Chicago Tribune: Waukegan’s Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep celebrates 20th anniversary; ‘There are so many opportunities and programs’
Click here to read the Chicago Tribune article about Cristo Rey St. Martin’s 20th Anniversary.
Teacher Feature: Pati Ferrer
With a 93% teacher retention rate, Cristo Rey St. Martin ranks number one in all of the Cristo Rey Network for this metric. Many members of our faculty and staff have remained throughout the changes in buildings, branding, leadership, and many other elements in the past 20 years. Patricia (Pati) Ferrer has been a Spanish teacher at CRSM since 2006, just two years after the school opened; the school was still called St. Martin de Porres at this point. “I remember the challenges we faced,” Ferrer recalls, “but at the moment, we just knew we would figure it out- whether it was the neighborhood, the building, or the academic challenges. And we did (figure it out).”
Pati began her career the year the school moved into the former St. Joseph’s Parish building on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave in Waukegan. “We began classes a month later than usual because we spent significant time preparing the space, and all classes for our students. We cleaned and painted classrooms, sourced tables and chairs, and selected textbooks from donated books.”
During this time of setting up the school for students, Pati Ferrer recalls that “the initial month was truly unique; it was during this time that the strong sense of community, which CRSM is known for, began to form.” Community support and engagement were what the school was known for then and to this day.
Looking forward to how far we have come today at CRSM, Ferrer remarks on how “over the past 18 years, my colleagues and all my coworkers have been one of the greatest aspects of working at CRSM… [they] have become my chosen family, and I am incredibly proud of that.”
Teachers like Patricia Ferrer, who have weathered the school’s many changes, exemplify the commitment that has defined CRSM’s community for nearly two decades. Their steadfastness not only reflects the strength of the school’s mission but also emphasizes the deep bonds that have turned colleagues and students into family. As CRSM looks to the future, this sense of community will continue to be its cornerstone.
The North Shore Weekend: Disconnect To Connect
Click here to read The North Shore Weekend article about our eight CRSM students who went on the July 2024 summer trip to Camp Owakonze in Ontario, Canada!
July 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Where did the summer go? Hard to believe that August is already upon us and we will be back in full-time classes in a couple weeks. Speaking of time just flying by, this school year will mark the 20th anniversary of our school opening in 2004. In that year, six new Cristo Rey schools opened at the same time. Not something I would ever recommend repeating! There were already four schools in operation at that time, including the original school in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. So, depending how you want to look at it, our school in Waukegan was either the 5th Cristo Rey school or the 10th or something in between.
We were going through some old photos of the opening day. The students gathered at the local Catholic Church for mass and then afterwards, paraded along the sidewalks and on the streets to the front of the building where classes were held those first two years. I was working at the Cristo Rey Network at that time and attended mass and walked to school with the students that day – never dreaming that, seven years later, I would come to lead this wonderful work and school community that is CRSM. An amazing and humbling privilege!
CRSM has been through so much – good times and tough ones. We will be celebrating our short history throughout this school year. Not very many businesses ever make it to twenty years old. What a blessing to have made it this far but we are just getting started! As we look forward to our next twenty years, it is with a faith born out of many trials and many more successes.
Speaking of successes, nothing warms the heart more than being able to check in with alumni. We have engineers, IT managers, nurses, accountants, teachers, school administrators, law enforcement, civil servants, and lawyers. I know at least one alum in medical school. What a gift to be able to see their dreams (and our dreams for them) coming true. Our oldest classes were also our smallest classes, but those first pioneers are now in their mid-thirties. Our first graduating class was only 17 seniors. Besides their budding careers, many have started families. Can you imagine how much fun it is to see them visit and walk the halls with strollers? The future is even brighter; this year’s senior class has 102 students!
Our incoming freshman class of 108 students are on campus as I write, finishing up their third week of job preparation training. Total CRSM enrollment is 429 – the largest number for CRSM ever. The reason for this increase is not that we are intentionally taking larger incoming classes but because so few students are leaving during their four years with us. Our running five-year average for retention from 9th grade through 12th grade and graduation is over 90%. No other Cristo Rey school can claim this feat and few other schools anywhere, regardless of student income, can compete. Not that it is a competition… but I think it speaks volumes about the culture our leadership, faculty, and staff work so hard to maintain – a place where students are known, valued, and can flourish.
As we look toward this school year, CRSM’s challenges are not with students and student performance. They are primarily financial. First, our Corporate Work Study Program is still experiencing a long-term COVID hangover as the five-day work week moves closer and closer toward extinction. I joked with a doctor the other day that the only organizations which appear to be open and in-person five days per week (or more) are schools and hospitals. A big part of our challenge is that, while many organizations are moving toward being in the office three days per week, the actual days they are in-person vary company-by-company and even department-by-department within some companies. Right now, only half our students are in paying jobs. The rest are spread among a large group of terrific non-profit organizations. Every student has a job but the vital income work-study brings to our school operations is down by over $1.2M annually compared to pre-COVID.
In addition, the Illinois Tax Credit scholarship program known as Invest In Kids was not renewed by our state legislature. On average, CRSM received $1M annually via scholarships for our students. Overall, our income is down more than $2.2M annually.
Thankfully, several people who gave through the program are now pledging to give the same donation amounts despite not receiving the generous state tax credits. God bless them! I am confident that we will be able to adjust to the changing workplace schedules and revive the Corporate Work Study Program. Also, we are truly blessed to have so many incredibly generous benefactors who understand our situation and value the life-changing success our students are finding at CRSM. These are challenges we will overcome.
In the meantime, I just received an email from our Admissions department. The CRSM applications portal for 9th graders starting in the fall of 2025 just opened-up yesterday. We received 30 applications on the first day! And there are only 108 seats available for that class. Our local community also clearly knows the value of a CRSM education.
Here’s looking forward to our next 20 years and beyond. Thank you for helping make it all possible. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
Dedicated To Faith and Service: Our Students Make Their Annual Trip to Nazareth Farm
For the past three years, a group of Cristo Rey St. Martin students and faculty opt to devote a week of their summer to doing service work at Nazareth Farm in West Virginia. The week requires all participants to completely “check out”, giving up cell phones, laptops, television, and any other forms of communication with the outside world. This year, nine CRSM students and two faculty members participated in the annual immersion trip. Along with our CRSM group, several students and staff from other Cristo Rey Network schools joined in this week of faith, service, and connection.
Students spend the week immersed in nature and engaging in service activities to benefit the surrounding community. Some activities include building houses, doing maintenance work, and doing yard work. Students also have the opportunity to help facilitate prayer groups and develop their faith and leadership skills.
Recently graduated CRSM ‘24 alum Arlette Silva reflects on why she decided to participate in the trip. Arlette says, “I knew it would get me out of my comfort zone, and as I am starting my new chapter in college this fall, I just wanted some time to reconnect with friends and nature. I was also really looking forward to helping community members in West Virginia better their homes.”
Students are able to connect with their faith and one another on this excursion without the distractions from everyday life like cell phones and social media. Although the thought of being completely unplugged can be anxiety inducing for some, students like CRSM rising senior Jennifer H. really ended up enjoying the opportunity. “My biggest takeaway was probably taking the time to enjoy and appreciate the nature that is around me. This trip really opened my eyes… since I started paying more attention to my surroundings. I also learned a lot more of the different forms of prayers… and it was really quite a fun and enjoyable experience,” said Jennifer.
At CRSM, we are grateful to provide our students with a holistic and faith-based education. We are looking forward to many Nazareth Farm trips to come!