2025 SUMMER IMPACT REPORT
Horizons at Cristo Rey Philadelphia is an extension of the Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School mission.
We provide elementary-age students in North Philadelphia with year-round out-of-school-time academic and enrichment opportunities. By fostering a love of learning and expanding access to outstanding experiences, we equip our children to thrive, achieve their fullest potential, and contribute meaningfully to our community. Horizons at Cristo Rey addresses summer learning loss by partnering with dedicated educators and mission-aligned organizations. Through this program, Cristo Rey Philadelphia uses our campus and facilities to provide our children with enhanced educational opportunities, advancing our commitment to community empowerment and greater access to quality learning.
Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School Mission: Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, a college preparatory, Catholic school for students of all faiths, nurtures and challenges young people to recognize and realize their full potential as they learn to love others, grow in their faiths, and serve the common good.
Horizons National Mission: We advance educational equity by building longterm partnerships with students, families, communities, and schools to create experiences outside of school that inspire the joy of learning.
A Letter from the Executive Director
November 2025
Friends of Horizons at Cristo Rey,
Cristo Rey Philadelphia believes every child deserves access to joyful, rigorous learning that opens doors to future opportunity. Horizons at Cristo Rey brings that mission to life each summer, giving our youngest neighbors a foundation for success through curiosity and exposure. Rooted in Cristo Rey’s values, our program combines hands-on academics, social-emotional learning (SEL), and enrichment opportunities to help children thrive. The pages ahead demonstrate how Horizons strengthens both our students and our neighborhood, and how your support makes it all possible.
This summer, our students engaged in interactive, hands-on learning across traditional subjects to combat summer learning loss. Additionally, the children participated in twice-weekly SEL class and instructional swim, increasing emotional regulation, swimming proficiency, and even team spirit. When competing with other Horizons Greater Philadelphia sites at the second annual Regional Swim Meet, our swimmers saw their hardwork pay off bringing them immense joy and pride.
When Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School moved from 5218 North Broad to 1717 West Allegheny, we committed ourselves to fostering a strong connection to our new neighborhood. Horizons grew out of that intention and remains our primary interaction with our surrounding Nicetown-Tioga community. Horizons students explore and learn in neighborhood spaces that bring classroom lessons to life. On campus, the Xerces Pollinator Garden invites children to observe, experiment, and care for living things, while the Tioga Hope Garden & Park offers opportunities to cultivate plants, collaborate with peers, and engage with the broader community. These experiences, combined with carefully selected curricula, help students expand in literacy, dive into STEAM concepts, develop conflict-resolution skills, and establish confidence in themselves and their abilities.
We could not accomplish this without the generosity of our donors, foundations, partners, and friends. Your unwavering commitment to our students and our neighbors ensures that Horizons at Cristo Rey continues to provide lifechanging opportunities. Thank you for being an integral part of this innovative learning community of growth.
With gratitude,
Caryn Rivers Executive Director
Horizons at Cristo Rey Philadelphia
FEEDER SCHOOLS
20 Charter
12 Public
11 Independent, Private or Parochial
RACIAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY
77 Black or African American
7 Hispanic / Latino
5 Two or more races
2 Other
A FAMILY IN FOCUS
Since its inception, Horizons at Cristo Rey has grown thanks to the trust and commitment of families from our local community and across North Philadelphia. Parents and guardians report that their children look forward to coming to Horizons every day, because it provides a space for our students to stay engaged, learn, and meet new people. They benefit from caring adults who build positive connections with students. Our children build confidence, broaden their imaginations, and stay active, because Horizons at Cristo Rey cares for the whole child.
SPOTLIGHT: Jayanna & John
John and his daughter, Jayanna are Nicetown-Tioga residents and a founding family at Horizons at Cristo Rey. John heard about the newly created summer program in early 2021 and immediately brought Jayanna to campus to enroll her. After that summer, John also joined Cristo Rey Philadelphia’s transportation team, bringing our students to and from their workplaces each day.
John knows that Jayanna’s time at Horizons at Cristo Rey has positively impacted her confidence, leadership skills, and her grades during the school year. Until recently, Jayanna found math challenging. Through her summer classwork, John noticed her growing persistence. She now takes more time to work through problems she does not immediately understand, drawing on her summer learning to check her reasoning and ensure her work is correct. Horizons math class scaffolds her school year learning and the subject matter review builds her confidence. While John acknowledges positive changes for Jayanna, he also notes that Horizons provides unexpected benefits to him as her father. He is more engaged with her education, and finds himself helping Jayanna with her school work at the end of the day.
