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 skeleton crew to run their brief summer school programs. While that may be true for many traditional schools, it is certainly not so at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep. Summer is a bustling and vibrant time for us! Last week is a great example.
Our incoming freshmen were in their third week with us for Corporate Work Study Training and our academic Summer Bridge Program. The two mandatory programs last a combined seven weeks and that’s before we celebrate our first day of class for the coming school year! If you want to be a CRSM 9th grader, you pretty much turn over more than half your summer to us.
Our new students occupied most of the east end of our building while the west end and cafeteria were in use for an all-girls, week-long science camp called iBIO STEMGirls. We have hosted this group for several years. They bring area girls from grades 3 – 8 in for a highly engaging science program. This year’s theme was “Systems Safari” so they spent the week studying various systems of the human body – the central nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, cardiovascular & circulatory system, etc. The camp is staffed by volunteers- some come of our CWSP Business Partners like Abbott Labs – and others are members of our local community, including CRSM students and alumni. A pleasant surprise was discovering that a CRSM Alumna is now co-director of their organization.
On Monday, we had representatives from the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation on campus interviewing prospective scholars for the inaugural year of their program with us in Lake County. By Friday, we had received notice that 4 CRSM students will join their Class of 2028 cohort. The beginning of a beautiful friendship that will allow more students to receive a CRSM education.
Also on Monday, we hosted an evening townhall discussion for our Illinois State Senator Adriane Johnson. Our campus is quite a showplace and we make every effort to host community events that allow other non-profits to utilize our space for their efforts. Sen. Johnson used the evening to surface issues important to her greater Waukegan and North Chicago constituency.
Wednesday evening was another CRSM-hosted public event sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Scientists from the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry presented findings from a five-year study on Ethylene Oxide (EtO) emissions in our area. CRSM served as an air sample collection site for the study which was prompted by two area companies who were found to be releasing EtO, a known cancer-causing agent, into the local atmosphere. Obviously, there is a lot of fear and concern surrounding this situation. The scientific study concluded that area workers and residents face an increased risk of certain cancers like lymphoma, leukemia, and breast cancer because of emissions from 2019 – 2024 and earlier but further releases of EtO have been reduced to about 1/10th of previous levels.
Waukegan is a heavily polluted community with five separate superfund sites identified by the EPA. Asbestos, PCBs, heavy metals, and ammonia are all present with some leeching into the groundwater and adjacent land. It is beyond. Historically, areas where poorer populations live experience significantly higher pollution levels than areas with populations of higher income. Waukegan is no exception – further proof that the economic playing field is simply not level and that manifests itself in all areas of life.
On the sunnier side of things, the very next day, on Thursday, we had a regularly scheduled meeting with our solar contractors. A safety fence runs along the entire perimeter of our roof as workers construct a solar array there. It will not quite fulfill our entire annual electrical needs but, on exceptionally sunny days, we may be selling energy back to the power company! We estimate that the project will save CRSM about $100,000 every year. We are on schedule to complete construction before our first full-day of classes on August 19.
Then on Friday, 19 CRSM students took their final exam for a Statistics class taught by a professor from Lake Forest College. We hope this is the beginning of an expanded relationship with the college and dual-credit offerings where students earn both high school and college-level credit from the same class.
Friday afternoon saw our parking lot dotted with tents for the weekly Farmers’ Market we started at CRSM with area vendors bringing fresh produce, prepared ethnic foods, honey, cookies, etc. Waukegan is a food desert and we are hopeful the Farmers’ Market will become a seasonal fixture for the benefit of our families and neighbors.
Finally, on Saturday, CRSM’s parking lot was the site of a community carnival to promote gun violence awareness. Free food, ice cream, games, and bounce houses abounded, as well as informational tables from various community organizations including the Lake County State’s Attorney, healthcare providers, and CRSM’s own Admissions/Student Recruiting team. Many alumni and CRSM families attended.
Part of CRSM’s mission is to be a transforming force in our community. We do that by partnering with other non-profits and giving them a platform to serve our residents. We also do it by helping our students become educated, intentional citizens who will be change agents in their community. It’s already happening! We saw it in the several activities taking place just last week. What better way to promote change than by modeling positive, beneficial behaviors like our school’s community involvement efforts?
I truly believe that in the course of just one or two generations, Waukegan and North Chicago will become thriving, healthy, and prosperous communities – not by displacing our current population but by continuing to support their hopes and dreams.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!