Xavier
College Preparatory’s 2020 graduation.
Held on
Saturday (June 6) at nearby St. Francis Xavier Church 279 seniors quietly strolled
down the main aisle of the church, wearing their blue caps and gowns with color-coordinated
dark blue face masks. The latter pieces
of wardrobe for now remain a necessity to avoid the sinister spread of a lethal
virus that has gripped the globe.
Graduates’
parents, families and friends watched a video feed at XCP’s Performing Arts
Center and Founders Hall, with many more watching at home by way of a link to
Youtube.
The
graduates followed social distancing in the church, sitting about six feet apart
in the pews.
They
listened intently to a strong senior speech by Brianna Butkiewicz, who
capsulized the school year, the lives turned upside down by the virus and, more
recently, unrest and protest.
The
take-away from that is God is watching over us and we need to be better people
all the way around, treating each other with compassion, not just now but
always.
The
musicians and their music were eloquent. XCP Principal Sr. Joanie Nuckols
teared up with pride while looking out over the sea of blue and announcing the
girls’ names as they came forward to receive their diplomas. XCP President Sr.
Joan Fitzgerald and XCP Vice President and Athletic Director Lynn Winsor
facilitated that process. And Fr. Daniel Cruz, the school’s chaplain, paused to
gather himself while delivering the benediction as he prepares to fulfill a new
church assignment at Arizona State University.
A tip of the
Xavier cap goes to the administrators, faculty and staff who treaded some new
ground and had major roles in the organization and implementation of this
event. Well done!
We need to
pray for the well-being for these seniors as they move on to college, and pray
for continued awareness and patience for what we need to do with a new school
year just around the corner. We learned many lessons these last few months,
with certainly more to come.
How these
students handled themselves during these
challenging times will serve as a lasting legacy as Xavier continues to thrive.
God bless !!
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