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.
by Miranda Eby | Sep 8, 2023 | Alumni Spotlight
Cristo Rey alumnus from the class of 2019, Andy Estrada, has recently earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University Chicago, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience. He has also accomplished the remarkable feat of securing a Research Assistant position at Northwestern University. Adding to his impressive achievements, Andy has contributed to collaborative research that was published in an article by The American Journal of Cardiology. Andy’s notable contributions to the field of medicine underscore his ambition to advance his education further, with aspirations of attending medical school someday.
Andy Estrada’s initial fascination with Neuroscience was sparked during his time at CRSM when he was confronted with his grandfather’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease. Spending considerable time translating for his grandfather at the hospital until his unfortunate passing, kindled Andy’s zeal for aiding individuals grappling with neurological disorders. This poignant experience marked the beginning of his journey towards his eventual accomplishments after graduation.
Andy’s journey as an undergraduate at Loyola was not without challenges. He recalls struggling with Chemistry as a freshman, a subject notorious for its difficulty within Loyola’s curriculum. Freshman Biology and Chemistry at Loyola are renowned as demanding “weed out classes,” designed to rigorously test first-year students. Andy commented that his initial struggle with Chemistry, combined with the adjustments to college life, fostered feelings of being “out of place” and doubting his fit within the academic program. However, his affiliation with a Cristo Rey program, particularly ‘Brothers for Excellence,’ equipped him with the confidence to withdraw from the challenging Chemistry course and later master its content. Andy acknowledges Cristo Rey for providing him with a sense of belonging and mentorship, which proved pivotal in his academic journey.
Through the unwavering support of the Cristo Rey Network and his own tenacity, Andy triumphantly graduated from Loyola University Chicago. More recently, he participated in a summer program sponsored by the University of Chicago, collaborating with Cardiologists on Myocardial Bridges research. The results of this research were subsequently published in The American Journal of Cardiology. Andy, along with his research team, had the opportunity to present their findings in New Orleans last year.
The entire Cristo Rey Community extends its best wishes to Andy as he embarks on his continuing voyage in research and the pursuit of higher education!
Read Andy’s collaborative piece in The American Journal of Cardiology Here.
by Miranda Eby | Sep 8, 2023 | Academic, School News
For the past two school years and throughout the summer, Andrea Horcher has been completing courses in Curriculum and Instruction in ESL at Concordia University to obtain her Master’s Degree. ESL (English as a Second Language) is something that Andrea considers extremely important for educators to be well-versed in and equipped with strategies to work with students, especially at Cristo Rey St. Martin. Over 30% of the CRSM student population speaks English as their second language, with Spanish being predominantly spoken as their first language. Andrea observed the challenges of teaching STEM classes to students who had to internally translate all instructions. She decided to acquire the necessary skills to better assist these students.
Andrea Horcher began her studies in August 2022 and hopes to complete them by Summer 2024. She chose to focus on ESL Strategies because she realized there were few strategies in place for STEM instructors at CRSM when attempting to help ESL students grasp complex concepts and equations. She recalls an instance from a few years ago when “an incoming student asked for math help,” and she “didn’t know how to assist the student due to the language barrier and the fact that he was ESL.” This is one example of the kind of challenges STEM instructors at CRSM have encountered during their teaching tenure and served as a catalyst for Andrea’s decision to further pursue these teaching strategies.
Through this program, Andrea aims to share her learnings with her fellow STEM colleagues on how to develop better strategies for teaching ESL students complex curriculum pieces. While the ESL classes Andrea has been taking aren’t STEM-specific, she has been able to extract methods on how to work with ESL students in her classes. “Math is a different type of language,” Andrea says, emphasizing the importance of helping students understand this language.
At Cristo Rey St. Martin, the commitment to serving students is unwavering. Being fully bilingual in the language spoken by the ESL student population isn’t required, yet Andrea chose to embark on the journey to better serve her students. Andrea has already begun weaving ESL strategies into her math classes, witnessing tangible success among her ESL students as they navigate their educational path. It’s a testament to the dedication of educators like Andrea who strive to provide the best support they can to our diverse student body.
by Miranda Eby | Sep 8, 2023 | Campus Ministry, School News
House of Peace is a recent partner with the Cristo Rey St. Martin community, and it’s quickly become a passion for the students involved. This organization is a domestic violence transitional house that focuses on helping those who have been affected by domestic violence to heal and recover. They run a program that lasts for six months, providing a safe space and support for up to six families at a time. During their stay, these families participate in a program designed to empower them, offering resources for secure housing, finding jobs, and ongoing assistance. The goal is to encourage self-sufficiency and provide them with the tools they need to embrace positive change.
The House of Peace residence was established in November 2011, but its partnership with CRSM started in 2022. Every Tuesday, CRSM sends a group of about 6-10 student volunteers to the shelter, where they engage with the children of the resident families. According to Pili Rocha, a dedicated CRSM volunteer who has been involved since the partnership’s inception, the students are responsible for caring for about 20 kids during their visits. They help with tasks such as “feeding the children and babies, playing games with them, and teaching them in art classes.” Art plays a significant role in the healing process at House of Peace, and both children and parents create artwork that is showcased in art shows and displayed throughout the residence. You can explore a variety of these artworks on the House of Peace website.
Aida Segura, the Director of House of Peace, emphasizes that “what’s beautiful about House of Peace is that it reminds us that when we support the agency of women, they are able to flourish and turn their lives around- for themselves and for their children”.
House of Peace is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Chicago and operates as one of Catholic Charities’ transitional homes. Remarkably, over the years, it’s been reported that none of the program’s participants have returned to situations of domestic violence.
Students from Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep who have volunteered with House of Peace have nothing but praise for the experience. Pili Rocha reflects on it as a “great volunteer experience” for her and her fellow students, who have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with the children at the shelter. CRSM looks forward to nurturing this strong community partnership for years to come and is grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact in the community.
You can find more artwork and information on House of Peace through their website.
