by Miranda Eby | Jun 30, 2024 | Development, School News
What do solar energy and a trip to the Mexican border have to do with each other? Earlier this year, our students partnered with a non-profit organization in Mexico to assist them in the same project we’re doing for our community on the roof of CRSM. For the past three weeks, the roof of our building has been under construction with solar panel installation. This is part of an initiative within the school to be more environmentally conscious about how we source energy and reduce operating costs.
Recently, a group of our CRSM students, and CRSM President Preston Kendall, took an immersion trip to the Mexico-America border in the Sonoran Desert. On this trip, the students were able to see the very solar panel project that they had helped fund come to fruition. Our student-led organization Oportunidas Para Todos (OPT) did a fundraiser for Casa de la Misericordia, and they were able to install solar panels as well as help them install electric stoves, which is what they need to help them feed the people they have there. Casa de la Misericordia is an NGO that assists asylum seekers, mainly women and children, after they cross the border. For the students on the immersion trip, it was a powerful experience to see the panels they helped to make possible with the support of the CRSM community.
It is exciting to see solar panels installed on our building to produce more green energy, and to witness this sustainable energy assist asylum seekers at Casa de la Misericordia. We hope this solar energy alternative will power our school for years to come, and will help women and children coming across the border get the resources they need.
by Miranda Eby | Jun 30, 2024 | CWSP, School News
For our incoming Freshmen, summer means preparing to enter our Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) and rigorous academics this upcoming school year. The students spend the first week of their orientation learning about the CWSP, and throughout the training, volunteers come in to assist students in the process. This year one of our business partners, IDEX, sent seven generous volunteers to coach our students on verbal interactions in a corporate setting.
Students and volunteers were split into two rotating groups. The students in group one practiced the fundamentals of public speaking, and the second group worked on creating elevator pitches about themselves to present to the class. For both groups, the volunteers assisted the students in coming up with what to say and how to present themselves and helped them rehearse for the speeches they would give in front of the class. In the public speaking session, pointers included making eye contact, speaking loudly and clearly, and not fidgeting. For the elevator pitches, the students worked on how to articulate their speeches on the spot and how to present themselves.
CRSM genuinely appreciates these seven IDEX volunteers who made the time and effort to work with our students to help prepare them for the professional world of work.
by Miranda Eby | May 30, 2024 | President’s Pen
There are only two times in our entire school year when all the students gather together. Because of our Corporate Work Study Program, ¼ of the students are out at work each and every day throughout the year except for 1) the first day of school when we hold and all-school assembly to start of the year and 2) the last day of classes when we share our Senior Send-Off & Awards Ceremony.
At the year-end assembly, seniors receive their caps and gowns in preparation for graduation and we present all the academic, work-study, and service awards for the year except for our Spirit of St. Martin de Porres Award (which is given to one Senior at graduation who best exemplifies all the values of our school). This year’s Senior Send-Off was last Friday. It is an opportunity to recognize our outgoing class before they leave our community for college and lives beyond CRSM.
It’s also a way to celebrate the best in us and remind each other about what brings us together as a community – hard work, resilience, care for others, developing our God-given talents, and collective success. When we celebrate selected individuals, we are also celebrating all of us because no one achieves success alone. Each story of success includes people who helped that person get to where they are.
In what has now become a favorite tradition of the last 12 years, I get to lead the faculty, staff, and students in a final prayer for the school year and a blessing of our seniors. For this month’s President’s Pen, I would like to share with you what we say:
Blessing for Our Seniors
Christ the King, You are always with us, even at this very moment.
You called us into being THROUGH love.
You joined us to one another IN love.
You put us in this world TO love.
You are love.
Grant each one of us the strength, compassion, and focus
To bring your message of love from this place to the next.
We find you in all those we love.
May we continue to look for you in the new people we meet.
Our lives are but a moment,
And yet, we can do so much with the short time you give us.
Make us constantly restless to bring your Kingdom to life as long as we live.
For those of us who will return next year, keep us safe and productive this summer. Keep us reading.
Keep our seniors safe and without fear as they prepare to leave us. Help them know our love goes with them and that they will always be part of our Cristo Rey St. Martin family.
Accompany them to-and-through college.
Be with them in the professional world of work.
Invite them to find You by living lives of faith, committed to justice.
You, Lord, give us purpose. You ARE our purpose.
When we love one another, You live in us and Your love is made complete in us.
Bless the Class of 2024, make them instruments of your peace.
Grant them the grit to be true disciples of Your love.
Seniors…
Go forth knowing you are capable of more you than you can imagine.
Go forth to discover and strengthen the unique gifts God has given only to you.
Go forth with the compassion and humility of St. Martin de Porres.
Go forth to be persons for others.
Go forth in the name of Cristo Rey
Go forth and set the world on fire!
Amen.
by Miranda Eby | May 29, 2024 | CWSP, School News
CRSM Juniors gathered after school on April 30th to hear from alumni, business partners, and dedicated volunteers about their own career journeys. Career Exploration Day, organized by the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), was created to empower students with the knowledge and connections needed to navigate their professional journeys confidently.
The event featured diverse career tracks spanning various industries. From Arts and Communication to Health Science and Technology, students had the opportunity to explore areas of interest and engage with professionals representing many organizations. Representatives from many of our prominent business partners such as AbbVie, IBM Global Services, and Abbott Laboratories, offered students firsthand insights into the realities of different professions. Volunteers from local organizations like the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Waukegan Park District provided valuable perspectives on their respective fields.
“I had a meaningful conversation with one of the students where they explained to me their strong interest in Engineering and all the wonderful things they were doing to achieve their goal of going to college. Seeing the drive and ambition of the student was very impressive. It was not only a sign of their dedication and effort, but also of the exceptional work being done by the CRSM staff”, said Marco Vazquez, CRSM ‘18. Marco currently works as an Associate Project Engineer at L3Harris Technologies. He was able to participate in the Career Exploration Event as a panelist representing the Engineering career field.
Lori Bell, a CWSP Coordinator and Operations Lead, emphasized the event’s significance in aligning with CRSM’s mission to cultivate purposeful professionals. “The Career Exploration event serves as a platform for students to engage with professionals from various industries, gaining insights into the real-world challenges and triumphs they may encounter,” said Bell.
CRSM Junior Yeleyni O. also shared her thoughts on the event. Yeleyni’s engagement in three career tracks—Arts, Communication, and Technology; Agriculture; and Health Science—shed light on her evolving interests and aspirations. “Both the agriculture and health science panels really left a big impact on me,” she reflected. “I feel like career exploration definitely helped me be more confident in going into that field.”
As CRSM continues its mission to prepare students for the professional world of work, events like Career Exploration play a pivotal role in shaping students’ futures. By offering firsthand experiences and fostering meaningful connections with professionals, CRSM empowers its students to embark on their career journeys with confidence and purpose.
