by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | School News, Student Life
The CRSM 2024 winter drama production has been a labor of love, with about 60 students contributing their time and energy to bring it to life. “Cinderella Wore Combat Boots” is on the CRSM stage for 3 performances: Thursday, December 5th- Friday, December 6th- and Saturday, December 7th.
One of the unique aspects of this production is its audience participation. From dancing and singing along, to helping the prince evade the stepsisters, and even serving as “emotional support” to help Cinderella and the prince communicate, the audience plays an active role throughout the performance.
The play selection began last April, with CRSM Math teacher, Mr. Appel and English teacher, Ms. Partenach choosing the perfect piece for the winter season. By the first week of school, Ms. Partenach was meeting with the production team to design the set and prepare for auditions, which took place in the second week of school. Since then, the cast and crew have been rehearsing non-stop to create this engaging, interactive show.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | CWSP, School News
“Cristo Rey develops dedicated students who bring responsibility and reliability to the tasks they are assigned. By supporting our teachers and school administrators, these thriving students gain invaluable work experience and simultaneously contribute meaningfully to the operation of our educational environment. The partnership between Cristo Rey and LEARN Schreiber creates a lasting impact on the high school students’ academic and professional journeys as they contribute to the learning of our young learners. We are honored to support their Corporate Work Study Program!” -Belinda Jaquez, Program Coordinator at LEARN John & Kathy Schreiber Campus
LEARN Charter Schools, across the North Chicago and Waukegan area, are our largest feeder schools for incoming students, representing approximately 30% of each grade level. They also have been a Corporate Work Study partner for the past 10 years. Currently, we have 14 students employed at different LEARN schools working as teacher assistants and administrative assistants.
We are proud to have had our students work and come from LEARN Charter Schools over the years, and look forward to continuing this vital partnership!
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | Campus Ministry, School News
As part of our commitment to faith and justice, all CRSM grade levels have a required retreat with their class every year. These retreats allow freshmen to become better acquainted, and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a CRSM student and a person to others. This is especially the case for the freshmen, as it is their first experience. This retreat takes place at the school on a Saturday during the first semester.
Freshmen students spend the day engaging in team-building activities with one another, exploring their faith, and learning about our CRSM mission and their place in it. Although it may sound like a chore to be required to come to school on a Saturday, the students end up gaining valuable lessons and experiences. In a reflection on their time at the retreat, one Freshman writes, “One thing I learned about during retreat is that life is a journey and not a destination, different types of friends bring out your true identity, & to care and have forgiveness to the world.”
Every year, upperclassmen are encouraged to volunteer to be retreat leaders. This gives them leadership opportunities, as well as a chance to get to pass their knowledge on to the freshmen class. This year 58 students volunteered their time and energy to lead the Freshmen Retreat. This involved three Saturday’s of training and then a full long day on the Saturday of the retreat.
“One thing that I enjoyed was when the seniors were telling their stories to us, and I loved it because they went through our same problems, and they gave us feedback on what we can do better throughout all the four years,” says another Freshman in their reflection.
The Freshman Retreat is the only class retreat that is held at the school. This allows the new class of students to become more familiar with the campus.
Upcoming and past retreats include a senior overnight retreat at Camp Duncan during the first semester of school, a junior overnight retreat at Camp Duncan early second semester, a sophomore retreat at the Greenbelt Cultural Center mid-second semester, and a final senior retreat at the Viatorian Center in Arlington Heights at the end of second semester.
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | President’s Pen
“What’s happening at Cristo Rey St. Martin?” is a question I’m often asked. After days like today, I’m tempted to answer, “What ISN’T happening at CRSM?!” It would be a much shorter response.
I’m just home from our quarterly board meeting. We finished around 8:00pm with the wind howling out of the northwest. Just as I was pulling out of the parking lot, a snow squall came up. It was a veritable whiteout. Within seconds, the lines on the streets and highway were covered. Visibility dropped to less than 200’. With no streetlights on the stretch of road from Waukegan to Lake Forest, cars and even semi-trucks had their emergency lights on and were pulled off on the shoulder. I chose to creep along with 4-wheel drive, but it still took me over forty-five minutes to cover just 6 miles. The funniest thing happened when I hit the 6-mile mark at Route 60, the snowflakes stopped abruptly and the street was clear. The squall, as extreme as it was, had been concentrated in a small area around our campus.
As I began to relax behind the wheel with the drive not demanding 110% of my senses and concentration, it occurred to me how much those 6 miles are like December at CRSM. The lead up to exams, the time-crunch of fitting in so many activities before Christmas break, the heightened anxiety and stress that comes with all that… it’s difficult to step back and appreciate the beauty of the snow swirling in the wind and remember that the world is so much bigger than the 200’ in front of you. December’s frenetic pace demands your full attention.
