by Miranda Eby | Jan 7, 2025 | Campus Ministry, School News
Roses covered the cafeteria, and the volunteer orchestral group played as students, families, and staff made their way in for mass. Many had bouquets of roses in hand to offer at the Altar, and others had single roses they had purchased in support of the House of Peace. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12 annually in Mexico to celebrate the Virgin Mary. On this day, our community engages in a school-wide mass, where students, staff, and their families are invited to celebrate the special day and offer roses to the Virgin Mary. Unlike other school masses, this one features a student-led skit. This year, the National Hispanic Honor Society volunteered to reenact the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance to Juan Diego. Our student-led and run social justice club, Oportunidades Para Todos (OPT), sold roses in the days leading up to the mass for students to bring as an offering, and to raise money for a local domestic violence shelter, House of Peace. For every sale, $1 was donated to help the women and children at the shelter. The fundraiser generated over $200 for the shelter.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | School News, Student Life
For the second year in a row, Cristo Rey St. Martin students and staff have collaborated with Lake Forest Open Lands, The Urban Wilderness Project, and The Center For Conservation Leadership to build an Ojibwa-style canoe.
Throughout the first week in November students and staff gathered during their flex-time to build a blue-skinned canoe with custom carved paddles. The custom carvings are done using a wood burner, and through this, students have the opportunity to showcase their creativity.
This partnership is something that CRSM hopes to continue in the future, as our students are able to participate in a real-life engineering project and learn about sustainability.
In addition to the canoe build, The Urban Wilderness Project will once again be sponsoring a group of students to travel to Owakonze, Canada, for an immersive nature experience. Much like last year, the group of eight students will forego their connection to their phones and other technology, and be fully committed to spending time with one another and interacting with the environment around them.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | School News, Student Life
The CRSM 2024 winter drama production has been a labor of love, with about 60 students contributing their time and energy to bring it to life. “Cinderella Wore Combat Boots” is on the CRSM stage for 3 performances: Thursday, December 5th- Friday, December 6th- and Saturday, December 7th.
One of the unique aspects of this production is its audience participation. From dancing and singing along, to helping the prince evade the stepsisters, and even serving as “emotional support” to help Cinderella and the prince communicate, the audience plays an active role throughout the performance.
The play selection began last April, with CRSM Math teacher, Mr. Appel and English teacher, Ms. Partenach choosing the perfect piece for the winter season. By the first week of school, Ms. Partenach was meeting with the production team to design the set and prepare for auditions, which took place in the second week of school. Since then, the cast and crew have been rehearsing non-stop to create this engaging, interactive show.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | CWSP, School News
“Cristo Rey develops dedicated students who bring responsibility and reliability to the tasks they are assigned. By supporting our teachers and school administrators, these thriving students gain invaluable work experience and simultaneously contribute meaningfully to the operation of our educational environment. The partnership between Cristo Rey and LEARN Schreiber creates a lasting impact on the high school students’ academic and professional journeys as they contribute to the learning of our young learners. We are honored to support their Corporate Work Study Program!” -Belinda Jaquez, Program Coordinator at LEARN John & Kathy Schreiber Campus
LEARN Charter Schools, across the North Chicago and Waukegan area, are our largest feeder schools for incoming students, representing approximately 30% of each grade level. They also have been a Corporate Work Study partner for the past 10 years. Currently, we have 14 students employed at different LEARN schools working as teacher assistants and administrative assistants.
We are proud to have had our students work and come from LEARN Charter Schools over the years, and look forward to continuing this vital partnership!
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | Campus Ministry, School News
As part of our commitment to faith and justice, all CRSM grade levels have a required retreat with their class every year. These retreats allow freshmen to become better acquainted, and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a CRSM student and a person to others. This is especially the case for the freshmen, as it is their first experience. This retreat takes place at the school on a Saturday during the first semester.
Freshmen students spend the day engaging in team-building activities with one another, exploring their faith, and learning about our CRSM mission and their place in it. Although it may sound like a chore to be required to come to school on a Saturday, the students end up gaining valuable lessons and experiences. In a reflection on their time at the retreat, one Freshman writes, “One thing I learned about during retreat is that life is a journey and not a destination, different types of friends bring out your true identity, & to care and have forgiveness to the world.”
Every year, upperclassmen are encouraged to volunteer to be retreat leaders. This gives them leadership opportunities, as well as a chance to get to pass their knowledge on to the freshmen class. This year 58 students volunteered their time and energy to lead the Freshmen Retreat. This involved three Saturday’s of training and then a full long day on the Saturday of the retreat.
“One thing that I enjoyed was when the seniors were telling their stories to us, and I loved it because they went through our same problems, and they gave us feedback on what we can do better throughout all the four years,” says another Freshman in their reflection.
The Freshman Retreat is the only class retreat that is held at the school. This allows the new class of students to become more familiar with the campus.
Upcoming and past retreats include a senior overnight retreat at Camp Duncan during the first semester of school, a junior overnight retreat at Camp Duncan early second semester, a sophomore retreat at the Greenbelt Cultural Center mid-second semester, and a final senior retreat at the Viatorian Center in Arlington Heights at the end of second semester.
