by Miranda Eby | Dec 26, 2023 | Academic, School News
At Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep our goal is to get young women and men to and through college. Our teachers push our students academically, our counseling staff supports our students emotionally, and our college advisors assist students in applying to various colleges and scholarship programs. Chris C. and Luis G., class of ‘24, were awarded the prestigious Posse Scholarship for their outstanding academic performance.
The Posse Scholarship Program focuses on “expanding the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds.” It is a nationally recognized organization working with 20 high schools across the country, and 64 higher education institutions. CRSM is grateful and proud to be one of the 20 high schools affiliated with the Posse Scholarship Program.
Both CRSM students who received this honor went through a highly intensive Posse Scholarship Program application and interview process. Chris reflects on his journey of becoming a Posse Scholar and says, “I still remember the day I told myself I would go to college on a scholarship, but I never imagined the day truly coming. Now I’m honored to say that without the unconditional support CRSM, my friends, and family have always given me, I wouldn’t have become a Posse Scholar. Thank you!” Chris will be attending Trinity College next fall in Hartford, Connecticut, and extends his gratitude to Posse and the CRSM community for his admittance.
Luis Garcia will be attending DePauw University in Indiana. He professes his gratitude and excitement as well, as he states that “Posse is an amazing opportunity for me to fulfill my goal of going to college without the financial burden that is often associated with it. As a future Depauw student, I am excited to enter a new chapter in my life and pursue a career in the technological field. Thank you Posse and Depauw for believing in me and thank you to CRSM for providing me with the resources to succeed!”
Congratulations again to Chris and Luis for this amazing feat! We are looking forward to seeing all they will accomplish in their college career and beyond! Thank you to the Posse Foundation for partnering with us and our students in the hopes of creating brighter futures through college education.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 26, 2023 | Alumni Spotlight
Japanese culture and language have always fascinated CRSM ’20 Alum and Posse Scholar recipient, Edwin Morales. His interest was so profound that he chose to study abroad in Nagoya, Japan during his Junior year of college and pursue Japanese as one of his majors at St. Olaf College. Currently, double majoring in Biology and Japanese, and on the pre-med track, Edwin opted to study abroad at Nagoya University where he was able to take some classes in English, however most classes were predominantly in Japanese. In order to qualify to study abroad in Japan, Edwin explains that, “as part of our curriculum, we all needed to take a Japanese language exam and depending on our scores, we would be placed in one of the 7 Japanese language classes. This was really fun because the upper level classes I took would allow us to take classes fully in Japanese.”
Learning Japanese and completely immersing yourself in a new culture is no easy feat. Edwin embraced this opportunity and excelled. Edwin reflects, “overall Japan was a very unique experience and I would highly recommend visiting Japan to learn more about their culture and traditions. It was very interesting to have been able to learn the language and live in a culture very different to mine, and it has definitely helped me grow and see the world in a new perspective!”
When asked to recall a memorable experience from his time in Kyoto, Edwin talked about a time he “was able to visit an onsen (Japanese Hot Spring), various temples and shrines, … during the fall season.” Edwin remarks, “I went with three friends and it was truly something that was fun but challenging. On our way there we took the train, but had gotten lost since we got off at a different stop. We had to speak Japanese and ask questions to see if we were going the correct way. Thankfully, we were but our estimated time of arrival went from a 2 hour ride to a 4 hour ride.” While this experience was stressful for Edwin at the time, he now recognizes how that made him more confident as a traveler and also in his language skills.
