INSPIRED BY CRJ’S MISSION, PHOENIX INVESTORS AND THE CRIVELLO FAMILY FOUNDATION GIFT $1 MILLION |
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Fr. Bill Johnson, SJ, Frank Crivello, Anthony Crivello and President Andy Stith on Phoenix Field |
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Phoenix Investors and The Crivello Family Foundation recently gifted $1 million to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee (CRJ). The gift to the Ignite. Invest. Impact. Campaign will help fund the new school campus. In recognition of their gift, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School will name its athletic field “Phoenix Field.”
“I first learned of Cristo Rey in 2004 when it was featured on a 60 Minutes segment. I was moved. I too am a first-generation American,” said Frank P. Crivello, Chairman & Founder of Phoenix Investors. “A female student was featured in the segment. She obtained a full scholarship to Ohio Xavier University. As she and her mother cried over the joy of being the first in her family to attend college, I remembered being 9 years old as my sister Madeline did the same, and how she and my parents cried. Madeline went to Harvard for her undergraduate education and then Yale Medical School. In 2014, we learned Cristo Rey planned to open a Milwaukee school and we began by joining its Corporate Work Study Program. Following the remarkable work of Andy Stith, Fr. Johnson, and the entire Cristo Rey team, we decided to show our appreciation and commitment with a $1 million gift. My family has enjoyed the American dream. We are grateful to share our success with others so deserving of a chance like the one I, my brother, and sister had.”
“We are incredibly grateful for the generous gift from Phoenix Investors and The Crivello Family Foundation,” said Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Milwaukee President Andrew Stith. “They have seen first-hand the impact a Cristo Rey Jesuit education can have on our students and community through our Corporate Work Study Program. This transformational investment in our mission will allow us to continue to provide the facilities and opportunities necessary for current and future students to become leaders in the Milwaukee area in the years to come.”
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PRESIDENT'S PERSPECTIVE
A REFLECTION FROM ANDY STITH
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President Andy Stith, newly elected member of Cristo Rey Network's national board of directors, addresses the class of 2021 during the CRJ commencement ceremony. |
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"Trailblazers never walk alone." These are words I shared with our graduates on graduation day as I asked them to reflect on all the individuals who’ve helped them, as trailblazers, arrive at their graduation day. Certainly, our students’ hard work and commitment to their education were principally responsible for their high school diploma achievement, but their parents, teachers, friends, corporate work study colleagues and others also encouraged, counseled, and supported them along the way. A network of support is clearly a critical part of the success of any individual but it also creates a powerful collective success that ripples to a larger impact.
When the first Cristo Rey school started in Chicago in 1996, Fr. Foley and other school founders acknowledged that they never intended their fledgling school to provide a model for future schools in other cities to emulate. Now, the Cristo Rey Network is made up of 37 Catholic high schools across the country which all utilize the Cristo Rey model to powerfully impact the communities in which they work. As the Cristo Rey Network has scaled and replicated additional schools over the last 25 years, these schools have discovered a tremendous benefit in collaborating, advising, and sharing with one another in a spirit of support and mutual continuous improvement. In Milwaukee, we actively support our colleagues in other cities. We’ve benefited from the experience and learning of others and have shared our knowledge as other school leaders have asked for assistance from us. Personally, I am looking forward to contributing as a newly elected member of Cristo Rey Network’s national board of directors. We grow stronger individual schools because we have a commitment to the Cristo Rey Network’s greater movement.
Everyone who commits to the Cristo Rey movement is affirmed by student achievements in their school. Our national network inspires us when we think of how all the students, staff members, donors, corporate work study partners, religious orders, and volunteers collectively challenge and enrich one another so that we all may thrive. Indeed, Trailblazers never walk alone.
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CRJ STUDENTS WORKING TO LEARN,
LEARNING TO WORK
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Carlos, Augustin, Maricarmen and Ariel (pictured left to right) participated in Northwestern Mutual's 2021 Tech Minicamp |
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Back in April, we shared the story of four CRJ students being selected for Northwestern Mutual's 2021 Tech Minicamp. The Tech Minicamp recently concluded, and we are proud to share that all four were offered summer internships at Northwestern Mutual! During the seven-week long minicamp, the four students learned about software engineering and coding best practices and then applied it by updating applications on Northwestern Mutual's website. Franzen/Cristo Rey Endowed Scholarship recipient Maricarmen Dorantes '21 shared that she can't wait to take what she learned at the Minicamp and apply it to her Computer Science / Psychology double major at Ripon to create applications that will help people with mental health issues.
