by Miranda Eby | Aug 27, 2026 | Alumni Spotlight
Cristo Rey St. Martin alumna Arlette Silva, Class of 2024, has come full circle this summer as the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) Summer Intern. Now entering her junior year at Fairfield University, where she is majoring in Nursing with a minor in Spanish, Arlette is helping prepare the next generation of Cristo Rey students for success.
Throughout the summer, Arlette has coordinated a college visit to Lake Forest College, communicated with incoming freshmen and their families, tracked compliance training, and supported students as they prepare to begin their work placements this fall. She has also developed new technical skills, including leading an Excel workshop for students.
For Arlette, the internship has been an opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. She credits the experience with strengthening her communication, teamwork, organization, and confidence. While she plans to pursue a career in nursing, she knows the skills she has gained this summer will serve her wherever her career takes her.
Reflecting on her experience, Arlette shared, “I’m very grateful for this opportunity and everything I’ve learned from the people I work alongside. I’ve learned job skills, but I’ve also learned how to be part of a team and show up for each other.”
We are proud to welcome Arlette back to Cristo Rey St. Martin and grateful for the passion, professionalism, and dedication she brings to the Corporate Work Study Program. We look forward to seeing all that she accomplishes in the years ahead.
by Miranda Eby | Aug 27, 2026 | CWSP, School News
Earlier this summer, CRSM welcomed incoming freshmen to campus for Corporate Work Study training, an important first step as they prepared to enter professional workplaces during the school year.
As part of the June training experience, students participated in an engaging presentation from Christopher Carter, the mentalist who performed at last year’s Elevate Festival and will return again for this year’s event. Carter used interactive mentalist acts to bring leadership lessons to life, encouraging students to think critically, communicate with confidence, stay focused, and recognize the power of observation. The session offered students a memorable and exciting way to begin building the skills they will need in the workplace. As they continued training, our newest students learned what it means to lead with confidence, professionalism, and purpose.
The presentation provided an unforgettable start to their Corporate Work Study journey, reinforcing the professional skills and mindset needed for success. Throughout the training, our newest students began building the confidence, professionalism, and purpose that will prepare them to make meaningful contributions in the workplace from day one.
by Miranda Eby | Aug 27, 2026 | Academic, School News
Sometimes, the best way to imagine yourself in college is to actually step onto a college campus.
This summer, a mix of CRSM rising juniors and seniors did just that, visiting Hope College, Lake Forest College, Illinois State University, and the University of Illinois Springfield. For many students, these trips were their first opportunity to experience a college campus firsthand.
“These trips give students the chance to see firsthand what different colleges have to offer, ask questions, and begin thinking about what they want in their own college experience,” reflected College Counselor Ana Aguilar.
The visits often lead to moments of discovery. Aguilar shared that students return saying things like, “I definitely want to apply here,” or, “I didn’t know this school offered that.” Those reactions are exactly what make the trips so valuable. Students are able to compare campus environments, learn about academic programs and opportunities, and begin narrowing down what matters most to them in their college search.
Most importantly, the visits are provided at no cost to students, making these experiences accessible to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to travel to different campuses.
As Aguilar explained, “College trips help make the college search feel more accessible and real, while giving our students the confidence and information they need to make informed decisions about their future.”
By the end of the summer, students returned to CRSM with more than brochures and campus photos. They came back with a clearer picture of what college can look like and, for some, a new school at the top of their list.
by Miranda Eby | Aug 27, 2026 | Campus Ministry, School News
This summer, Cristo Rey St. Martin students joined young people from Viatorian schools and parishes across the country for the 2026 Viatorian Youth Congress (VYC), held July 27–30 at Casa Iskali in Des Plaines. The annual retreat gives students opportunities to deepen their Catholic faith, explore their Viatorian identity, build leadership skills and experience new forms of prayer together.
