by admin | Dec 25, 2022 | President’s Pen
Two days before Christmas and all through the school
Not a creature was present, I felt like a fool.
The work-study vans were all parked in a row
Under our new canopy and out of the snow.
I pass empty classrooms as I walk down the hall,
Whatever happened to that season called Fall?
The desks are all clean and exams are all through.
No one will be back ’til Semester number two.
The bulletin boards still announce former events
Like food drives, retreats all now in past tense.
In the chapel the altar is covered in roses
Above them a portrait of La Virgen reposes:
Our mass for the feast of Guadalupe was great,
The skit of her appearance was really first rate.
Las Posadas’ inn doors propped against a lunch table –
José y María at last found the stable.
Sometimes silence and solitude can be a gift…
Stepping back from the action can give you a lift,
Like thinking of people who make our lives better
Teachers, students, and YOU changing the world together.
There are angels among us regardless of wings
Christmas invites us to find our God in all things
God with us and for us, loves all that we are
And invites us, in joy, to follow His star.
To shine in the darkness, be people for others,
To live on this Earth like sisters and brothers.
May you keep Christmas always in your minds and your hearts
And we’ll see you again when another year starts.
The divine became human on Christmas Day;
God’s love calls us to love. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
by admin | Dec 20, 2022 | School News
During this holiday season, we want to shine the spotlight on the “Angels Among Us” doing extraordinary work to advance our mission day in and day out throughout the year. We’ve been thinking about what inspires them to donate their time and money and passions to Cristo Rey St. Martin at a time when our students and their families — along with the world — need our help more than ever. We feel it is very important to point out that we are featuring only SOME of the many, many standout volunteers in this issue. We are very grateful to so many people who give generously of their time and talents providing support for CRSM in everything, from helping to write resumes, training and accompanying our freshman to their first day at work, and others who share their expertise at our career exploration days. We will be launching a monthly spotlight to feature all our volunteers in depth. Stay tuned in future months for more angels among us.
Meet Our Campus Ministry Volunteers who Help Feed and Nourish the Spirits of Our Neighbors in Need
Once a month, for the last two years, the CRSM community has manned the parking lot to help distribute food to area residents in need through the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Popup food bank. Taking a lead directing traffic are Mary and Kathleen Popit, and working alongside her son is CRSM mom Anaid Hernandez. Hunger relief is just part of what our volunteers do — because “food is the foundation of kindness and compassion for our neighbors,” says Mary Popit. “These volunteers embody and live a core part of our mission to be people for others,” said Jim Dippold, Director of Campus Ministry. “They are helping to feed more than 600 families a month. This would not be possible without their help and dedication.”
Meet Erin Foley, Joanne Eenigenburg, Cindy Rourke and Ann Kendall our event planning gurus
From creating the theme, the decor, inviting their friends and family and providing overall direction for our two major fundraisers — elevate and Founder’s Dinner — this team of volunteers works tirelessly to pull off these mega fundraising events which financially support tuition and programs for our students, who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a college prep education. “We couldn’t put these events on without this committee,” says Candice Tonon, Director of Development or Wendy Feldhaus, Assistant Development Director. “They are a very special community of supporters.”
Volunteers Gear Students Up for Corporate World
Meet the Corporate Work Study Program mentors, Ignatian Volunteer Corps team: Keith Schoeneberger, a retired attorney, Susan Carsello, a wealth management advisor, Kate Kniest, a retired college nursing professor and Mari-Lou Menezes, a financial services executive and business development strategist with JP Morgan Chase. Phil Balog, a retired accountant from Waukegan, has been volunteering for more than a decade. From scouring through student’s on-the-job work study reports, to coaching and mentoring students who are facing challenges at work these IVC Chicago volunteers “are hugely important in helping student develop workplace skills and giving them after work support,” says Brian Weinberg, Director of the Corporate Work-Study Program.
