by Miranda Eby | Feb 23, 2026 | Academic, School News, Student Life
Two Cristo Rey St. Martin (CRSM) sophomores, Isabella and Ketzia, recently made their voices heard at a Waukegan City Hall meeting, where they spoke with city leaders about expanding healthcare exposure and mentorship opportunities for students.
Isabella, president and co-founder of Cristo Rey’s Pre-Med Club, said the idea for the club began when she first arrived at CRSM. “When I first entered Cristo Rey, I decided to form a Pre-Med Club with Ketzi and other students,” Isabella said. The club was created to inspire students interested in healthcare careers and connect them with professionals in the field.
As the club grew, Isabella and Ketzia recognized the need for outside support. “The members of this club are all future healthcare professionals, and my goal is to inspire students to pursue careers in medicine,” Isabella explained. The students hoped to gain guidance from firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and doctors who could offer mentorship and hands-on learning experiences.
“Even though we were not initially invited to speak, we took the initiative to visit City Hall to request the support and guidance we need,” Isabella said.
Their message was well received by city officials. During the meeting, the students connected with city staff, including the mayor, the fire chief, and the police chief. “The individuals we met were welcoming and receptive and took our ideas seriously,” Isabella said, noting that city leaders expressed interest in supporting students pursuing healthcare careers.
The experience highlighted the confidence, leadership, and advocacy skills of CRSM students, demonstrating how initiative and student voice can open doors to meaningful community partnerships.
by Miranda Eby | Feb 23, 2026 | Campus Ministry, School News
Each year, the overnight Junior and Senior retreats give students a valuable opportunity to step away from daily routines, disconnect from their phones, and spend intentional time building community and reflecting on their faith lives. These retreats require significant planning and care, and they would not be possible without the generosity and commitment of our CRSM staff volunteers.
Teachers and staff – typically from many different departments around the school – give up evenings of their own, nights away from home, and full days from busy personal and professional schedules in order to be present for students. Their willingness to do so speaks volumes. Throughout the retreats, they help supervise activities, support small groups, and provide a calm, steady presence that allows students to feel safe and supported.
Spending time together outside the classroom opens the door for deeper connections. Viviana Vasquez, the new Director of Admissions and CRSM ‘16 alum, shared how meaningful that time was for her:
“As a new staff member, I really appreciate the opportunity to get to know the students, particularly when they don’t have their phones. They are invited out of their element to connect to one another in a new way. Watching them go sledding and play on the frozen lake was such wholesome fun. They were all laughing and enjoying themselves. It was sweet.”
Moments like sledding, shared meals, and group activities may seem simple, but they are powerful. They create space for joy, independence, and authentic community. Staff volunteers help make these moments possible by choosing to be fully present with students, even when it means time away from their own routines and families.
“The retreats are certainly centered on the students and their opportunities to grow in faith and connection with classmates, but the hope is that these opportunities are also ‘retreats,’ in a way, for the staff who attend,” said Jim Dippold, Director of Campus Ministry. “They are wonderful opportunities to accompany our students, continuing to grow in our appreciation for the amazing young men and women that our students are, and a deeper awareness of God’s presence and grace working through the CRSM community. We couldn’t offer the retreats we do to our students without the wonderful generosity of staff who attend.”
We are deeply grateful to the adults who choose to give their time, energy, and presence to our Junior and Senior retreats. Their commitment enhances our students’ experience and helps make each retreat meaningful and memorable.
by Miranda Eby | Feb 23, 2026 | Campus Ministry, School News
On February 17, our students led a powerful Prayer Vigil and Public Witness rooted in faith, compassion, and justice.
Inspired by student walkouts across the nation and in the Chicagoland area, our students chose to respond in a way that reflects who we are as a faith community through prayer, reflection, and peaceful solidarity.
