Email is both the bane and the salve of my existence as president of CRSM. I was travelling last week and, despite using most free moments to weed through the growing list, there are still, at this moment, 313 unread messages in my Inbox. Granted, most are frivolous...
Preston Kendall’s President’s Pen
September President’s Pen with Preston Kendall: On being people for others
One table in our cafeteria was particularly busy this week. It wasn’t a bake sale or some special food offering. It was students signing up with our Campus Ministry staff for regular volunteer opportunities throughout the school year. Every Tuesday, CRSM sends...
August President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Here. We. Go! The energy of the first day of school at CRSM defies description. There are only two days per year when we hold back students from their workday for a late start, bringing together the entire student body – the first day of school and our Senior Sendoff...
July President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Summer slows most schools down to a near halt. Everything runs in a lower gear so people can catch their breath before the next school year begins. At Cristo Rey St. Martin, summer marks the straightaway where things shift into an even higher gear. As soon as one year...
June President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
“It’s like a family,” is how most Cristo Rey St. Martin students respond when asked to describe the culture at the school. It’s not accidental. Building community, creating a culture of care and trust, fostering a compassionate but challenging environment where...
May President’s Pen with Preston Kendall
Seeds are the ultimate metaphor for hope – young and full of potential – and a fitting symbol for our students. Our young people are our future. With proper care and nurturing, they will grow to their full potential, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes...
April President’s Pen
This past October, the XQ Institute published an editorial entitled, “5 Ways to Support Student Mental Health” – you can find a copy on their website. Like our Cristo Rey Network of schools, XQ promotes their own educational model that rethinks the high school...
February President’s Pen
The New York Times ran a story this morning about classroom disruptions from COVID and how they have adversely impacted students. One quote that jumped out stated, “There is now a consensus that children learned much less than usual – and that their mental health...
January 2022 President’s Pen: ¡VIVA CRISTO REY!
My close friend and colleague, Fr. John P. Foley, SJ, retired last week. What “retirement” actually means for a guy like John is something that both he and we will discover over time. The biggest initial change is that he moved from his rooms in Chicago to the Jesuit...
December President’s Pen
Earlier in December, our principal let me know that our AP English Literature class would be using the new stage instead of their normal classroom because they planned to read aloud and act out scenes from Hamlet. So, a few minutes into seventh period, I wandered over...