Teaching Writing and Academic Skills
With a culture that immerses students in becoming college and career ready, helping students achieve academic excellence is vital to our mission. That’s why CRSM is grateful to the volunteers who share their expertise with students in the academic arena. In the college counseling department, Gretchen Cooper Athas, a Career Management and Admissions Coach and Jeanie Sullivan, work with seniors on their personal statements, resumes and college applications. .”We couldn’t do it without them,” says Sharon Holdvogt, college counselor. “They are incredible with working with our students to encourage them to elaborate in their writing while also allowing the student to maintain their voice and style. John Simons, a retired Abbott scientist, with a PhD from MIT and MBA from Northwestern and an Ignatian volunteer, offers academic counseling twice a week through the CRSM Academic Assistance Program (AAP). “I was lucky to retire early and wanted to do something that really makes a difference in these student’s lives,” says John. “Now I can finally put my ‘over educated’ self to use and make a true impact.”
by admin | Nov 29, 2022 | President’s Pen
Gratitude…
Last Monday, twenty-two CRSM students gave up their evening to be here at school calling nearly 400 donors simply to say, “Thank you.” They reached more than ninety in-person. What a treat to hear them talking to benefactors on the other end of the line, expressing gratitude while answering questions about their studies, hopes for college, and dreams for the future.
Gratis…
Another evening, some of our staff and students gathered after school (as they do every week), to get on a bus and go over to the local PADS shelter where they make beds for the homeless and then prepare a meal and eat it with them. CRSM does not require community service hours. Instead, students are invited to freely give their time and talents without expectation of reward or credit. Service is done gratis or it is not truly service.
Congratulate…
I visited Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago earlier this month and was greeted in the lobby by a large poster of a CRSM alumna now studying there. She had just been awarded a 2022 President’s Medallion from LUC. Here is what the Dean of the college said about her:
“[She] embodies what we hope for all our students at Arrupe College; she understands the value of hard work and demonstrates that value on a daily basis. In addition, [she] exhibits authentic qualities: she is person-centered, compassionate in her dealings with others, and is committed to excellence, especially when it comes to her personal growth.
For her part, she says that her teachers at CRSM and Arrupe, “have taught me to be selfless, to be motivated, and to be brave and caring.” Congratulations to a remarkable young person who is and will be making a difference in our world!
Agree…
Recognizing that soccer is king in Waukegan and that most of our students yearned to watch Mexico play in the World Cup, we agreed to alter the school schedule so that the lunch hour coincided with the weekday matches. The first game was televised in our cafeteria on the large monitors we use for weekly assembly. Imagine the entire school community – faculty, staff, and students (except for the students working that day) – all crammed into one space cheering and sharing the moment. So much fun!
Grace…
Educators do not often realize the full impact they have on the lives of their students. Often, students don’t fully appreciate teachers until they have the perspective that only time and life experience can give. “Thank you’s” aren’t always practical to make when you are years and often miles apart. Once in a great while, a “thank you” does make it back and it is truly a grace to get one. Our Principal received this unsolicited email from a CRSM graduate who saw a license plate with the word “grit” on it:
“Grit is something you told us about possibly every chance you got and while sometimes it was repetitive, it really stuck. Back in the day, I didn’t realize how important Grit would be in my life, but believe me, college made sure that I knew I needed it in order to succeed. I will never forget when I tried to convince you to give us a snow day because of how cold it was going to be and you instead, showed me a picture of how cold it was going to be in Russia and told me that if the Russian kids go to school in negative degree whether then we can too, because we have grit. Believe it or not, I think about this conversation from time to time, especially when it’s freezing outside, but also when I feel like giving up on something because no matter what, life keeps moving and we have to learn to keep moving with it.