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Incoming freshmen gather for the first time during Summer Bridge |
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The Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) prepares students to win these opportunities with training that begins before their freshman year as part of Summer Bridge. This four-week program prepares them for their CRJ education and CWSP experience. It also gives the class of 2025 an opportunity to build relationships with their peers and staff so they feel comfortable and settled when they start their educational experience at CRJ in August. |
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Incoming freshmen had the chance to ask CRJ students and alumni questions about their CWSP experience during a panel discussion
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Summer Bridge is made up of daily classes that begin every day at 7:30 am. In addition, all students participate in a one-week Business Training Camp to prepare students for their work study experiences at CRJ. Topics covered include professional communication, office skills, ethics, and Dept. of Labor required lessons. “After hearing the other students share their work experiences and with all I've learned this week, I'm not feeling as nervous for my first day of work,” incoming freshman Kimberly said.
Student programs and partnerships like these truly have the power to change lives and are only made possible with the generous support of investors like you. Join us on our mission to transform high school education, empower families, and build a stronger Milwaukee community! Learn more about the Corporate Work Student Program here.
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CRJ WELCOMES FIVE NEW BOARD MEMBERS |
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Cindy Cervantes
Director of Finance at Hatco Corporation
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Cindy Cervantes has worked in the food service commercial equipment industry for over 15 years and currently serves as the Director of Finance at Hatco Corporation. She obtained both her bachelor’s degree in Management Accounting and Master’s in Business Management from Alverno College.
Cervantes joined the board to serve the underserved community and "Cristo Rey’s mission resonates with my personal belief: It is vital for our youth to not only be 'book smart' (academically), but also 'street smart' (out in the career field). Our community must work together to achieve this. We all win if we make it a reality."
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Hon. Pedro Colón
Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge
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Pedro Colón currently serves as a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Milwaukee County. The first Latino elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, Colón was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
He received his B.A. in Political Science from Marquette University and his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Milwaukee.
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Jay McKenna
President and Chief Operating Officer at North Shore Bank
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Jay McKenna is President and Chief Operating Officer of North Shore Bank. He currently is chairman of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. McKenna holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Marquette University.
McKenna said joined the board because “the mission of Cristo Rey Jesuit aligns very well with my personal values of community and education. My company has been a work study partner almost since the beginning, and by being on the board I am able to serve in a deeper way.”
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Vanessa Solis
President of Nativity Jesuit Academy
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Since joining Nativity in 2014, Solis has led ground-breaking work. As the first K4 teacher, she helped Nativity become a full K-8 school of more than 250 students. She then transitioned to Nativity’s Director of Elementary School Education and became the Principal in 2018.
Solis became the first in her family to graduate from college when she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds two master’s degrees – one from Cardinal Stritch University in Urban Education and one from the University of Notre Dame in Educational Leadership.
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Fr. George Winzenburg, S.J. |
Fr. George Winzenburg, S.J. is a Jesuit priest of the USA Midwest Province and currently cares for the retired Jesuit priest community at St. Camillus. Fr. Winzenburg said, "It was easy to say yes to joining the board. I was privileged to govern two Jesuit schools and have ideas to share about strengthening and promoting our Catholic and Jesuit mission and identity. The mission belongs to everyone, from students and teachers to staff and trustees. I am excited to join them in finding ways to reflect on why we do what we do."
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SAVE THE DATE: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Wednesday, September 15th, 2021 at 1818 W. National Ave.
You are invited to our official ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the CRJ community and celebrate at our campus in the Clarke Square Neighborhood. More details to come!
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SAVE THE DATE: Milwaukee Stars Merengue is back!
Saturday, November 6th, 2021 at Potawatomi Hotel and Casino
Don't miss this opportunity to see Milwaukee celebrities take the stage with a professional dance partner to entertain and raise funds to benefit Cristo Rey Jesuit High School's rigorous academics, innovative Corporate Work Study Program and faith formation.
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