Edwin’s love for adventure and learning was apparent as a student at CRSM. During his time at Cristo Rey St. Martin, he amazed his fellow students and our staff with his ambition and drive. Principal Odiotti states that “Edwin demonstrated that success knows no boundaries when determination and dedication lead the way. It is one of the reasons he was nominated and was recognized as our Spirit of St. Martin de Porres winner for his class for best living out our school’s mission. It is not surprising that he continues to thrive in college and beyond.”
by Miranda Eby | Oct 30, 2023 | Academic, School News
One Tuesday morning in October, Cristo Rey St. Martin physics teacher, Kumkum Bonnerjee, received a thick envelope and package from her fellow science teacher, Chris Call. Initially thinking it was more paperwork, Kumkum was less than thrilled to have it on her desk. Upon opening the package, Kumkum was pleasantly surprised to find an enclosed certificate and note stating she had been nominated for and won a prestigious award from the University of Chicago! Accompanying this wonderful news was a beautiful glass trophy recognizing her accomplishment. Kumkum discovered she was a recipient of the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from the University of Chicago. Also written on her award letter was a quote from the former CRSM student who nominated her, Cristian Garcia, stating “I think you truly deserve this for all you’ve done for me and all your students”.
Kumkum, known for her challenging, yet supportive approach as an educator, reflected on this honor and expressed how proud she was to be a CRSM physics teacher and to be part of such a remarkable community of students and teachers.
She humbly acknowledges, “I did not win this award alone, it was a community cultivated effort”. This sentiment is demonstrated daily by the CRSM community, where mutual support is integral to our success. Kumkum extends her gratitude to “the entire math department for this award”, as she often collaborates with the math teachers regarding curriculum. Kumkum cannot emphasize enough how proud she is of her students, and wants to thank and acknowledge them for always “rising above, even when faced with demanding coursework”. Special thanks are reserved for Cristian Garcia, who remembered the impact she had on him during his time as a student, and took the time and made the effort to nominate Kumkum.
Kumkum asserts that, “teaching is [her] favorite job [she’s] had.” Prior to her 17-year-long term at CRSM as a teacher, she worked in the corporate world. Kumkum regards our school as something extraordinary, emphasizing how “the faculty are always supported by the administration and by one another.” This is a quality that sets our institution apart from others.
Receiving this award has deeply moved Kumkum. It has prompted her “to reflect on [her] teaching journey” and recognize the strides she’s made as an educator and motivator for her students. She exclaims, “the students are the best portion of my job. They constantly rise above my expectations, and perform their very best in difficult subjects like physics.” This award is a wonderful testament to how educators really do have lasting impacts on students, and that students benefit greatly from a supportive environment. Congratulations Kumkum Bonnerjee, you are more than deserving of this award!
by Miranda Eby | Sep 13, 2023 | President’s Pen
“How is the start of the school year going?”
I have been asked this question (and several variations of it) a lot lately. My answer is, “It’s going incredibly well!” I’m not exaggerating either.
We have been in classes for about a month now and everything is running so smoothly, I keep knocking on wood that nothing ruins our good run. We are truly blessed. CRSM has it largest incoming 9th grade class in history at 114 students. This year our target was to fill 108 seats. We normally offer admission to about 114 expecting some to go elsewhere. This year, everyone showed up! No “melt” as they say in the school admissions business. Coupled with our exceptional retention of older students from year-to-year, we also have the highest total enrollment in CRSM’s history. Did you know that 96% of the students in the Class of 2023 who started with us in 9th grade, walked across CRSM’s stage to get their diploma this past Memorial Day weekend? That is an amazing statistic for any school.
It speaks to the culture CRSM has built over time. We offer a challenging yet welcoming environment where students are known by teachers and staff and who have many supports available to them in the form of academic assistance, teacher office hours, a daily study hall, flextime to burn off steam or catch up with friends or meet with clubs that does not interfere with sports and other after-school offerings. Students also have access to other services that support a healthy and encouraging environment – like a full-time nurse’s office, social-emotional counselors and, this year for the first time, a part-time mental health therapist. In addition to all of this, we are continuing our newer class offerings in fine arts and an Introduction to Wood Science & Engineering Concepts. These are serious academic offerings that include avenues for alternative expression and creativity.
“How is the start of the school year going?”
