Thursday, February 26, 2009

XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY RECEIVES 2009 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR TOMORROW AWARD

February 26, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

XAVIER COLLEGE PREPARATORY RECEIVES 2009 CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR TOMORROW AWARD

(Phoenix) – Xavier College Preparatory, the all-girl Catholic high school established in 1943 in Phoenix, has been selected by professional journal Today's Catholic Teacher as one of 12 recipients of the 2009 Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award. This national award honors the top innovations in education each year. Xavier received the award in the area of innovative projects in curriculum and instruction for its "Financial and Economic Literacy: A Call to Stewardship" course.

This one-semester course, developed with a grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, is positioned in Xavier's Theology Department. Mrs. Erin Schmitt, a Xavier alumna with a financial and small business background, developed curriculum and currently teaches the course. The curriculum utilizes a combination of logical and financial principles to help young adults be more financially responsible and create awareness of how that responsibility applies to them as Christian stewards. Providing a complete view of how to attain financial stability, the course deals with many challenges that individuals face throughout their early years, from establishing credit, buying a first home and navigating the first job, to responsibilities of planning for retirement and building children's college funds.

Xavier's program is uniquely different from other financial literacy programs because, rooted in Catholic theology, it contains a stewardship component. Students learn how to become Christian stewards of their financial affairs through community and economic service. The curriculum has been made available, at no cost, to other Catholic secondary schools across the country.

"The link between stewardship and financial literacy is critical," said Mrs. Schmitt. "If people become buried financially, it may be more difficult to live a life of gratitude, or an 'other-centered' life that focuses on the sharing of time, talent, treasure and Tradition. I want my students to have the knowledge and tools necessary to manage their finances, and use them to serve the Lord and reach their God-given potential."
Xavier will be featured in the March issue of Today's Catholic Teacher, as well as honored at the 2009 National Catholic Education Association Convention in mid-April.

Xavier College Preparatory is twice recognized as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and recognized nationally for academic excellence by the Catholic High School Honor Roll in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Xavier was awarded the 2007-08 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement, honoring high schools with high student success rates in AP math, science and technology courses. The Arizona Interscholastic Association awarded Xavier its prestigious Blue Cup Award (2006) for excellence in scholastics, athletics and activities. All Xavier graduates attend post-secondary institutions; members of the Class of 2008 were accepted at 163 colleges and universities, garnering over $13 million in college scholarships.

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