Xavier Catholic Schools

THE CHALLENGE

For generations, Xavier Catholic Schools has formed students into faithful disciples through an education rooted in academic excellence and the Catholic faith. As the school system evolved into a unified network serving more than 2,300 students across 11 supporting parishes, leadership recognized that it’s two middle schools, each with a rich history of its own, could no longer fully support the needs of today’s learners. Aging facilities, duplicated resources and the desire to provide a more unified educational experience created an opportunity to reimagine Catholic middle school education in Cedar Rapids. By bringing students together on one campus, Xavier Catholic Schools could better support faith formation during the pivotal middle school years while creating an environment designed to prepare students to become courageous disciples and future leaders.

THE VISION

Xavier set out to create a transformative middle school campus that would strengthen Catholic education, with goals including:

• Consolidating two middle schools in the system to a single, state-of-the-art campus.
• Transforming an existing office building into modern classrooms, collaborative learning environments, student support spaces and administrative offices while constructing new facilities for athletics, performing arts and community gathering.
• Creating a chapel at the heart of the campus to ensure prayer, worship and Catholic identity remain central to the educational experience.

THE SOLUTION

Xavier Catholic Schools partnered with the Steier Group to lead the Fearless Followers, Faithful Futures Capital Campaign, developing a mission-centered fundraising strategy that united parents, alumni, parishioners, grandparents and friends around a bold vision for the future of Catholic education. By helping communicate the campaign’s compelling case for a unified middle school experience, the Steier Group inspired broad community support for an investment that extends far beyond a new facility. The successful campaign raised over $11 million and positions Xavier Catholic Schools to build a vibrant middle school where future generations will grow in wisdom, character, leadership and lifelong faith.