09/11/09

Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati Set Opening Date for DePaul Cristo Rey High School
by Donata Glassmeyer

The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati continue to develop plans for a new Catholic high school in Cincinnati. DePaul Cristo Rey High School will be modeled after other schools in the nationwide Cristo Rey Network of schools, which educate economically disadvantaged students. This educational model requires students to attend school four days per week and work one day per week in a local business, earning approximately 70 percent of their tuition.

The feasibility study, completed by the Sisters of Charity and other advisors in 2008, evaluated local demographic, educational and logistical data as well as the opinions of community leaders to assess the needs of high school aged youth. The plan called for the school to open either in the summer of 2010 or 2011.

The Sisters of Charity Leadership Team, in consultation with school president Sister Jeanne Bessette, OSF and representatives of the Cristo Rey Network, have set the opening date for the summer of 2011 for three reasons:

1. The determination of a building site is still under consideration. In order for the Sisters of Charity to obtain Associate Membership from Cristo Rey Network to establish the school, a site location must be confirmed.

2. Although the economy is beginning to rebound, the fact remains that the current economic stress in our community would affect the Corporate Work Study Program. As the economy improves, local businesses will see employment opportunities increase, providing DePaul Cristo Rey students with viable work options that may not be available at this time.

3. Cuts in companies’ charitable giving and losses in foundation assets have impacted fundraising this past year making it difficult to meet funding requirements for Associate Membership in the Cristo Rey Network. However, some significant pledges have already been made to enable the opening of DePaul Cristo Rey in 2011.

With these factors in mind, however, it is important to remember that substantial groundwork for DePaul Cristo Rey High School has been laid with more to follow. The decision to open the school in the summer of 2011 does not lessen the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati commitment to this new model of education, but provides the time necessary to strategically prepare the multiple facets of opening the school.

The extra year will give Sister Jeanne Bessette, board members and the administrative team time to increase the donor base, plan marketing and enrollment programs, finalize the curriculum design, prepare an older building for its new use as a high school and expand the Corporate Work Study partnerships. It also allows time for the economy to recover. The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati are confident that thorough, well managed preparation will result in an excellent opportunity for DePaul Cristo Rey’s deserving students.

 For more information, contact Sister Jeanne Bessette, President, DePaul Cristo Rey High School, 5900 Delhi Road, Mount St. Joseph, Ohio 45051, (513) 375-0789, jbessette@ameritech.net. For more information about the Cristo Rey Network, visit www.cristoreynetwork.org.

 

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