Spring 2015 Newsletter

Matters DEPAUL CRISTO REY

SPRING 2015

Class of 2015 Marks Milestone

The DePaul Cristo Rey Class of 2015 has achieved 100 percent college acceptance – every senior has been accepted to college!

Along with this milestone, members of the class have already received more than $2 million in scholarships with more scholarship offers arriving weekly. These achievements were announced at a surprise pep rally-style celebration on March 13.

Television and newspapers reporters were there to capture the surprise and spread the word of this historic milestone. Links to the extensive media coverage are on the homepage of the DPCR web site at www.depaulcristorey.org.

Charge Your Cell Phones – Rey of Light is Going Digital Get ready, set, charge – your cell phones if you’re planning to attend Rey of Light! DPCR’s third annual scholarship benefit for students gets better every year, and electronic bidding is one of the enhancements planned for this spring’s event on April 18.

More than 35 unique packages are available in the live auction, and another 400 items in the silent

auction in which all bidding will be done via cell phones. This will allow guests to bid with their phones without ever leaving their seats.

Invitations have already been mailed. Please rsvp by April 3; Rey of Light has sold out the past two years.

1133 Clifton Hills Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 | (513) 861-0600 | www.depaulcristorey.org

Inside

2 New St. Francis Chapel 3 Bayley Values Partnership 4 First Basketball Title

Work Underway on New St. Francis Chapel Work has begun to

transform a former classroom into DePaul Cristo Rey’s new chapel.

The chapel will be named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi who holds special meaning in the life of the project’s lead donor, who has chosen to stay anonymous. The Ruth J. and Robert A. Conway Foundation has also made a generous contribution, and these combined gifts will fund the entire renovation.

The St. Francis Chapel will offer a sacred space for students and staff to gather individually or in small groups for prayer, reflection and occasionally small group liturgies. The chapel’s stained glass and artwork will include images of St. Francis, nature, the sun, moon and water. St. Francis is familiar to many for his love of all God’s creation and his poem, “Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon.”

“St. Francis is a saint for all people and all seasons,” says DPCR President Sister Jeanne Bessette, OSF. “People

across many faith traditions know and cherish his legacy. In addition to ecology and peace, he is also the patron saint of merchants, a fitting patronage for a school with a Corporate Work Study Program.”

DPCR Corporate Partners CR architecture + design and HGC Construction are working on this project. It’s anticipated the new chapel will be open before the end of the school year.

Learning Commons Planned for Former Chapel The site of DPCR’s first chapel, the former Concordia Lutheran Church, will become a Learning Commons when all needed funding has been raised. With DPCR’s growing enrollment, the former church space no longer holds all students and staff at the same time. All-school liturgies and assemblies are now held in the gymnasium.

The new Learning Commons will include a traditional library with an online card catalogue system and space for a librarian/media specialist to work with students and teach them college-ready research skills.

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It will also include two small group study rooms and flexible space for studying.

The project cost is $665,800 and of that, $410,000 has been raised. Contact Development Director Sparkle Worley if you’d like to learn more about the funding opportunities.

She can be reached at sparkley.worley@dpcr.net or at 513861-0600.

For Bayley, the Benefits of Corporate Work Program are a “Two-Way Street” Before starting her freshman year at DePaul

Cristo Rey, Alejandra Herrera ’18 had never heard of Bayley. Now she’s a familiar face at the retirement community every Monday when she reports for her Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) job. “I wasn’t used to working with older people until I had this job,” she says. “I know to be respectful and nice, and it’s important to be careful. I smile at work all the time.”

Alejandra is one of four students working at Bayley, a CWSP pioneer partner. President and CEO Adrienne Walsh says Bayley committed to the program initially, “because of the mission of the school and we think it’s important to support the development of future leaders.” She says that over the four years, “Our commitment has grown so much deeper. We really believe in this program. It’s a true win, win, win for students, Bayley and the greater community.”

As Adrienne explains, “DPCR is transformational, there’s no doubt. Having spent time with the students and at the school, I know we are truly making an impact. I believe these students will do something different with their lives despite many odds, and we’re helping to make that difference.”

Alejandra works in the offices at Bayley assisting with clerical tasks and directly with residents helping with transportation, activities and in the beauty salon. She’s learning unexpected lessons. “Good grades come kind of easy for me but working has taught me how to better balance my time,” she explains. “I think colleges will like seeing that I have both good grades and work experience.”

While the CWSP’s benefits to students are clear, Adrienne is quick to say, “This is a two-way street. The students bring so much to Bayley – youth, energy, vitality and they are whizzes on the computer! Our residents enjoy them; they help to balance the age equation here.”

She adds, “These young people are our future leaders. We’re helping prepare them for college, life and maybe a health

care career. It makes us feel so good to know we are part of their transformation.”

Join the Transformation

The combination of faith-based, college-prep academics with a Corporate Work Study Program is the core of a Cristo Rey education and a transformative experience for students. DePaul Cristo Rey is grateful to have more than 120 Corporate Partners and Sponsors who make the CWSP possible. Partners provide on-site positions for students; Sponsors fund the work of students at nonprofit organizations. Since January, we’ve welcomed:

Corporate Partners: Midwest Sports Orion Academy

Corporate Sponsors:

BGR Inc. Enterprise Holdings, LLC DPCR anticipates enrolling 100 more students in August and will need many more job placements to make their Cristo Rey education complete. Please contact Lisa Claytor at lisa.claytor@dpcr.net to learn about the CWSP, or Abby Held at abby.held@dpcr.net to learn more about Corporate Sponsorship. Both can be reached by phone at 513-861-0600.

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Visit our Web site at www.depaulcristorey.org

Basketball Team Wins First Championship and a Trip to Final Four The Bruins boys basketball team has achieved a DPCR first – a regional championship and a trip to the state Final Four Tournament.

The boys’ team began post-season play with 32 teams in the OCSAA (Ohio Christian School Athletic Association) and achieved a Final Four berth – the first in DPCR history – by winning the Southwest Regional Championship at East Dayton Christian School. At a pep rally on February 27, the school gave the Bruins a send-off before they traveled to Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio, for the Final Four games where they ended in fourth place.

The Cinderella story of how the Bruins, who won just three games in the program’s first three years, made it to the Final Four captured the attention of Cincinnati media which gave the team extensive coverage. Links to the newspaper, radio and television stories can be found on the homepage of DPCR’s web site at www.depaulcristorey.org.