CRSM experienced the highest teacher retention out of all the Cristo Rey Network schools. Our Principal and faculty have worked very hard to create a culture where teachers, too, can be challenged, grow in their profession, and find peer and administrative support to be their best selves. We had three teachers leave us for good and understandable reasons, and we were able to fill those positions with some truly exceptional new members of our community. One of our theology teachers needed to move out-of-state to care for family and, rather than lose him, we are now experimenting with a remote teaching initiative. He taught the first week in-person and will teach remotely the rest of the semester until he returns in-person for the last week of classes before exams. His classes are all seniors that he taught their freshman year and with whom he has an established relationship – he knows them well and they really respect him. So far, so good. Our principal and I look in on the classes regularly and the students are always fully engaged and on task. Just five years ago, I would have told you it would be an impossible feat, but I am glad to be proven wrong.
“How is the start of the school year going?”
Well, if we are talking about the Corporate Work Study Program, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The good news is that every student has a job and is working in a professional environment beyond CRSM. We made the decision at the height of the pandemic that we would make sure students continued to have meaningful jobs, even if the jobs couldn’t pay us. Our multi-year streak is unblemished despite the pandemic, the slow return to in-person office work, and this disruptive period of high-inflation and talk of a possible recession that we are currently in. The bad news, of course, is that the five-day workweek, on which our work-study program is predicated, is still in a state of flux. This school year we have the fewest number of paying FTEs in the last 10 years! That is a sizeable challenge – especially considering that we have 417 students this year versus 372 back then. We are still looking for jobs as the school years moves on. We are also asking individuals, foundations, and companies to consider paying for student jobs at area non-profits. You really double your generosity because the students use your donation to pay for their education while the non-profit gets the equivalent of your donation in student labor… a real win-win scenario.
“How is the start of the school year going?”
In most ways, it couldn’t be better. We just celebrated our Mass of the Holy Spirit, a global tradition among most Catholic schools. As the year is just beginning, it is a time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for, a chance to remember that God is with us this very minute and actively working in our world, a reminder that we are each called to help bring God’s Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” That means we are invited to bring God’s love into the world by showing gratitude, by demonstrating compassion, by forgiving others, and by promoting justice – recognizing that we really are brothers and sisters. God is love and we were made in God’s image… that means we were created out of love and our true purpose in life is to love. At the end of the day, that is what we are really about at CRSM!
“How is the start of the school year going?”
We are incredibly blessed. ¡Viva Cristo Rey!
by Miranda Eby | Sep 8, 2023 | School News, Student Life
Over the summer, Emily Amezcua-Bravo, a current senior at CRSM, seized a remarkable opportunity by participating in a mock trial held in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. Despite this being her first time attending such a program, Emily demonstrated exceptional skill and determination, earning her a closing statement award.
The summer program that hosted Emily and her fellow students was called the ‘Future Latino Leaders Summer Law Institute.’ During this program, law school students from the Hispanic National Bar Foundation acted as mentors, guiding and preparing the students for their mock trial.
The case assigned to the students revolved around a 16-year-old high schooler who created an app, and was then sued and wrongly accused of security fraud by her investment company. Each student was responsible for presenting a distinct portion of the case to the mock court. In the end, the jury selected the most compelling statements from each portion of the trial, and Emily’s closing statement stood out among the participants, earning her an award in the category.
Since her participation in the mock trial, Emily has gained valuable insights into the workings of the justice system. She describes the experience as a driving force that “pushed [her] forward to achieve [her] goals” in the upcoming school year and beyond. Emily extends her gratitude to Cristo Rey St. Martin and its college counseling team for presenting her with this enriching opportunity.
Reflecting on her journey, Emily expresses, “Cristo Rey has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. It was through a college counseling program that I found out about this opportunity, and if it wasn’t for Cristo Rey, I would have never found out about this program”.
As Emily embarks on her senior year, she continues her exploration of whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) can exhibit bias within the justice system. As the founder and President of the AI club at CRSM, AI is a subject of great interest to her. In combination with the invaluable skills she learned this past summer, this club promises to be engaging and timely.
