by Miranda Eby | Jan 10, 2025 | Admission, School News
Some may think that Cristo Rey St. Martin naturally draws students and families from the northern Lake County community due to its strong reputation, but our admissions team works year-round to promote the school and engage with potential applicants. Admissions Coordinator Daniel Arizmendi and Director of Admissions Noemi Cuesta, along with a dedicated team of staff and student ambassador volunteers, attend local parades, school fairs, community events, and more to highlight CRSM’s mission—helping students prepare for college, the workforce, and lives grounded in faith and justice.
The 2025/26 school year is shaping up to be another busy one for our admissions team. Last semester, they conducted 94 early admissions interviews, and this year’s recruitment efforts are far from over. Currently, we have 247 applications, with an expectation of around 300 by the end of the school year. We’re looking to admit 108 students, a slight increase from the usual 105.
Our admissions strategy includes attending local soccer tournaments, open houses at middle schools, and high school fairs to connect with prospective students. We collaborate with organizations like Heart of the City and work with various athletics programs to draw more students into our community. From posting flyers in local grocery stores and restaurants to leveraging social media and placing ads in local papers like Puro Futbol, our admissions team utilizes a wide range of outreach methods. However, the most impactful method remains face-to-face interaction, as talking directly with families, whether at events or during open houses, proves to be the most effective way to connect.
This is the first year CRSM has fully implemented Finalsite, an online platform where parents can easily submit applications and upload documents. Although some parents are still adapting to the technology, it’s been a successful transition, helping streamline the admissions process.
CRSM’s admissions process goes beyond mere applications, though. We carefully filter students based on academics, attendance, discipline, and financial needs to ensure we’re serving families who can benefit most from our mission. Despite some challenges, like overcoming the perception that we’re too expensive or navigating language barriers, the commitment to engaging with families continues to drive our admissions success. Whether it’s through religious education classes at Most Blessed Trinity, block parties in Park City, or summer open houses, our team remains dedicated to spreading the word about CRSM and ensuring that we’re bringing in students who will thrive here.
As January 27 approaches, early admission candidates eagerly await their results. Meanwhile, the admissions team continues working hard, preparing for two more rounds of interviews and readying for the onboarding of 100+ new freshmen next fall.
by Miranda Eby | Jan 10, 2025 | School News
During the first evening of winter break on December 19th, a significant structural incident occurred at our school. At 10:50 p.m., during a snowfall, a contracted snow removal service driver accidentally collided with one of the support columns near the pavilion entrance. This impact caused the column to detach completely from its foundation and the canopy roof decking. As a result, two 8,000-pound concrete arches, which the column had been supporting, collapsed. Fortunately, the driver managed to avoid injury.
The collapse also caused a 40-foot canopy section to partially give way, making the area hazardous for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Reacting swiftly, the school’s facilities team immediately contacted a structural engineer and a scaffolding company to assess the situation. The area was quickly barricaded to ensure the safety of students and staff during winter athletics practices and other activities scheduled over the break. By Friday, January 3rd, all “make safe” work was completed, allowing classes and building activities to resume on January 6th.
Estimates for the full repair of the damage exceed $1.2 million. The repair process could begin as early as this week, pending the results of a scan of the beams and confirmation of material availability. Once permits are secured and materials are on-site, the repairs are expected to take about two weeks to complete.
Our facilities team continues to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as the project progresses.
by Miranda Eby | Jan 10, 2025 | Academic, School News
First semester results are in for the 2024/25 school year! Scroll down to read a statment sent by CRSM Principal Dr. Mike Odiotti, to our student and their families about our semester one results:
“Dear CRSM community,
As we reach the midway point of this academic year, it’s a good time to reflect on our collective achievements during the first semester. I am pleased to share the updated data from our academic strategic plan, highlighting our progress and accomplishments to date. See the attached document.
We are proud to share that we have exceeded our institutional goals. As we review key indicators such as the failure rate, percentage of students at a 2.0, and percentage of students at a 3.0, we find that our performance surpasses the targets set forth in our academic strategic plan.
Below, you will also find a comparison of our data points for this academic semester against our historical data over time. The most important data point in terms of our focus on academic readiness is the percentage of students at or above a 3.0. As we track our alumni to and through college, we have found that one’s overall GPA is a great predictor of college readiness. In fact, approximately 80% of our alumni that have earned a 3.0 while in high school have gone on to earn their college degree. This data point has consistently correlated to college completion for our classes for which we have college completion data (2007-2018).
Individual student grades will be mailed next week, providing a report of each student’s academic performance. For those students that achieved a 3.0 or higher, keep up the great work. For those students that fell short of this mark, what changes do you have to make this semester in order to perform more strongly in the classroom. Thanks to all for your continued dedication and support as we work together to foster excellence within the CRSM community.
May we seek “Ever To Excel” in all that we do,
Mike Odiotti”
by Miranda Eby | Jan 7, 2025 | Campus Ministry, School News
Roses covered the cafeteria, and the volunteer orchestral group played as students, families, and staff made their way in for mass. Many had bouquets of roses in hand to offer at the Altar, and others had single roses they had purchased in support of the House of Peace. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12 annually in Mexico to celebrate the Virgin Mary. On this day, our community engages in a school-wide mass, where students, staff, and their families are invited to celebrate the special day and offer roses to the Virgin Mary. Unlike other school masses, this one features a student-led skit. This year, the National Hispanic Honor Society volunteered to reenact the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance to Juan Diego. Our student-led and run social justice club, Oportunidades Para Todos (OPT), sold roses in the days leading up to the mass for students to bring as an offering, and to raise money for a local domestic violence shelter, House of Peace. For every sale, $1 was donated to help the women and children at the shelter. The fundraiser generated over $200 for the shelter.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | School News, Student Life
For the second year in a row, Cristo Rey St. Martin students and staff have collaborated with Lake Forest Open Lands, The Urban Wilderness Project, and The Center For Conservation Leadership to build an Ojibwa-style canoe.
Throughout the first week in November students and staff gathered during their flex-time to build a blue-skinned canoe with custom carved paddles. The custom carvings are done using a wood burner, and through this, students have the opportunity to showcase their creativity.
This partnership is something that CRSM hopes to continue in the future, as our students are able to participate in a real-life engineering project and learn about sustainability.
In addition to the canoe build, The Urban Wilderness Project will once again be sponsoring a group of students to travel to Owakonze, Canada, for an immersive nature experience. Much like last year, the group of eight students will forego their connection to their phones and other technology, and be fully committed to spending time with one another and interacting with the environment around them.
