When you live inside something beautiful every single day, you can slowly stop recognizing it. You begin to assume it will simply be there tomorrow, as it was today, because it seems like it has always been there. That is precisely the moment a culture becomes most vulnerable.
I have been thinking about this a great deal lately. Not because things are going poorly at Cristo Rey St. Martin – they are not. Things are going remarkably well… and that is exactly why we need to pay such close attention.
Our 3-year rolling average for retention of students from the first day of 9th grade through graduation is 96%. CRSM has the highest number of seniors meeting the Cristo Rey Network’s College Readiness benchmark at 85%. Ninety-two percent of our graduates enroll in four-year colleges. All of that is extraordinary, but it is also fragile.
In the Old Testament, just before the people of Israel are about to cross into the Promised Land – the land of milk and honey they have dreamed of and suffered for for forty years – Moses warns them not about any external enemies, but about themselves:
“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees… Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down… then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)
Moses understood something that every school leader… every organizational leader eventually discovers: culture is not self-sustaining. It must be chosen, again and again, every single day.
When you are on the inside, sometimes it takes an outsider to help you see what you have built. We received two such gifts recently – both arriving in our Principal Mike Odiotti’s inbox, just weeks apart. These emails express exactly what we are trying to accomplish at CRSM.
The first is from an alumna from CRSM’s Class of 2020:
Good morning, Dr. O,
I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to send a little life update in case it could current students at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep.
As you know, I recently moved to Pittsburgh to begin my career in Human Resources Development through PNC’s rotational HR program. It has been exciting, humbling, stretching, and honestly a little scary at times (in the best way). Moving to a new city on my own and stepping into corporate spaces has pushed me out of my comfort zone more than I expected.
There are moments when I look around a room and realize I am the only Latina there. I would be lying if I said that doesn’t feel strange sometimes. But in those moments, I remember exactly where I come from. I remember the confidence, professionalism, faith, and resilience that Cristo Rey instilled in me. I remember being taught that I belong in every room I step into – not by accident, but by preparation.
What has meant even more to me is that the support from Cristo Rey didn’t end at graduation. While I was preparing for interviews and considering this move to Pittsburgh, CRSM helped me connect with people who were already here. I received guidance, encouragement, and real support as an alumna. That reminded me that this community doesn’t just prepare you and send you off – it continues walking with you.
I also can’t forget how many teachers used to say, “You’ll come back one day as an alumna and be so thankful for this community.” I used to smile when they said that, but now I truly feel it. In a new city, building new friendships and searching for community again, I find myself so grateful for what was rooted in me at Cristo Rey. Community was never just a word – it was something we lived daily (emphasis added). And now, I’m intentionally trying to build that same sense of belonging here.
Because of Cristo Rey, I had the courage to take this leap. Because of Cristo Rey, I walk into rooms with confidence even when I feel different. And because of Cristo Rey, I know I carry something bigger than myself into every opportunity.
I’m still learning, still growing, and soaking up as much wisdom as I can. My hope is that one day I can come back in person and share what I’ve learned, especially with students who might one day find themselves as the only Hispanic person in the room and need the reminder that they absolutely belong there!!
Thank you for everything you and the entire CRSM community poured into me. I am feeling that gratitude deeply right now.
With so much appreciation,
Xxxx
“Community was never just a word – it was something we lived daily.” Six years removed from graduation, standing alone in a boardroom in Pittsburgh as the only Latina in the room, she is not drawing on a policy or a mission statement. She is drawing on a culture she absorbed through thousands of ordinary daily interactions – in classrooms, in study hall, in the hallways, at her work-study placement. That is what a living culture does. It goes with you.
The second letter came from a teacher who visited from another Cristo Rey school:
Michael,
It was indeed a treat to visit your school, observe classes and interact with students. Above all, I am very impressed with the work you all have done in the past that is bearing the present fruits of the labor. It is clear to me why you are the highest achieving school in the network. CRSM has truly created the real culture of learning that comes with accountability and high support. The primary reason I was interested in visiting CRSM was to see what it is that is promoting the success on the GPA front with your students. It is clear to me why CRSM’s success is as such… Your school provides an excellent model for us to emulate.
Please do thank the entire math and academic support team for breaking bread with me and sharing their experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting classes and working with students. I thank the teachers for welcoming that. It was refreshing to see students walk into class, some with phones in hand and earbuds on, but slowly but surely see them put their devices away as the teacher started class without being asked to. Study hall was quiet and productive. I spoke to three senior young ladies during their study hall and all expressed gratitude for being at your school. One in particular, referred to it as home. I asked her if middle school felt like that (it did not) and how long did it take before CRSM felt like home. She noted that it was immediate because it felt like it from the beginning. Your students are lucky to have you all.
…We are fortunate to have you in close proximity. It is my sincere hope that your school and ours fosters a working relationship that will help us grow our practices to better serve our students.
Si Se Puede!!!
Xxxx
James MacGregor Burns, one of the great scholars of leadership, wrote that transformational leadership is ultimately about raising people to their highest potential – not just managing systems, but inspiring a shared commitment to values that transcend the moment. That kind of leadership requires something relentless: the willingness to call things by their right names, every day. To name what is beautiful when you see it. And to name what falls short — with care, but without flinching.
The culture we have built at CRSM is not an accident, and it is not self-perpetuating. Every day, every person at CRSM – from our Principal to our Dean to our teachers to our work-study staff to our students – makes dozens of small decisions that either reinforce our culture or quietly erode it. A culture of low expectations will suppress even the most gifted student. A culture of accountability and love will draw out gifts that student didn’t even know she had.
There is no version of genuine love — whether from a parent, a teacher, a coach, or a school president — that does not include the willingness to hold a high bar and insist on it. Letting things slide is not kindness. It is abdication. It is easy to hold the line when you are struggling — the urgency is obvious. It is far harder when things look good, when the data is strong, when visitors are writing you letters of admiration. That is precisely the moment when we must be most vigilant about the small things, because the small things are the foundation everything else rests on.
As good as our statistics are, we are not done yet. In fact, we will never be our absolute best, because the potential of our young people defies imagination. We have the potential to always be better than our best. That is not a criticism – it is the most exciting thing I can say about Cristo Rey St. Martin.
That is our culture – a reflection of what every single person in this building does, every single day. Not the big dramatic moments but the patient, faithful, daily work of being who we say we are. That work is never finished. And it is ours.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!