Graduation for the Class of 2020 was held on June 6th. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the ceremony was for students only and held in St. Francis church. Parents were able to attend a virtual graduation in the Virginia G. Piper Performing Arts Center and Founders Hall, all masked and properly distanced.

The Class of 1960 is celebrating their 60th Reunion from Xavier this year. Several classmates attended the assembly and are pictured around their classmate Sandy Fitzgerald Gruwell’s letter sweater that was donated to Xavier from her family.

70th Reunion luncheon celebration for the Class of 1950.

Women of Tradition 2020

The Class of 1950 celebrated their 70th Reunion on campus at the Traditions Day Assembly and were treated to lunch after the assembly. June Simon Fretz spoke for the class and offered hugs to all the students. She was inundated with those who took her up on her offer!

The Spirit of Service Award honors members of our community committed to creating an abundance of opportunities for our Xavier students. Tracy and Louis Basile were recognized for their long standing service to Xavier and the community. The X Breakfast is famous for Wildflower Bread Company scones and more! Louis and Tracy clearly have a passion to help their community. So much so that they also created the Wildflower Cares Foundation. Their Foundation’s main priorities are to support poverty and hunger relief, children’s wellness, education, women’s empowerment and animal advocacy. Since 2009, Wildflower has donated over $2.4 million worth of fresh bread and bakery items to local charities.
Tracy and Louis also serve on many boards and are active community volunteers. Jessie Basile graduated from Xavier in 2016.

Two Xavier alumnae were celebrated as Women of Achievement in January 2020 as part of the President’s Circle Dinner celebration.
Sara Bartylla Miller ‘84 was feted for her service to the school. Sara has served as School Advisory Board chair for nine years. She has three Xavier alumnae daughters, Molly ‘14, Annie ‘17 and Emily ‘19. Sara teaches fourth grade at Saints Simon and Jude where she established the Peer Mentor Program. She is a facilitator for the Diocesan Proud to Protect Program and a Diocesan Religion Curriculum Committee member.

Anna Puchacz Burke ‘94 was honored for her service to the community. Anna is a board certified geriatric psychiatrist, the Karsten Solheim Chair for Dementia, and the Director of the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Division at the Barrow Neurological Institute.
She is dedicated to helping patients and families struggling with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s dementia. Anna has two daughters.

Jamie Stelnik ‘21 and Brophy juniors Jackson Moran and Charlie Fallon organized The Arizona Run for COVID-19 to benefit The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. It was a virtual run and the Office of Advancement supported them by running/walking the Bridle Path on Central Avenue.

Two Xavier alumnae were celebrated as Women of Achievement in January 2020 as part of the President’s Circle Dinner celebration.
Sara Bartylla Miller ‘84 was feted for her service to the school. Sara has served as School Advisory Board chair for nine years. She has three Xavier alumnae daughters, Molly ‘14, Annie ‘17 and Emily ‘19. Sara teaches fourth grade at Saints Simon and Jude where she established the Peer Mentor Program. She is a facilitator for the Diocesan Proud to Protect Program and a Diocesan Religion Curriculum Committee member.

Anna Puchacz Burke ‘94 was honored for her service to the community. Anna is a board certified geriatric psychiatrist, the Karsten Solheim Chair for Dementia, and the Director of the Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders Division at the Barrow Neurological Institute.
She is dedicated to helping patients and families struggling with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s dementia. Anna has two daughters.

Kristen Preach Jones and husband Ryan welcomed Hunter Scott on April 20, 2020.

Kaori Robertson spent most of the summer raising money for and delivering portable handwashing stations and touchless soap dispensers to several Navajo Nation sites.

Abby Converse won the Arizona Competion for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Scholar Essay Contest. Abby is an indoor and beach volleyball player and wrote about life principles learned in sports. She will be playing Division 1 beach volleyball at Stanford University and studying Biology in the Microbes and Immunity.