At Horizons, Jayanna continues to strengthen existing friendships while making new ones. John has seen how much affirmation and encouragement from her peers means to her—and there’s no shortage of that at Horizons at Cristo Rey. For him, the most important part of the program is that children are having fun while learning. One of his favorite memories is accompanying students on a bowling trip, where the laughter and joy reminded him of the magic of discovering something new. He says, “I love to see the kids smile. There are a lot of good memories here.”
John and Jayanna’s story reflects how Horizons and Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School provide a special ecosystem where families can learn, grow, and strengthen their connections. Through the school’s work to foster strong bonds within the community, students and families are supported, celebrated, and empowered.
ACADEMICS
Academic growth is the heart of Horizons at Cristo Rey, and we understand the importance of offering learning experiences that feel different from traditional schooling. Intentionally selected curricula and program providers guide students to stronger literacy, math, and STEAM skills while building critical thinking, collaborative tools, and confidence. To support this growth, we implement a variety of assessments—observational, in-class mastery checks, and standardized testing—to understand where students begin, track their progress throughout the program, and see where they are when they complete it. Our approach to learning combines targeted instruction, hands-on curriculum, and strong student-teacher relationships, ensuring that Horizons is both effective and joyful. As a result of our academic programming, instead of losing skills during the summer, our students grow in their knowledge of both literacy and math.
Academic Partners
• STEMSpark
• Philadelphia Writing Project
• Franklin Institute
• GSK Science in the Summer
• D’Griot Community Gallery
• National Arts Program
• Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
• Tioga Hope Garden and Park
• The Whitemarsh Foundation
• Troy Bynum, Nature Photographer
• Dive & Thrive
• Horizons National Visiting Author Program
• Jamar Nicholas, Author & Illustrator
• ISA Media, Inc.
MATH
Students gained
9.5 weeks of growth in math
Average weeks of growth for students across Horizons National sites is six weeks.This data represents Horizons Greater Philadelphia’s regional growth of students across four Horizons sites.
Math
Students were instructed using the Math for Love curriculum, which uses manipulatives—tiles, dice, and counters—to make abstract concepts concrete. By allowing students to visualize mathematical operations, the curriculum encourages both understanding and application.
Assessments administered to our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at the beginning and end of our six week summer session showed clear growth. Among our 5th graders, a cohort whose early education was defined and deeply impacted by the pandemic, the number of students needing intervention dropped from six at the start of program to three by the end of summer. Our 3rd and 4th graders showed similar progress, with the majority of students achieving at or above grade level benchmarks by August.
ACADEMICS
Reading & Literacy
Literacy instruction combined the Scholastic Arly BellXcel curriculum with curated classroom libraries to provide age-appropriate books. This summer, under the theme Memory & Memorial, students participated in various activities across grade levels, including guided reading groups, vocabulary development, and writing projects such as journaling and memoirs that encouraged exploration of personal histories and community stories. Supported by the Philadelphia Writing Project, classrooms emphasized both fluency and comprehension, giving students the opportunity to read widely, discuss texts with peers, and practice expressing their own ideas in writing.
Assessment data showed real progress. The number of students reading at or above grade level increased over six weeks. Several students who began the summer significantly below grade level demonstrated measurable growth in comprehension and decoding—the process of translating written words into spoken language by recognizing the sounds and blending them together to pronounce the word. For example, one 2nd grader who struggled with sight words at the start of the summer improved both accuracy and confidence, showing consistent self-correction and stronger decoding skills by the final assessment.
SPOTLIGHT: Instructional Specialist
Brandon Dennis, our Instructional Specialist and a lead teacher in William Penn School District, provided testing assessment, instructional coaching, and individualized reading support. Oneon-one interventions resulted in meaningful growth, helping 20 students gain confidence and skills for the upcoming school year. Mr. Dennis provided every Horizons family with learning plans that included at-home, online reading support for parents and guardians. Additionally, students left with a tailored set of goals to pursue in the new school year. These personalized supports ensured that children are well equipped to continue growing academically in the year ahead.