The day started with a meeting of the college counselors giving an update as acceptances are beginning to come it. We are hoping this will be our sixth year in-a-row for every member of the senior class to be accepted to at least one bachelor’s program. Initial results look promising! More students than ever are expressing interest in STEM-related majors. Healthcare and medicine, engineering, computer science, accounting and business represent more than 50% of CRSM college applications. One of our seniors just completed an interview with MIT. He wants to study aeronautical engineering. I introduced him to a visitor and bragged that he was also on the verge of earning his pilot’s license at Waukegan airport. He quickly corrected me, “No, Mr. Kendall, that’s Ricardo who’s becoming a pilot. I’m going to design the planes he’s going to fly them.” What a riot!
By the way, when the visitor left, I thanked him for his time and he said, “No. Thank you. I can’t begin to tell you how uplifting this visit has been!”
You must walk past Campus Ministry to get to and from the counseling offices and as I was getting back to my office, I nearly knocked down a display board for a fundraiser the students are holding to benefit young asylum seekers at the Viator House of Hospitality. Students use donations to vote on a faculty or staff member. The “winner” must dress as Santa in full red and white regalia, including hat, beard, belt, and boots! Our new Athletic Director and a beloved Spanish teacher are tied for the lead with our Principal not far behind. It occurred to me I could drop a $20 in Mike Odiotti’s ballot box to seal the deal, but I don’t want to rig the election.
Campus Ministry just finished their Freshmen Retreat two Saturdays ago. It is an all-day affair on campus and is completely run and led by Junior and Senior volunteers. 52 upperclassmen volunteered, giving up not only the retreat Saturday but 3 additional Saturdays prior for planning and preparation. That’s 25% or 1 out of every 4 Juniors and Seniors giving their time and talent, sharing themselves and their own personal faith journeys with our 9th graders. Inspiring!
Later in the day, I was stopped by two of our Corporate Work Study staff. One student-worker has a job with “Kids Rank!” – a non-profit at Naval Station Great Lakes serving children of active military personnel when they are deployed or must move to their next duty assignment. Because of the student’s outstanding work, he is being invited to go with his colleagues to the White House. They were seeking guidance from me to ensure he could attend with the school’s and his parent’s permission. Stay tuned. He will certainly have some stories to tell if it all works out.
One of our newest board members stopped by a little early. As we walked toward the classroom for the meeting, we had to navigate passed our cheer squad using the Student Union area for practice because our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams were sharing the gym, sneaking in one more practice themselves before the gym turned in to our theater space. This weekend, students are putting on their latest production, “Cinderella Wore Combat Boots,” a parody of several fairy tales.
It was quite the scene as we were talking in the Student Union when yet another student who was studying with friends close by, got up, walked over to us, and extended his hand to our board member. He introduced himself and welcomed him to our school. This student had no idea it was a new board member, he simply knew the person was an adult in the building whom he did not recognize. Moments like these remind me of just how extraordinary and outward-looking our CRSM community is, always trying to be persons for and about others.
It’s easy to forget what is truly important with everything going on all at once, especially in the frenzied squall before break. So many things demand our attention. It takes a concerted effort to remember that this is Advent – the time of Emmanuel or “God with us.” I’ve come to the realization that Advent isn’t so much about preparing for our Savior’s coming as it is a constant invitation to remember that the world is so much bigger than the 200’ in front of you. There is beauty at work and God is actively in our midst through the people around us. That’s certainly my experience at CRSM.
My friend Fr. Foley, founder of the whole Cristo Rey movement often says, “If our only prayer is to say thank you, it is enough.” Thank you for supporting CRSM. May your holidays be filled with the awareness of God’s presence and love in your life.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
by Miranda Eby | Dec 6, 2024 | Academic, School News
Each year, the Cristo Rey Network, a national network of 40 schools that we are a part of, releases data on key performance indicators. This year, Cristo Rey St. Martin is proud to have ranked first in two critical areas: college readiness and 3-year aggregated student retention, along with ranking in the top five in other key metrics. These achievements are a testament to the collective efforts of our entire community—our dedicated educators, supportive families, determined students, and committed partners. Together, we have fostered a culture where success is a shared responsibility, not just a goal.
There is a well-known saying: “Every organization is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” At Cristo Rey St. Martin, our program emphasizes collaboration, excellence, continuous improvement, and opportunity. These outstanding results highlight what can be achieved when we unite around a common purpose. They serve as both a celebration of our progress and a reminder to continue striving for even greater impact.
