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22ndCenturyMedia.com private school guide
22nd century media | January 24, 2019 | 21
Award-winning St. Francis Xavier crafts rich, diverse curriculum
St. Francis Xavier is a
thriving Catholic school
educating preschool
through 8th grade students
from Wilmette and the
northern suburbs of Chicago.
School families value
the role of engaged and
motivated teachers within
a stimulating environment
that prioritizes lifelong
learning, faith development
and the formation
of informed and compassionate
individuals. The
school was founded in
1910 and draws inspiration
from a rich legacy of
faith in action. SFX calls
students to make the world
a better place by promoting
a culture of care and
concern in service to others.
The school cultivates
curious learners through
a framework of academic
excellence, faith tradition,
collaboration and innovation
in which students are
known and honored for
their gifts in their many
forms. SFX families form
a tight-knit community
that enriches the school
through service, regular
and meaningful collaboration
with administration,
and authentic support of
faculty, programs and
traditions. Because the
school operates in a wellresourced
public school
district, faculty works
diligently to craft a rich
and diverse curriculum to
remain competitive with
area schools.
St. Francis Xavier is a
back-to-back winner of the
US Blue Ribbon Schools
Award, earning the distinction
in 2012 and again in
2018. SFX was nominated
for a Chicago Innovation
Award in 2016, and its
Principal, Colleen Barrett
was recognized in 2018
as Administrator of the
Year by the Association
of Illinois School Library
Educators. SFX thrives
because it collaborates and
innovates frequently and
well and inspires students
with a strategic framework
that guides lesson
planning and cultural vocabulary.
EPIC (Explore,
Play, Invent, Create) fuels
student curiosity and
problem-solving skills
and provides a platform
for technology integration
within the greater context
of motivated learning and
creative problem-solving.
EPIC draws students out
of their comfort zones, and
inspires faculty and parents.
While an 8th grader
may access EPIC through
the school’s Biomechanics
and Prosthetics Club, a
preschool student does so
through engagement with
Imagination Playground.
Teachers participate in
collaborative PD workshops
to share best practices,
knowledge of tools and
apps, and cross-curricular
resources. School families
support this culture
of innovation and curiosity
through the parent-established
“Make an EPIC
Difference Fund,” raising
over $200,000 to connect
teachers with elite professional
development experiences,
including engagements
with the Center for
Transformational Educational
Leadership through
the University of Notre
Dame, service opportunities
in Africa, continuing
education at the Teachers
College at Columbia University,
and workshops at
the M.I.T. Media Lab’s
Center for Future Children.
The school completed
a transformative $9 million
campus improvement
project in 2018 through its
capital campaign, “Faith
in Action.” A new Early
Childhood Learning Center,
additional collaboration
spaces, an expanded
gym, a new library and
maker space, new classrooms
and other resources
on the renovated campus
will allow SFX to further
explore a deep and nuanced
curriculum that fuels
excellence in 2019 and
beyond.
Submitted by St. Francis
Xavier, 808 Linden Ave., Wilmette,
Ill., (847) 256-0644,
sfx-school.org.