READING & LITERACY
Students gained
11.6 weeks of growth in reading
11.7 weeks of growth in literacy
Average weeks of growth for students across Horizons National sites is six weeks.This data represents Horizons Greater Philadelphia’s regional growth of students across four Horizons sites.
ACADEMICS
Science
Horizons at Cristo Rey’s science curriculum emphasizes handson, project-based learning. Our program partner, STEMSpark, led young scientists through the scientific method in various subject areas including physics, chemistry, engineering, and robotics. Students manufactured slime, wrote code to control OzoBots, built boats and airplanes that withstood wind tunnels, and created physical structures out of straws. These projects allowed students to experiment freely, make mistakes, and discover that learning in science is as much about the process as the outcome.
GSK Science in the Summer introduced students to careers in health sciences. This innovative curriculum includes modules on epidemiology, nutritional science, and biology. Together, these Pennsylvania standards-based science offerings extend what students learn during the school year while keeping discovery fun. They broaden students’ awareness of career possibilities in STEM, encourage collaboration through hands-on projects, and build resilience as students experience the value of persisting through multiple attempts and experiments.
ENRICHMENT
At Horizons, enrichment includes any activity outside the traditional classroom that promotes physical and emotional wellness, builds resilience, inspires curiosity, and ultimately complements learning. Over the summer, enrichment happens in the pool, on the field, in team play, in our garden, or in the Cristo Rey Philadelphia art studio. Program partners play a crucial role in making these opportunities possible, ensuring that enrichment remains a central part of how our students grow and thrive beyond the classroom.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
During arrival and dismissal this summer, a member of the SocialEmotional Learning Team was there to greet families. In our SEL classrooms, Licensed School Counselors Zach Webster and Leon Walker, and Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School Alumnus, Sincere Rodriguez ‘22, met our students where they were every single day, encouraging them to stay present.
The Second Step curriculum was utilized to help our students practice empathy, recognize and manage emotions, solve problems, control impulses, and communicate properly. Our instructors chose to teach coping and social skills using superheroes. This comparison allowed students to observe characters they know and love to understand how to face challenges, even in the face of uncertainty and without superhuman powers. Through these strategies, Horizons ensures that students feel safe while practicing important social-emotional skills, further contributing to a strong learning environment.
Hours of Social-Emotional Learning in class per week
100%
Swimmers gained independence from flotation device
Swimming
Swim lessons are a central pillar of the Horizons experience. A lifesaving skill, swimming provides our students the opportunity to gain confidence in and around water, because drowning is the second leading cause of death among children under 14. This summer we partnered with Girard College and Dive & Thrive, an organization dedicated to empowering individuals, strengthening communities, and protecting the planet through swim instruction.
Students were assessed on the first day of lessons to gauge incoming proficiency. Next, students were placed in groups according to their skill levels. By the end of the summer, every child achieved independent swimming. Our most proficient students swam the 25-yard length of the pool using their new understanding of strokes. This helped them prepare for the Horizons Greater Philadelphia Swim Meet, an annual tradition, where a few of our students even brought home medals for Horizons at Cristo Rey.
“After the program ended, we went to the beach, and I was amazed to see how much my daughter now enjoys swimming. It wasn’t until we went to the pool that I realized how much her skills had grown. I was genuinely impressed by her confidence and ability. Thank you for the wonderful impact the program has had on her—and on me.”
– Laquita Harris, Horizons Parent
ENRICHMENT
Nature as Our Classroom
Field trips to Whitemarsh Foundation and work with Pennsylvania Horticultural Society allow nature to become the classroom. Through their programming our Horizons students experienced fresh air, gardens, and wildlife as the center for activities and inquiry.
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s (PHS) mission is to use horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the Greater Philadelphia region. PHS emphasizes both access to fresh food and deep social connections, among other values. At Horizons, PHS aids in the educational programming at our local Tioga Hope Garden & Park and on-campus at our Xerces Pollinator Garden. Every class visited the garden twice, participating in the curriculum built by Kyonne Isaac, a PHS educator and Nicetown-Tioga resident. Activities varied by grade, 1st grade planted seeds, just to see their sprouts a few weeks later, and 5th grade helped with weeding the garden. Students also tended our vegetable garden here on campus! For both locations, Kyonne worked to link her work with concepts being explored in our SEL classrooms; for example, likening plants and gardens to families. Our students participated in discussions about roles in both gardens and families, respectively, showing our students tangible examples of how best to navigate relationships.
