughout their Xaverian experience, the Class of 2022 witnessed the power of community, the power of relationships, and the power of compassion.

“No one is better positioned to bring these gifts to the broader world than you,” he said. “As you go forward, I challenge each of you to bring your Xaverian experience to a world in need. Make sure your future communities are healthy, and rooted in mutually respectful relationships, where compassion for everyone abounds.”

For more information on Xaverian Brothers High School, click here.