Xavier College Preparatory has stood as an all-girls high school in Phoenix, Arizona since 1943, and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
Sister Lynn Winsor, Xavier’s vice principal of activities and athletics director, has been at Xavier since 1974. “I’m celebrating dually. Xavier started in 1943, and I was born in 1943. I will be 80 at the same time that Xavier is 80,” Winsor said.
After 80 years, Xavier has grown tremendously, with new faculty, staff, facilities and activities.
Xavier started its 80th year anniversary by introducing a new chaplain, Father Elario Zambakari, who has been helping students through their religious journeys. He holds Mass daily during lunch and attended the recent Kairos retreat.
Kairos is a religious retreat that was recently made available to Xavier’s senior students. “Adding the Kairos program has been such a good experience for the girls.” said Windsor
“Attending Kairos was one of the best experiences I’ve had at Xavier. As a Kairos leader, it was amazing to connect with my classmates and teachers outside of school,” said Carla Bueno ‘24.
With 75 clubs, Xavier plans to continue to create opportunities for students to become involved in the coming years. One in particular is We Are Xavier (WAX) Club, which focuses on celebrating diversity.
Computer Science has been provided by Xavier since the 70s, and is continuing to evolve. “We were one of the first schools that really got into it. Mr. Tynes (computer science teacher) has just added a new dimension to it with robotics,” Winsor said.
Students expressed their enjoyment for the newly implemented Kairos experience.
“Mr. Tynes always encourages us to do our best work as women in STEM. He searches to find opportunities and competitions for us to join, and he helps us to make a positive impact in our community,” said Julyza Guerrero-Torres ‘24. Guerrero-Torres recently competed in the Arizona State University Illuminate Challenge, a competition to develop a solution to an infrastructure issue in Arizona.
Since the 70th anniversary, Xavier’s campus has received some recent updates. “Facility-wise, we’ve upgraded a lot of things, like the new field. When Xavier started, we didn’t even have a gym,” Winsor said.
Future expansions are planned for Xavier’s sports. “On Meadowbrook Avenue, we just bought the house that burned down, and the house right next to it, and we’re going to turn it into a beach volleyball court. We’re also going to build a locker room, coach’s office and storage for the beach volleyball team,” said Winsor.
With these expansions, there is a chance that more activities are coming to Xavier. “We might be adding some more sports and clubs,” Winsor said.
Looking back on 80 years of history, Xavier College Preparatory will continue to thrive as a place where young women can excel and pursue their interests. “Let’s be friendly. Women of faith pursuing excellence is what this is all about,” Winsor said.
