he Ryken Award is bestowed annually as part of
Xaverian Brothers High School’s Founder’s Week,
which celebrates Theodore James Ryken, founder
of the Congregation of St. Francis Xavier (more
commonly known as the Xaverian Brothers). It signifies an
exceptional commitment to Ryken’s vision and dedication to
the core values of a Xaverian Brothers education. Each year,
Xaverian faculty and staff nominate colleagues to win the
prestigious award, and the winner is kept secret until the big
announcement at the Founder’s Day liturgy.
Essential to this plan is Mrs. Julie Horne, P ’12,
’14, ’14, Administrative Assistant to the Administration. It’s
her responsibility to buy flowers for the presentation and set
up a light breakfast reception for the award winner’s family
who are invited to the liturgy but kept hidden until the award
winner is announced. This year, Mrs. Horne had no idea it was
her own flowers she was buying, and her own reception she was
planning.
Congratulations to Mrs. Julie Horne, Xaverian’s 2022 Ryken
Award winner!
“I knew if we told Julie she didn’t need to do the usual tasks
necessary for this liturgy and award presentation, it would ruin
the surprise. She would figure out it had something to do with
her,” says Dr. Michael Nicholson, Principal. “So instead,
we let her plan her own party. It worked. She was thoroughly
shocked when her name was called, and she deserved to enjoy
the experience the same as all previous Ryken Award winners.
Julie is the best, hands down.”
The only hiccup was when Mrs. Horne said she’d stay in the
main office to handle the phones and front door during the
liturgy. Dr. Jake Conca ’94, Head of School, intervened.
She says he told her absolutely not, she would attend the liturgy
— “end of discussion.”
“I couldn’t figure out why he was so snarky about it,” she says
with a laugh. “I was completely overwhelmed. I did not have an
inkling. They really got me good!”
As is customary, Dr. Conca made the Ryken Award
announcement, sharing first excerpts of the submissions
on the winner’s behalf before he revealed the name of the
recipient. He shared that colleagues described this year’s
winner as “possessing a loving, joyful, helping heart, and an
unwavering commitment to Xaverian’s students, faculty, staff,
and administrators.” They said that she continually “lets the light
of Christ shine to everyone,” “treats everyone with respect,” and,
“puts people at ease.” He further shared that, “Her faith, while
kept close to her, is felt by her patient and soothing manner. Our
students appreciate her grace and caring, and our staff admire
her support and kindness, as well as her daily smile.” But it
was when he said that the nominee reads to a blind man in her
Julie Horne
Xaverian’s 2022
Ryken Award Winner
6 www.xbhs.com
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As a thank you to our
most generous and
steadfast donors, each
year Xaverian hosts the
Francis Xavier Society
Reception. This includes
those who donate $1,500
annually to the Fund
for Xaverian, as well
as those who created
endowed scholarships,
have given for 25 years or more, have pledged a legacy gift, or served
on our Board of Trustees. Our Francis Xavier Society reception
honors those who truly make our Xaverian mission possible. We are
blessed to have these benefactors in our corner! Pictured: George
Papadopolous ’97, P ’28, Andrew Munchbach ’01, and Dave
Nelson ’02, Director of Annual and Leadership Giving
FRANCIS XAVIER
SOCIETY RECEPTION
Matt Hasselbeck ’93, P ’24, Dr. Jacob Conca ’94, Head of
School, and Sarah Hasselbeck, P ’24
free time that Mrs. Horne realized he was talking about
her. It seemed all other faculty and staff had realized by
then who it was, too, and all eyes turned to her as her
name was called: “At this time, Dr. Nicholson and I are
most pleased to present the 2022 Theodore James Ryken
Award to Mrs. Julie Horne.”
The applause was thunderous and the standing
ovation continued long after Mrs. Horne made the walk
from the back of the gym to the stage and was presented
with the award by Dr. Conca and Dr. Nicholson. Her
parents, Tom and Nancy Foley, as well as her sons
Brian ’12, Kevin ’14, and Patrick ’14 (all Xaverian
graduates), were there to congratulate her.
“I am the proud mother of three grads,” says Mrs. Horne with a
huge smile, “and I was so grateful that they could be there along with
my parents. I was overwhelmed.”
Mrs. Horne started work at Xaverian in 2007. She had previously
worked in admissions at St. Catherine’s School, and she came to
Xaverian to serve as an assistant to then Director of Admissions, Tim
McDonough. It was a part-time position, but within a year the
Dean of Students, Jim Spillman, asked her to move to his office as
the assistant. She spent 13 years in the dean’s office (later changed to
the Office of Student Life), serving five different assistant principals
in that time; the last was Dr. Nicholson who went on to become the
Principal. When he did, he took Mrs. Horne with him to the main
office where she now serves with Dr. Conca and Dr. Nicholson.
“Winning the Ryken Award,” Mrs. Horne says, “is such a great
feeling. There are a lot of other people before me who have received
this award who I consider to be really fantastic, talented, smart, giving
people who are living the mission of the school. To be considered
with those individuals and to be nominated by my colleagues, I am so
humbled by that and grateful to be recognized.”
Gratitude for Xaverian is something Mrs. Horne feels every
day. “I’ve always loved coming to work here. And at this point in
my life, that’s important; I really want to enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve
got two awesome bosses, and I feel really lucky that they kept me.
I love the fact that we work somewhere that we have a mission, we
have a purpose, and it serves as a compass for all of us. There’s just
something exceptional here at Xaverian.”
“Like the Ryken Award winners before her, Julie’s character is
the embodiment of our Xaverian mission and the personification of
Gospel values,” says Dr. Conca. “The way in which she supports and
interacts with our students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators
is truly the definition of what it means to be a servant leader.
Xaverian is a better place because she is in our community.”
Winning the Ryken
Award is such a great
feeling…To be considered
with those individuals
and to be nominated
by my colleagues, I am
so humbled by that and
grateful to be recognized.
Mrs. Julie Horne, P ’12, ’14, ’14
Winter 2023
Xaverian Magazine
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