For Geraldine ’28, who attended VYC for the second time, the experience provided a welcoming place to continue growing in her faith. “VYC was amazing,” she shared. “It was a safe space for me to express my faith and encouraged me to strengthen my faith with God.” Students experienced several different approaches to prayer, including praying through art and even using Play-Doh. Geraldine said the experience reminded her “to see the good in everything” and inspired her to one day return as a Young Adult Leader.
Jimena ’28 also valued the opportunity to connect with students beyond CRSM. “I really enjoyed VYC because I got to meet different young people from different Viatorian communities,” she said. She especially appreciated the support of the Young Adult Leaders in her small group, who made her feel comfortable and reassured even when she did not have much to share.
Along with prayer and reflection, students enjoyed games, conversations, and time to simply get to know one another. For Jimena, it was a welcome opportunity to step away from academics and build relationships with other young people who share the Viatorian community.
Through experiences like VYC, CRSM students are able to strengthen their faith, form new friendships, and discover new ways to live out the Viatorian values that are part of our school community.
by Miranda Eby | Aug 27, 2026 | President’s Pen
The movie character Ferris Beuller famously said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” That line came to mind last week when we held our opening Assembly for the first day of the new school year. Looking around at the students eager (for the most part) for their classes to begin and at the teachers also eager (for the most part) to get underway, I wondered if God had played some trick and skipped summer altogether. It really seemed like final exams and graduation just happened yesterday.
Don’t get me wrong, summer at CRSM is action packed! The fresh-faced freshmen at assembly were already old hands navigating the corridors of CRSM, having undertaken 8 weeks of academic bridge classes and work-study training. 12 Juniors and Seniors joined us for 8 weeks, too, as they earned their Illinois Certified Nurse Assistant credentials through Dominican University. Even more students took a dual-credit Statistics class with a professor from Lake Forest College. A group of Sophomores were in the gym and fitness room earning their Phys Ed credits so that they could free up a class period this fall to take AP World History.
Besides that, CRSM hosted a BreatheEasy soccer camp for 2nd – 8th graders with Heart of the City and the Christopher D. Redding Youth Asthma Foundation, a STEM Girls camp with the Illinois Biotechnology Innovation Organization (iBIO), and the mission preparation sessions for area veterans joining a Lake County Honor Flight to Washington, DC. Oh, and we also conducted basketball, soccer, and volleyball camps for our own students.
Despite all the activity, summer really just seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye! Time flies. I often tell people outside of the education arena that working in a high school is a pretty humbling experience. You could spend decades of your career at a single school, pouring your heart and soul into the work, but when you leave, after one year only 75% of the students might remember you, only half after two years and, after four years, there’s not a single student in the school who knows who the heck you were.
The ephemeral nature of high school is also what makes it so incredibly exciting to be part of… especially at Cristo Rey St. Martin. Sure, you are forgotten quickly, but the present is so charged with fulfilling experiences, it’s worth it. As I looked around the packed cafeteria during assembly, I could feel the electricity throughout the room. Each new school year is brimming with new possibilities, totally awash in hope!
Second only to the first 18 months of life, the adolescent years produce the most significant physiological brain development in a human being’s entire life. Between the ages 14 and 20, the brain undergoes massive structural and functional remodeling – prioritizing efficiency, emotional processing, and complex decision-making. Ask any parent, all that change makes for quite a wild ride. But the rewards are worth it. Bearing witness to the growth in a young person as a student, a worker, a member of society, and a spiritual being over their four years at CRSM is a grace. It truly is a gift to be able to walk beside them during this period in their lives and see them discover more and more about themselves and their abilities. Over the years, many seniors have expressed in their exit survey that the adults at CRSM, “saw more in me than I saw in myself.”
Seeing is believing. Helping students see their own potential and start to realize the impact they can make on their world is what we are all about! That’s why we are here. It is a new year at CRSM and I can guarantee you this year will be both humbling and hopeful. Life moves pretty fast, so don’t miss it.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
