Xavier Lyceum () is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

preschool, primary and secondary school located in the City of

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. The school was founded by the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

in 1952 as a boys only school, and became co-educational in 2000. The school includes preschool through baccalaureate in science and in literature.

History

Xavier Lyceum opened in 1952 with students from kindergarten to third grade, in two small classrooms loaned by the Peyré family to supplement the prestigious private "French school" for young ladies with a school for boys. The founder, Jorge Toruño Lizarralde, entered Guatemala surreptitiously due to the liberal governments of

Justo Rufino Barrios Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón (19 July 1835 – 2 April 1885) was a Guatemalan politician and military general who served as President of Guatemala from 1873 to his death in 1885. He was known for his liberal reforms and his attempts to reun ...

and

José María Reina Barrios José María Reyna Barrios (December 24, 1854 – February 8, 1898) was President of Guatemala from March 15, 1892 until his assassination on February 8, 1898. He was a moderate of Guatemala's Liberal Party, who worked to solidify the less ...

under which Jesuits had been expelled from the country. Toruño initially opened a male section for the French Lyceum. After the overthrow of Colonel

Jacobo Arbenz Guzman Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alfredo Jacobo (born 1982), Olympic breaststroke swimmer from Mexico * Cesar Chavez Jacobo, Dominican profession ...

in 1954 by the National Liberation Movement, private religious education boomed after 1955, and Toruño renamed the school "Xavier Lyceum". Shortly after 1952, the school moved from 4th Avenue Zone 1 of Guatemala City, "Simeon Canas" Avenue near the North

Race Track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

, and with the help of grants and loans, Toruño bought 17 blocks on the edge of the Calzada Aguilar Bátres, which had been the location of the school since 1957. In 1956, construction began on the primary building, which was finished in 1957, the year that the school moved permanently to new premises. During the tenure of Orlando Sacasa as rector, a granddaughter of General

donated $350,000 for the 3-storey secondary building to compensate for expropriations made during the government of Barrios (1873-1885).

New century

Xavier Lyceum became coeducational in the year 2000. In 2015 it ranked eleventh among 1,592 secondary schools in Guatemala, and second among those with more than 100 students tested. In 2016 the baccalaureate was awarded to 57 day and 15 night school students. All but two of the 72 graduates scored in the two highest levels on all parts of the standardized exam.

Notable alumni

Óscar Berger Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo (; born 11 August 1946) is a Guatemalan businessman and politician who served as the 46th president of Guatemala from 2004 to 2008. He previously served as mayor of Guatemala City from 1991 to 1999. Early y ...

President of Guatemala, and Mayor of Guatemala City * Harold CaballerosGovernment minister *

Ramiro de León Carpio Ramiro de León Carpio (12 January 1942 – 16 April 2002) was a Guatemalan politician who served as the 43rd president of Guatemala from June 1993 until January 1996. He served as Guatemala's Attorney for Human Rights from August 1987 to ...

President of Guatemala, and human rights procurator *

Alejandro Sinibaldi Alejandro Manuel Sinibaldi Castro (1825–1896) was acting President of Guatemala from April 2, 1885, to April 5, 1885. Biography Of partial Italian descent, Sinibaldi Castro was a businessman who was "First Designate to the Presidency", ...

National congressional deputy and government minister *

Eduardo Stein Eduardo Stein Barillas (born 20 October 1946) is a Guatemalan diplomat who served as the Vice President of Guatemala from 14 January 2004 to 14 January 2008, serving a concurrent four-year mandate with President Óscar Berger. He is currently t ...

Vice president of Guatemala

References

Bibliography

* * {{cite book, title =100 personajes ilustres, publisher =Serviprensa, C.A., location =Guatemala Jesuit schools in Guatemala High schools and secondary schools in Guatemala Elementary and primary schools in Guatemala Educational institutions established in 1952 1952 establishments in Guatemala Schools in Guatemala City

History

New century

Notable alumni

See also

References

Bibliography