Xavier High School

Today we had the opportunity to visit and explore Xavier High School.  It was established in 1952. It was the first school in the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The school is located on top of Mabuchi hill, one of the highest mountains on the island of Weno.  It occupies the WWII Japanese communication center.  The walls are 3 feet thick and solid concrete.  The air raids hardly dented the structures. Even from direct hits.  We hadn't been able to get up here before because the road is truly horrendous so we borrowed the ZL's truck and blazed our way.  Very much worth the trip.

Father Rich is the man in charge now and he does a wonderful job teaching the young people and giving them direction.

It is a Catholic school in the Jesuit tradition. With an international staff of Jesuits, volunteers, alumni, and local people.  Currently they have a 190 students which is more than in the past years.  50 are on a trial basis this year and next year they will keep the top 40. They come from all over Micronesia. We have met many of the people that have attended this school and they are among some of the smartest and brightest.

This is Clark Graham. He was a teacher for many years at Xavier.   He has now started his own school to help the younger children in his village and surrounding villages.  He has become a great friend and confidant.  Today he is our tour guide. We are on the roof of the main building and the views are spectacular.  However it's kind of a stormy day so there wasn't much to see this day.

Check out this beautiful garden.  They truly teach the students many great things.  The area is very clean and orderly.

This is the boys dormitory.  They live onsite throughout the school year, but the girls are sponsored and live  in the community with family.

This is the sign on the way out.  We feel it says a lot about how they teach and inspire the students.