The Whitemarsh Foundation’s mission is to promote awareness of, advocacy for, education about, and access to preserved and conserved land. The creation and stewardship of Dixon Meadow Preserve is among their greatest projects and our students had the opportunity to visit this special space. Troy Bynum, Program Director at Whitemarsh Foundation (pictured opposite with our students), hosted each Horizons grade for an introduction to birding and a guided bird walk through 14 acres of land. It is invaluable for our students to see themselves reflected in their educators. Troy provided students with foundational knowledge and skills in bird watching, focusing on the birds native to Philadelphia and the surrounding area.
Family Programming
Each year, Horizons at Cristo Rey offers programming tailored to our parents and guardians. ISA Media hosted a workshop entitled Seen & Heard. While sharing her story, Isabella Sanchez Castaneda empowered our caregivers to be advocates for their children. The well-attended workshop created a space to share experiences and ask questions about how to approach their childrens’ schools. Whether it be conversations with teachers, administrators, or even their scholar, parents and guardians were equipped with various tools to successfully participate in their children’s schooling.
MISSION FUNDING
Thanks to the continued support from our network of donors, foundations, and organizations, Horizons at Cristo Rey is fortunate to have maintained a strong financial position in the fiscal year 2025.
FISCAL YEAR 2025
• Individuals $ 56,130
• Foundations $ 511,500
• Family Foundations $ 52,000
• Organizations $ 55,105
TOTAL $ 674,735
These figures have not yet been audited. Audited financials are available upon request.
CRISTO REY PHILADELPHIA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Robert (Rip) Collins Retired CEO TEC Services Chair
Steve Delaney Partner Deloitte Vice Chair
Anthony C. Stevenson, Ed.D. Director of Human Resources Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Secretary
Peter Blommer Vice Chairman Blommer Chocolate
Bryan Carter President & CEO Gesu School
Ruby R. Chandy CEO Lumina Advisory Services
Fr. Peter Donohue, OSA, Ph.D. President Villanova University
Peter Ernst Executive Director McCausland Foundation
Christopher J. Fazio Founding Partner Attolon Partners
Fr. John Fisher, OSFS Pastor Our Mother of Consolation Parish
Lisa Flynn Co-Chair
Malvern Preparatory School Capital Campaign
Charlie Herrin President of Technology, Product, Experience Comcast
Fr. Jeremy Hiers, OSA Vocation Director
Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova
Meg Howley Executive Director The Howley Foundation
Ken Kind President van Ameringen Foundation
Jim Lawson
Partner & Managing Director Russell Reynolds Associates
Juan Lopez
Executive Vice President,
Independence Blue Cross
Bill McKernan President Ignyte Insurance
Sr. Mary McNulty, IHM Principal St. Francis de Sales School
Jibreel Murray, ‘16 Fixed Income Investment
Haverford Trust
HORIZONS ADVISORY BOARD
Lise Ashton Cristo Rey & Horizons
Keshema Davidson Co-Founder & CEO Early College Charter School of Philadelphia
Eleanor Davis Trustee
School of Nursing at University of Pennsylvania
Peter Ernst Executive Director McCausland Foundation
James Gallagher, Ph.D. President Emeritus Philadelphia University
Kerry Henkels Mother of four children
Ken Kind President van Ameringen Foundation
Robert J. Myers Partner
Ernst & Young
Pat O’Brien
Founder & President
Whiteboard Higher Education & MK2 Marketing LLC
Mark Parker
Executive Vice President, Head of Banking Operations TD Bank
Fr. Donald F. Reilly, OSA, D.Min. Prior of the Augustinian Novitiate
Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova
Sr. Stephen Anne Roderiguez, IHM, Ed.D. President Villa Maria Academy High School
John Scheffey President & CEO Core States Group
Thomas A. Shoemaker President & CEO Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School
Ian Swedish Senior Vice President CCS Fundraising
Steve Tazza Chief Operating Officer White Label Communications
Fr. Brian Zumbrum, OSFS Assistant Principal & Director of Activities Salesianum High School
Retired Principal School District of Philadelphia CFO & Treasurer
Ryan Murray Partner Ernst & Young
Carol Rooney Retired Director SEI Financial Services
Denise Silvers
Special Projects Associate Cristo Rey Volunteer
Denise Young
