Through the generosity of the St. Xavier Parish Foundation, students and staff at St. Xavier Catholic School now have the privilege of dining in a newly renovated cafeteria.  Since 1919, St. Xavier students had been served lunch in the basement of the red brick school building.  St. Xavier School Principals, Lori Balderrama and Rhonda Millard had the vision of moving into a fully modern and energy efficient operation in a different building.  What was expected to be a lengthy process involving raising funds for completion of the project unexpectedly resulted in the St. Xavier Parish Foundation stepping in to enable the principals’ vision to become a reality.  In July 2009, the Foundation allocated funds to be used towards the cafeteria and kitchen renovation.  Vendors and contractors were seen constantly at the school installing plumbing, electrical lines, a commercial stove, reach-in chiller, serving line, sinks, fans, air conditioning, shelving, and more.  A new entrance to the dining area was added and the cafeteria manager’s office remodeled.  The cafeteria was ready to serve students and staff the day before school started.  In the new facility, the cafeteria staff can prepare completely fresh, heart healthy meals. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held January 28 as a fitting celebration prior to Catholic Schools Week. The school would like to thank the St. Xavier Parish Foundation for funding this project.  In addition, thanks go out to the Junction City Fire Department, Academy Movers Inc., David Noetzelman, Vern Hecker, Lee Breidenstein, and Melanie Powers for their assistance in planning and/or overseeing the execution of the project.