KEARNS — A new set of photos adorns the hallway between Saint Francis Xavier Church and Saint Francis Xavier School. On the right, a row of black and white photos commemorate all the parish priests, and on the left are photos of the school’s graduates, dating back 20 years to the first graduating class. Ruby Rodriguez (Class of 2012) has spent a lot of time pondering the photos of graduates, she said. "I looked for [my old] family leader and I keep thinking about how cool it is that I will be in her spot this year." Connor Dumont (Class of 2012) also noticed the graduation photos: "All the people who I thought looked so old when I was younger don’t look so old now that I’m an eighth grader!" he said. As a community, St. Francis Xavier School is spending some time looking back, and finding that the lessons of hard work and dedication are just as meaningful to current SFX students and staff as they were to Geraldine Conti, Marie Bertot and Father Thomas Meersman when they embarked on the mission of establishing the school well over 20 years ago. Development coordinator Lisa Rose says she was drawn to the work ethic of her predecessors. "I was sifting through some old paperwork, frustrated that I couldn’t find what I needed. Then suddenly, out fell all of these old photographs. It was a message. Looking back at what they went through to start this school has given me motivation to continually improve our school, even through the recession." That’s what inspired her, Principal Patrick Reeder and Father Robert Moriarty to begin an introspective backward look. Although St. Francis has been blessed in countless ways, the strength of the community lies within its resilience through times of trial. Even after two decades as a K-8 school, St. Francis still struggles to find enough scholarship money to help fund the tuition of economically disadvantaged families, many of whose parents work multiple jobs with long hours to put their children through a Catholic education. That’s why St. Francis has instituted an Annual Drive with this year’s theme: "The Strength of our Future Stems from our Past." Although only in its first year, the annual drive boasts ambitious goals such as a new set of playground equipment. The current playground equipment, installed over 20 years ago, has multiple problems resulting from decades of use. St. Francis Xavier School strives to provide its students with investments beyond those inherent in a sturdy set of playground equipment or a new computer lab, however. As Lieren Stuivenvolt Allen (Class of 2004) points out, St. Francis is often "the only opportunity for students west of State Street to be guaranteed the same shot at success and confidence that students in other neighborhoods have." Several graduates now send their own children to St. Francis Xavier. Amanda Cisneros Cuevas (Class of 1994) sent her family to St. Francis Xavier in part because "the teachers and staff really go out of their way to make every child feel welcomed, special, and help them recognize their talents, she said. Rebecca Watson (Class of 2003) knew sending her own daughter to St. Francis would be the best choice because, as she says, "to this day, I feel so comfortable and welcome when I walk into the school. Especially when I see the mural I helped paint, the flowers in the courtyard I helped plant, my graduation picture on the wall. Everywhere I look I see pieces of me and the community I have been a part of. I see my hand along with everyone else’s who have come together to make St. Francis the wonderful place it is."
For information or to make a donation, contact Lisa Rose, 801-966-1571 ext. 118.
Courtesy of Saint Francis Xavier School
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