One department at Xavier has a new idea for how to display Xavier talent. The Xavier High School Foundation is a non-profit organization established to raise and accept contributions to provide financial assistance to Xavier High School and its students. It is responsible for the acquisition, investment, and distribution of assets from a trust fund to provide a third source of income beyond tuition and parish subsidies. The majority of these funds come from the generous donations of people in the Xavier community.

To show their gratitude, The Foundation sends out annual thank-you cards to their donors. This year they had the idea to display the creativity and talent of Xavier students by including their artwork on the thank-you cards.

Six students and their artwork were chosen to be included on the covers of the cards. These students are seniors Gabriella Cummings, Claire Iversen, Ryan Keating, Theresa Lampe, and juniors Madelyn Andresen and Nathan Hagarty. The art varies in subject matter and style, from landscapes, to animals, to still life.

“I wanted to highlight the amazing artwork coming out of Xavier and wanted to enhance the look of the cards with six students’ artwork,” Foundation and Development Director Mrs. Mary Harken said.

One of the pieces being used is a pastel drawing of a dog on a black background that was created by Keating and titled: “Bear.”

“I had a picture of Beau Van Berkum’s aunt’s dog, and chose to use it as the subject of my project,” Keating said. “I then drew it in colors that looked cool and that popped.”

Donors can now see how their donations are being used by Xavier’s art department. This is only the start; Mrs. Harken has more ideas to incorporate student art into her department.

“We are then planning on showcasing student art on the walls of the Foundation Office,” Harken said.

Derrick Voss

A&E Writer