Read the full Chicago Tribune article here: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/10/elawa-farms-winter-market-struggling-to-keep-up-with-egg-shortage-demand-part-of-our-mission-to-build-a-resilient-sustainable-local-food-system/
On February 20, 2025, we hosted the Mikva Challenge at Cristo Rey St. Martin. Students from three area high schools (Round Lake, Stevenson, and North Chicago) joined CRSM students for the event. According to the program’s website, the Mikva Challenge develops youth to be empowered, informed, and engaged citizens who will promote a just and equitable society.
This particular event was held in the Perry-Schreiber Pavilion and allowed the students to engage directly with Illinois-based Democratic representatives and local Lake County non-profits, learning more about the issues impacting our community. Those participating individuals and organizations included Illinois State Senator Adrianne Johnson, a representative from State Representative Rita Mayfield’s office, The Josselyn Center, the Lake County Regional Office of Education, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, and the Mano a Mano Family Resource Center.
The benefit of the Mikva Challenge program is that it gives students a chance to participate in meaningful discussions about the role of government and nonprofits in addressing community needs and ultimately gives students the tools they need to spread the word in the community about these programs in future Mikva events.
We are grateful for the opportunity to host this event, the participating organizations, and the dedicated students who came together to make a difference in our community.
Organizing a professional development day event like Career Conversations at Cristo Rey St. Martin takes a village. In this case, this “village” is made up of 100+ juniors and over 50 volunteers- including CRSM alums and business partners, who donated their time to speak with students, sharing insights into their careers and answering questions. These volunteers are instrumental in Career Conversations and other Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) events, such as the monthly Lunch & Learn sessions for juniors and seniors and the summer preparations for freshmen entering the work-study program. This particular evening reflects months of meticulous planning and preparation from the students and CWSP. Thanks to the efforts of the dedicated volunteers and students as well, the professional development day ran smoothly and successfully.
“The students asked great, focused questions about burnout, ethics, and what makes a job worth it. They were overall well-prepared and engaging to speak with,” said Adam Rosenbloom, Assistant US Attorney at the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
The impact on the students was evident. CRSM junior Brian T. remarked, “The sessions helped get us prepared for what we want to do in the future. I want to become a lawyer, and after talking to the Law/Government field representatives here, I know this is my career.”
There were 14 career fields represented at Career Conversations, ranging from entrepreneurship to information technology, each with two to three representatives speaking to the juniors. Lola Sheltens, Human Resources Director at A Safe Place, shared her positive experience: “The conversations with the students were refreshing because I got to see how hopeful they were about the future. The students were also very well-prepared with questions.”
Thanks to the early exposure provided by Career Conversations and other CWSP events, CRSM students gain valuable insights into the working world, which is essential for their professional development. Cristo Rey schools are unique in offering this kind of hands-on experience, and the support of dedicated volunteers ensures that students are well-equipped for future success.
Boxes were distributed a couple weeks in advance to faculty and staff with instructions to begin packing up and leaving only the barest essentials needed to do their jobs in those few work days before the big move. Our CFO at the time was charged with managing logistics and, like any good accountant, he had scheduled every step of the process down to the minute: Thursday was the last day of classes with a special assembly to say goodbye to our “old grandmother” of a campus. Friday would be the moving date – three rental trucks making two runs back and forth between sites – with Saturday, Sunday and Monday left for unpacking. Monday would include an in-depth orientation for all employees before students arrived on Tuesday for their own introduction and resumption of classes. Yesterday was the 7th anniversary of CRSM’s move to our new campus in the award-winning, state-of-the-art, repurposed Kmart but things didn’t go exactly as planned.
God has a wicked sense of humor specially reserved for us when we have convinced ourselves that we are in control of what is going on. The weather forecast for Thursday evening was for blizzard conditions with a projected snow accumulation of 10” – 12” overnight. We assembled the Leadership Team of the school to discuss next steps. The good news was that our CFO did not have a complete nervous breakdown right then and there. The bad news was that he froze… we all froze inescapably with a single thought – the move would have to be postponed until the following weekend. All of us froze, that is, except our Campus Minister. After a long pause, he cleared his throat and said, “We know the storm is coming; why don’t we get out in front of it and move right now?”
Our first reaction was, “Impossible!” After all the careful planning, the insanely detailed process, this perfect clockwork schedule… throw it all out the window and just go?!” The more we talked the more we began to thaw to the idea. What if we announced an early dismissal and asked all faculty and staff and students who could be available to help finish the packing and help load trucks. Providence stepped in again but this time on our side. The rental trucks we reserved for tomorrow were not in use and available as soon as we wanted. We would have about 4.5 hours and lots of helping hands.