Anyway, I’d like to say thank you for making sure we knew about grit because it truly has helped me in college with my classes, [and now with my] work opportunities…”
Grateful, gratis, congratulate, agree, grace…
These words all share the common Proto-Indo-European linguistic root of “gwere” meaning “to favor, to thank, to praise.” Not coincidentally, they also each require a level of selflessness to enact. We cannot be grateful without acknowledging that someone has given us something; something cannot be offered gratis without first giving up any conditions placed on the receiver – there can be no quid pro quo; we cannot truly congratulate someone if we think only of ourselves; we can only agree on something if we acknowledge the other side; and we cannot receive grace without first recognizing our own vulnerability. Somehow, we cannot be truly thankful without looking beyond personal interests and we cannot find grace without thinking about the needs of others.
During the Eucharist (which, by the way, means “Thanksgiving” in Greek), there is a point in the mass when the priest says, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give You thanks, Lord…”
Community is a prerequisite to giving thanks. We are called to be persons for others because it is the only way we can recognize God’s grace already at work within us. Recognizing that we belong to one another and have a responsibility for one another is what saves us. Giving thanks is both our duty and salvation. Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Advent! And thank you for supporting CRSM!
by admin | Nov 21, 2022 | Alumni Spotlight
Daughter of a barber and medical assistant, middle child of three, and first-generation lawyer– Cheyanne Williams has always been inspired by the legal system. She was in grade school when she binge-watched TV crime shows and set her intention to become a lawyer.
The CRSM Class of ‘15 graduate’s commitment and determination never wavered. Consider her checklist of achievements: She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University in in 2019 where she was a Cristo Rey Scholar, Achieving College Excellence scholar, a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society at Loyola and maintained a 3.5 GPA where she was a member of the Dean’s list. Last May she graduated from Georgetown’s law school. There she was the Staff Editor at Georgetown’s Journal of Law and Modern Critical Race Perspectives, Assistant, and Peer Mentor. During her summers while in law school she was a summer associate at Baker McKenzie (2020 and 2021) and King and Spalding (2021). After graduating from Georgetown’s law school, she spent the summer preparing for the July 2022 Illinois bar exam, which she passed and was recently sworn into the Illinois Bar. Recently she was named to the CRSM Board of Trustees. This fall she became an associate at King and Spalding.
Always drawn toward her goals, Cheyanne says she’s clung on to the CRSM mantra “to get to and through college,” expanding it to include any challenges she faced. “When I think about what I am doing in life, I first ask myself ‘what are my goals and what are the steps I need to take to achieve them?”
As a CRSM student, Cheyanne was a regular volunteer at PADS Homeless Shelter and the Northern Illinois Food Bank and Feed My Starving Children. Her work-study program at United Way of Lake County also was centered in advocacy.
Interspersed in her academic achievements, Cheyanne has seized all opportunities to explore international culture. At Loyola she studied abroad in Rome and has globe trotted to Kenya, Paris, London, Switzerland, Morocco, Spain, Bali and Brazil.
Her advice to CRSM students, “Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you and seek out the opportunities that are not necessarily presented to you – you never know where they can lead you.”
by admin | Nov 21, 2022 | Academic
Getting to graduation day is not always an easy task – but it is, ultimately, a rewarding one. A high school diploma opens doors for more postsecondary education options, career pathways and earning potential.
That’s why CRSM is proud of scoring #1 in three of the Cristo Rey Network’s key performance indicators for college readiness, according to the Network’s recently released Annual Data Report 2022. Out of the Network’s 38 schools in 24 states across the country, CRSM ranked top in:
- College Readiness: With 72%, CRSM scored #1 in college readiness, based on the proportion of seniors who had a 3.0-plus GPA and earned a qualifying score on at least one Advanced Placement. The Network average was 42%.
- Student Retention: With 90%, CRSM scored #1 in the Class of 2022 student retention 9th grade through graduation: Network average was 72%.
- College Enrollment: With 92%, CRSM scored 5th in the Network for the Class of 2021 percent of students enrolled in a 4-year institution as of August 2022. The Network average was 73%.
The Cristo Rey Network of high schools delivers a career focused, college preparatory education in the Catholic tradition for students with limited economic resources, uniquely integrating rigorous academic curricula with four years of professional work experience and support to and through college.
