01/24/08
Sisters of Charity Study a New Model of Secondary Education with Businesses in Greater Cincinnati
by Donata Glassmeyer

DELHI TOWNSHIP, OHIO – The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati launched a one-year feasibility study in October 2007 to determine the viability of developing a Cristo Rey high school in the Greater Cincinnati area. Tracing their heritage back to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the foundress of the Catholic School system in America, the sisters sponsor two educational institutions in Cincinnati, Seton High School and the College of Mount St. Joseph, and are studying new models of education for the poor. “Cristo Rey” means “Christ the King” in Spanish. It also means an extraordinary opportunity for high school students not able to afford a private college preparatory education.

The Cristo Rey model provides for students to attend school four days per week and work one day per week in a local business, earning more than 70% of their tuition. This work component uniquely enriches the students’ education by engaging them in learning environments that they normally would not experience. Each Cristo Rey school is known as “the school that works.”

About the Cristo Rey Network: Established in 1996 by the Chicago Province of Jesuits on the Southside of Chicago, Ill., Cristo Rey Jesuit High School set the standards for an innovative work-study curriculum. This school model is being propagated across the country by leadership in the Cristo Rey Network which is funded in large part by the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Currently there are 19 Cristo Rey schools throughout the United States educating 4,234 students from diverse backgrounds, races and religions. 98% of the graduates continue on to college.

The feasibility study – Community interest:
The study will evaluate local demographic, educational, and logistical data as well as the opinions of community leaders to assess the needs of the community. The study coordinator, Sister of Charity Catherine Kirby, is interviewing local school, church and community leaders, as well as middle-school students and their parents in order to gauge interest for the proposal.

The feasibility study – Corporate commitment:
The study also will assess the potential for the Corporate Work Study Program which requires entry-level clerical jobs. Local businesses and non-profit organizations will be interviewed to determine the level of corporate commitment necessary for the program. Under the Cristo Rey model, four students share one full-time entry-level position at professional offices. Compensation for this work enables Cristo Rey students to cover a significant portion of their tuition.

It is the Corporate Work-Study Program that ensures each school’s long-term success and financial sustainability. Across the country, nearly 1,000 corporate sponsors provide jobs to Cristo Rey high school students. Organizations and companies such as AAA, Bank One, American Red Cross, R.W. Baird, Deloitte & Touche, Merrill Lynch, Clear Channel Communications, and Goodwill Industries participate as Cristo Rey corporate sponsors in many cities in the United States.

For more information, contact Sister Catherine Kirby, S.C., Coordinator, Sisters of Charity, 5900 Delhi Road, Mount St. Joseph, Ohio 45051, (513) 921-2839, sckirby@juno.com or David W. Deye, (513) 310-7564, dwdeye@deye-enterprises.com.

For more information about the Cristo Rey Network visit www.cristoreynetwork.org.

 

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