A WEEK OF FIRSTS FOR STUDENT LIFE ON CAMPUS
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FIRST HOME GAMES AT 1818 WEST NATIONAL AVENUE
The gym at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School served as the home venue for an athletics competition for the first time on Thursday, February 18th. CRJ hosted local rival St. Augustine Preparatory Academy for two exhibition games - one between the girls' varsity teams and one between the boys' varsity teams.
After the game, Senior Abby commented, "The new gym is so amazing, and it's much less hot than the old gym. As a senior, I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to play here at the new building."
Senior Reggie said, "It's been over a year since we've played a game together. It felt so awesome to be out in the new gym playing in an actual game again with my teammates."
"After several months of creating protocols aligned with the Milwaukee Health Department, CDC and WIAA guidelines for athletics, it is exciting to see kids engaging in athletics. We are ready to get sports back and active at CRJ," said Athletic Director Taz Landry.
The "alternative fall" sports season begins on February 22nd. Congratulations to the student athletes who participated in these historic exhibition games, and good luck to all Trailblazers athletes in their upcoming competitions.
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ASH WEDNESDAY MARKS FIRST ALL SCHOOL MASS IN NEW BUILDING
For the first time since Ash Wednesday 2020, the CRJ community was able to gather for Mass. It also marked the first all school mass taking place at 1818 West National Ave. The mass was held in the gym with all worshipers socially distanced. Guidelines from the Archdiocese for safe and reverent liturgy were also followed. The distribution of ashes was done in a touchless manner (a tiny sprinkle over the head) in accordance with the recommendation by the Vatican that was adopted by Archbishop Listecki.
“I was filled with excitement in being able to enter into the presence of God and the season of Lent in person with the CRJ community again. I'm glad that we can exercise this aspect of our identity and mission once again,” said Campus Minister Jodie Scordo.
The mass was also streamed for those who could not attend in person. You may watch the service here.
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CRJ hosted a movie night in the gym on February 17th. The documentary shown was “Coded Bias”, a MKE Film festival selection about the bias that can exist in technology due to the human element of the code writers and software developers.
"I was shocked to see how technology can be made to be racist and discriminate against genders and how it intervened into people's lives. It felt good to learn about these issues that technology has." said Freshman Julisa.
Junior Augustin added, "I really enjoyed participating in a film night and being able to discuss the social issues and matters with my classmates."
Thanks to the generosity of Northwestern Mutual, the movie was shown free to students and staff. The Robotics club ran the event with support from the Black Student Union and Social Justice club. Students and staff were also able to watch the film virtually if they could not attend in person.
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PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
A REFLECTION FROM ANDY STITH
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Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (left); Milwaukee Alderman and Common Council President Cavalier Johnson (right)
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As a Jesuit, Catholic school, we seek to nurture students who will become leaders committed to a lifelong pursuit of learning, faith, and justice. We are guided by values, such as being loving and committed to justice, that we hope our students will embody when they graduate from Cristo Rey Jesuit. This month, the efforts of our Black student leaders come to mind as our school community grows in these core Jesuit values.
In honor of Black History Month, our Black Student Union organized a Black Excellence speaker series, highlighting local Black leaders, including scholar and educator Reggie Jackson, Executive Director of BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing for Communities) Angela Lang, County Executive David Crowley, and Common Council President Cavalier Johnson. The speakers shared tangible ways we can work for change in Milwaukee and build more inclusive, loving, and equitable communities. In partnership with these speakers, our Black student leaders inspired and challenged us to persevere in our work for justice with a steadfast spirit, rooted in love.
We thank these student and community leaders for calling us back to our mission as we create a community where every young person can flourish and help build Milwaukee’s future.
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CRJ BEGINS REMOTE WORK STUDY PILOT PROGRAM
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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School announces the launch of a new remote work pilot to meet rapidly changing needs of today’s workplace through its Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). Collaborating with Milwaukee employers, Cristo Rey Jesuit will implement an innovative hands-on remote workforce development training for teens this month.
According to Amy Leahy, CWSP Director, “The pandemic has caused workplaces and employees to adjust quickly to new ways of working. To address these changes and develop the skill sets local businesses need, CRJ will pilot Remote-CWSP until the end of the current school year. The goals of the Remote-CWSP pilot address the need for expanded flexibility for employers now and in the future; enhanced in-demand professional skills for teens; refine an effective and scalable remote work training program; and give teens real world remote work opportunities.”
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STUDENT UTILIZES ROBOTICS AT CRJ TO CREATE MODEL ELECTRIC ROCKET
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Cristo Rey Jesuit High School junior Carlos Betancourt is currently working on an exciting project that combines his love for learning and robotics at CRJ.
Carlos (pictured) began building an electric, remote-controlled model rocket in December. Designed using a 3-D printer and CAT software, the goal of the electronic rocket is to complete a fully autonomous takeoff and landing. Carlos is currently working on the wiring and coding of the rocket, with the most difficult part of the process in his opinion being designing the functional body for the rocket made up of many smaller printed components.
Carlos said, "I began working on computers when I was nine years old. I have been wanting to work on a project like this for years but never had the opportunity. Now I have the resources needed to get started. Learning about the basics of Google Sheets through CWSP’s Work-Readiness program has encouraged me to do my own research and create a sheet that calculates mass, density, and other ratios that have helped me in building the rocket.”
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"My greatest resource has been my Robotics clubmates.”
"My peers have provided me with helpful feedback and suggestions during Robotics team meetings at CRJ every Monday. I have learned a lot from them and it makes me happy to be able to show others what I am doing and know it’s appreciated. Mr. BoddySpargo’s expertise in coding and the concepts that my math teachers have taught me have been helpful as well. Even though I took geometry as a freshman, I’ve used what I learned in Mrs. Norton’s class many times with this project.
I would never have anticipated learning as much as I have throughout this process - it is a lot more than determining how to make a fan spin! I like a challenge and there is so much left to learn. I realized I want to go to college to continue learning about engineering.”
About Carlos
Carlos is a junior at Cristo Rey Jesuit. He continues to push himself academically with rigorous courses including Advanced Placement (AP) Seminar, AP U.S. History, biology, and pre-calculus, his favorite class. Carlos has worked at both We Energies and Grunau Company through the Corporate Work Study Program and has enjoyed the opportunity to learn hands-on about engineering from his supervisors. After his time at CRJ, Carlos would like to pursue a career in aerospace engineering and attend either Texas A&M University or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
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CRJ RECEIVES GRANT FROM CATHOLIC COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
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Cristo Rey Jesuit is pleased to announce it has received a grant from the Catholic Community Foundation of Milwaukee, WI. This generous grant will support scholarships for Cristo Rey Jesuit students, making it possible for them to receive a rigorous, college-preparatory education and professional work experience through the school's Corporate Work Study Program. Together, the Catholic Community Foundation and Cristo Rey Jesuit are working toward breaking the cycle of poverty by providing an education opportunity for youth from Milwaukee’s urban communities to reach their fullest potential.
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