During lunch and flex, we gathered to honor the lives impacted by immigration enforcement, lifted our voices in unity, and created space for awareness grounded in dignity and hope. This was student-led leadership at its best, thoughtful, courageous, and centered in faith.
As Claudia G. (CRSM ‘26) shared with her fellow classmates:
“Thank you to everyone who took the time today to join our prayer vigil. Your presence and participation helped create a meaningful space for reflection, faith, and solidarity within our community. Advocacy is not always loud. Sometimes it begins with prayer, awareness, and the courage to stand together. By showing up, you demonstrated that compassion and engagement matter”.
We are proud of our students for leading with integrity and heart. May we continue to be a community that responds with prayer, stands with compassion, and lives out our call to justice.
by Miranda Eby | Feb 18, 2026 | In The News
Click here to read this Chicago Tribune article about how CRSM integrates AI in the classroom.
by Miranda Eby | Jan 20, 2026 | President’s Pen
Friday morning’s weather tried its best to discourage us. Single‑digit temperatures, blowing snow, and a slowed commute made it clear that winter had arrived in earnest. Yet by the time we gathered in our cafeteria for our Martin Luther King, Jr. prayer service, something warmer was already taking hold — a reminder of why this day, and this community, matters.
In what has become a meaningful tradition at Cristo Rey St. Martin, we honor Dr. King through a Baptist or A.M.E. prayer service. This year, our own Dean of Students, Pastor Pierre Edmonds — an A.M.E. minister from North Chicago — led us in worship. While we are proudly a Catholic school, not everyone in our community is Catholic. What unites us is something deeper: a shared belief in the God‑given dignity of every person. Praying together across faith traditions strengthens who we are.
The theme of the service, “Everyone Can Make a Difference,” was grounded in the day’s Gospel reading from James: “Faith apart from works is barren.” Two students offered reflections that brought those words to life.
Kylie, a sophomore, spoke honestly about the tension within that phrase. She shared how inspiring it can be to believe that small actions matter — that you don’t need fame or power to contribute to something bigger than yourself. At the same time, she acknowledged how challenging that call can feel. “Just believing something isn’t enough,” she reminded us. Faith, she said, must be expressed through compassion, integrity, and concrete action.
Allison, a junior, reflected on Dr. King’s courage — his willingness to act even when doing so put his life at risk. What inspired her most was his trust in God and his belief that one person, rooted in faith, could change the world. She connected that legacy to her own experiences of service, noting that volunteering and showing up for others are ways we live our faith not at a distance, but up close. Small acts, she said, add up — whether packing meals, serving the forgotten, or simply checking in on someone who feels unseen.
Listening to our students, I was reminded of Claudette Colvin, who passed away recently. At just fifteen years old — the same age as many of our students — she refused to surrender her dignity on a Montgomery bus. Her quiet courage helped ignite a movement that would transform this nation. She embodied Dr. King’s conviction that “Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.”
Our guest minister reinforced that message with a powerful challenge. “Believing something is wrong is not real faith until you do something about it,” he preached. If bullying is wrong, if injustice is wrong, what good is our belief unless it leads to action? “Dreams without action are failures,” he said. “If not you, then who?”
As he spoke, I looked out the wall of windows behind us. The sun had emerged, but the snow was still blowing and drifting. It struck me how fitting that image was. Our nation and our world feel cold and chaotic right now. We see fear, violence, and suffering in our communities, including recent harm connected to immigration enforcement here and across the country. We are also witnessing a troubling resurgence of racism in our public life.
Yet inside that warm space at CRSM, praying together, we claimed a deeper truth. We are children of God, brothers and sisters to one another, and partners in building the Kingdom of God here on earth — a Kingdom marked by justice, mercy, and peace. At Cristo Rey St. Martin, we strive to live into the world as it should be, not as it is. Our students give me hope that the unfinished work of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement continues in capable, faithful hands.
May our prayers echo Dr. King’s own: “Use me, God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself.”
¡Viva, Cristo Rey!
