You can’t escape Artificial Intelligence. Everywhere you turn - the news, business, manufacturing, politics, shopping, entertainment – you’re confronted with mentions of algorithms, Large Language Models, machine learning, Chat GPT, Visio, Gemini, Claude, Canva. It...
Preston Kendall’s President’s Pen
September 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
“The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things.” ~ Hans Christian Andersen We are back at it! Only a couple weeks into the new school year and the easy rhythms of CRSM are back in swing. There is nothing better than...
July 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Where did the summer go? Hard to believe that August is already upon us and we will be back in full-time classes in a couple weeks. Speaking of time just flying by, this school year will mark the 20th anniversary of our school opening in 2004. In that year, six new...
June 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
When we started the first Cristo Rey School in Chicago, there was a 24-hour diner I drove past every day, called the Steak n’ Egger. The sign outside said, “We may doze but we never close.” A lot of people think schools take off the summer or at least only carry a...
May 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
There are only two times in our entire school year when all the students gather together. Because of our Corporate Work Study Program, ¼ of the students are out at work each and every day throughout the year except for 1) the first day of school when we hold and...
April 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
This past Saturday, CRSM celebrated our annual Founder’s Dinner. At one point in the evening’s program, a handful of seniors came up one-by-one to the podium to introduce themselves – they each mentioned where they work in our Corporate Work Study Program, what they...
March 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Happy Easter! Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are so lucky that the Paschal season corresponds with Spring – both times of expectation, hope, and joy. It always amazes me how quickly Spring takes root, literally. One day, you’re walking along a wooded trail...
February 2024 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
At CRSM, we are celebrating Lent. How do you celebrate Lent? How do you celebrate a period of the liturgical year that starts with ashes on your forehead and a reminder that, “Remember, you are dust and to dust you will return.”? A priest friend of mine describes...
December 2023 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Christmas break rushed in quickly this year. Why does it always seem to take us a bit by surprise? With mid-term exams finished, the school’s hallways stand empty and quiet as students spend Christmas and New Year’s with their families. Our Principal often says,...
September 2023 President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
“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...