As Xavier Krueger looks excitedly at what the next chapter of life will bring, he’s also reflecting fondly on three eventful and successful years at Holy Trinity Academy.
A top scholar and athlete, Krueger is headed to the University of Waterloo this fall to study sciences and play rugby, but does so with HTA holding a special place in his heart.
“I've been really lucky and blessed at HTA,” he said. “I've had great teachers for the whole three years.
“I've made great friends that I'm going to know for my whole life and I've just been given opportunities through sports and other extracurriculars that I'll always look back on fondly because it’s just been an overall really good experience for me.”
He looks back on mission trips to Costa Rica in each of the last two years as a highlight, saying he was blessed to get to know people down there.
The bonds forged at school over the past three years, particularly on the field and court, created an extended family for Krueger, however he didn’t have to look far to find immediate family as both of his parents teach at HTA.
He acknowledges that some people might think that having mom and dad around all the time at high school would be awkward or uncomfortable, but Krueger said it’s been nothing but a positive experience.
“I get mixed opinions on them, which I always find pretty funny,” he said. “Everyone will always tell me how much they love my mom and how fun she is and how nice she is and then, you know, my dad, they’d say he's so strict, he gets mad at us all the time.”
Krueger laughs at the characterization, saying his dad, a shop teacher, has to be firm when you consider how dumb high school students can be around power tools.
A three-sport star athlete, Krueger was an instrumental part of the Knights’ provincial champion football team in Grade 11 but said his greatest sporting memory might well be the provincial rugby title HTA captured earlier this month in Red Deer.
This year’s South Central Zone basketball final, a game where he led the team in scoring and rebounding as HTA knocked off rival Foothills Composite to claim a provincial berth, is another fond memory.
“I'll always remember that game,” he said. “I think that was a big highlight for me.”
Krueger’s first love is rugby, which he’s played since he was six, so he wanted to pursue that sport at the university level, sending out a highlight tape to as many coaches as possible before landing at the University of Waterloo, where he’ll receive a merit scholarship.
“I got connected with the coach out there through a mutual player... and I just really enjoyed his coaching methods, the community that he's building there and then the school itself is just such a great school for sciences, so it just seemed like a really great fit for me.”
HTA vice-principal Michael Annicchiarico said teachers describe Krueger as a well-rounded, humble and faith-focused student who is kind and positive to everyone around him.
