The school year kicked off on August 23, and we are thrilled to have our students back in the building. |
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News from Cristo Rey | Fall 2021 |
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Welcome to our 15th year as a school! Support from corporate partners, donors, and friends got us here. There is enthusiasm throughout the building, schedules being followed, lessons are being taught and learned and fall activities competing. While our first day of the 2021-2022 school year, Monday, August 23, began with all students and classes in-person, COVID still impacts our mission.
I would like to share my most sincere thanks to the Cristo Rey Jesuit community for your unwavering support of our school during the past year. This time last year, we had no idea what to expect from the pandemic. One year later, I would say that the school fared better than expected, in large part because of the commitment of people like you.
Job partners got creative with us, and many returned even though they were uncertain about how the program would work during the pandemic. As a result, we finished the last school year with students who are well versed in how to work remotely, setting them apart from their peers and on the pathway to success in the corporate world. Our donors dug deep and provided the school with the resources to care for our students and families alike.
All students in grades ten through twelve have been placed in Corporate Work Study positions. Typically, students in grade nine prepare for their CWSP responsibilities during the Bridge Program in July. This year, we intentionally moved Bridge to first quarter as it allowed us to prepare for in-person learning in the second stage of the pandemic and to account for companies that have delayed a return to the office to later in 2021 or early 2022. We continue to seek Corporate Partners to employ our students.
Most importantly, our community is dreaming again. Despite all that our students, faculty and staff have faced in an almost inconceivable 18 months, it is gratifying to hear students discuss future plans for college, careers, and beyond. There is a great sense of hope for the future at Cristo Rey Jesuit. Thanks to all of you who have so generously supported our mission and made this possible!
In peace,
Jeb Myers
President
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Mass of the Holy Spirit
A Jesuit tradition lays the foundation for a new school year.
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Our Cristo Rey community celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit on September 8th, continuing the Jesuit tradition of welcoming the Holy Spirit into our school to revive, refresh, and inspire us. Alongside Fr. Thomas Bamrick S.J., our student leaders lead us in prayer and Tonia Hughes Kendrick and Kent Goodroad joined our Rising Voices Choir to uplift us with song. During our first all-school, in-person mass in over two years, we witnessed joy, celebration, and community. Thank you to all who joined us. Ad Majorem, Dei Gloriam! |
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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Receives DEED "Youth at Work" Grant |
Cristo Rey was recently awarded one of 40 Youth at Work grants across the state through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). These grants support organizations’ work to provide young people with workforce development and training opportunities. This is Cristo Rey’s third year of partnership with DEED, and we are very excited to have received DOUBLE the support for the next two years. Funds will support the unique commitments of the Corporate Work Study Program, including an increased focus on technical skills training and the critical work done by our wonderful Client Relations Managers, which ensures that students are successful at work and that companies are satisfied! |
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When our first Youth at Work grant was awarded in Fall 2019, a then 10th grade student named Wilmar was working at the University of St. Thomas with an Associate Professor in the Biology department, completing laboratory and field measurements and data entry projects.
Wilmar’s work this first year took place in the University’s on-campus garden. The team was looking at the effect of excess nutrients on soil and how it relates to pollution. Wilmar tested vials for levels of ammonia and phosphate, working in the garden to measure soil moisture levels in different quadrants of the plot, and measuring chlorophyll levels in different pepper plants.
His work at St. Thomas has continued, including conducting his own research project over his 2020 summer break for a full-time paid internship. Wilmar’s summer research project involved using Google Earth to map out community garden and green spaces in Minneapolis, identify and place organisms that exist in each and map those out. He worked 'in the field' to collect samples for a watershed project for an inner ring suburb. Wilmar collected water samples and analyzed how air pressure affects readings, used sophisticated graphing software, created graphs, and analyzed the chemical breakdown of water samples.
He returned to St. Thomas for the 2020-21 school year, and this past winter, his supervisor described Wilmar’s impressive work ethic, work quality, and dedication. He wrote, “this was the first time anyone from my team has collected samples from the garden while it was snowing!”
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Wilmar is now a senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit. This summer, he trained incoming St. Thomas college students on working in the lab, and with the equipment and software used. His understanding of scientific content as well as his ability to utilize leadership skills to train in new interns and employees is incredible.
Wilmar’s success is a testament to his own hard work, to the dedication of his workplace supervisor, to a successful work placement, and support from the Corporate Work Study Team.
Wilmar and his fellow Class of 2022 students received additional technical skills training thanks to DEED’s Youth at Work Grant funding. This research project will surely prepare him for a future career using technology and technical skills, and Wilmar’s work absolutely did not skip a beat during COVID-19.
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Support Cristo Rey's Resilience |
The Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) is the cornerstone of what makes a Cristo Rey school unique. Due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic and its impact on CWSP, we anticipate a revenue shortfall over the next year.
How you can help:
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Hire a student or team of students. Contact us at jobs@cristoreytc.org to get started!
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Make a gift to Cristo Rey’s Resilience Fund. Visit the Resilience Fund page for more details about this important campaign effort and to donate.
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Your support and belief in us and our mission is crucial as we adapt to the new realities and needs of students, families and Corporate Work Study Partners in an increasingly virtual world. |
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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School provides access to a Catholic, Jesuit, college and career preparatory education to unlock the potential of students of any culture, faith, or creed to transform our communities.
We are guided by faith, prepared for life, and always serving others.
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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School
2924 4th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 545-9700
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