No one recorded exact numbers of who helped out that afternoon. I can only tell you in retrospect that it felt like the entire school community stayed and worked together. With the new school we planned all new furniture, so we only needed to bring supplies, files and records, personal effects, and few specialty items like science paraphernalia, and sports equipment. Believe it or not, that short list really did fill three moving vans making two trips each.
The CRSM community became its own happy blizzard of activity. In some ways it was the best thing that could have happened. All the anxiety of wanting the move to go smoothly and exactly as planned was gone. No time to worry, only time to act and act fast. The impending storm gave us the freedom to not be perfect. It also brought out the very best of who we were and are as a community. We were a people draw to one another for a common purpose, knowing none of us could do it alone, and full of hope that all of us together could.
A school really is people. Learning is much more about encounter and accompaniment than about fractions, vectors, historic dates, or elite motifs. The three Rs (Reading, ‘Riting, and “Rithmatic) are important for sure but the 4th R is what is truly essential: Relationships.
At the old campus we would half-jokingly say that CRSM was proof that the best schools are about people and relationships… because that is all we had! It was a swipe at the physical condition of the old campus. A 100-year-old facility suffering from 99 years of neglect. Our board chair at the time would say, “We are renting the place from the Archdiocese for $1/year and getting ripped off.” People make a place special; a place cannot and should not define us. We are transcendent beings. As the old song goes, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
Our Principal shared a message with the CRSM community yesterday, marking the occasion. Here is what he said:
“Crazy to think it has been 7 years today since we moved… to our new beautiful facility.
Moving over an entire school over a weekend through a winter storm was the perfect metaphor for our journey to this place. It took collective work of many stakeholders, students, staff, board, community partners, to make this place a reality. In thinking about the anniversary, I share two former student testimonials that illustrate the importance of what this building represents and what our school strives to achieve.
‘Thinking about the new building, how we have learned as students the effort and hard work that went into making this a possibility, makes me really reflect on how working hard and never giving up is a big factor when it comes to making a dream come true. Most of all I’m very excited that we will have a new building that really represents who we are, hardworking, dedicated, professional students and staff. I’m just very happy to have a change of atmosphere that hopefully will motivate us to work harder.’ – Tamara S. (CRSM ’18)
‘One final note that I want to touch on is the idea of collective success. … Through my four years (at college), I’ve learned that having a degree shouldn’t mean I’ve “made it”. That my successes mean nothing if there are still so many talented and intelligent young who are [not given a chance at success]. CRSM does an amazing job at advocating for collective success… Collective success is the only way to enact widespread change and I am proud to have graduated from a high school that is doing just that.’ – Paola C. (CRSM ’10)”
Being part of that long afternoon was a grace. As the last box left the last truck, the sun was already down with just the faintest glow of afterlight through the gathering clouds. The wind picked up and the first snowflakes came swirling down around us. We said our goodbyes knowing we accomplished something important, and necessary, and that it was something that would never be repeated. Jesus said, “Where two or more gather in my name, I am among them.” We gathered that day as the Cristo Rey community, and no one can deny that God was in our midst – it’s the only explanation. ¡Viva!
When Agustin (Augi) Martinez was a student at Cristo Rey St. Martin, his first Corporate Work Study Program placement was with Catholic Charities. Ten years later, when he began his career journey at Catholic Charities in 2023 as a Housing Occupancy Specialist, it all came full circle. In his current role as a Housing Case Manager, Augi interviews individuals experiencing homelessness, helps them set goals, and works with them to find stable housing. He continues to be a person for others, a key aspect of the CRSM mission, day-to-day in this role. While the job is rewarding, Augi acknowledges that it comes with challenges due to the trauma and stress many of his clients’ face.
Reflecting on his time at CRSM, Augi shared how the Corporate Work Study Program was instrumental in shaping his career. “CWSP prepared me to communicate professionally with clients and coworkers and taught me essential office skills, like faxing and filing,” he explained. “Although these may seem like small things, they are actually major parts of a job, and I’m lucky to have been taught these skills early on”. He also appreciated CRSM’s strong sense of community, which he carried with him into college. “It felt like a family,” he said.
After graduating from CRSM, Augi attended St. Xavier University. While initially starting as an art major, he later found his passion in psychology with the guidance of his professors, ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in sociology.
Augi offers advice to current students CRSM: “Don’t feel rushed to choose your career path. Take your time, chase your highest dreams, and always have a backup plan. Even if you don’t know what you want now, work toward something.”
As a first-generation college student, Augi found essential support from CRSM’s college counselors, who helped him navigate the college process. Today, in addition to case management, he manages marketing, advertising, social media, event planning, and networking. “Building bonds in the community is key. You never know what opportunities you’ll run into.”