Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2009 / Cristo Rey adds sponsors, looks for more, as it starts its second year
Cristo Rey adds sponsors, looks for more, as it starts its second year
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published July 24, 2009
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Robert Delaney | The Michigan Catholic
David K.Mcintyre, director of the work-study program at Detroit Cristo Rey High School (seated) reviews provisions of a new contract for Dick Stacy, corporate work-study program coordinator (left) and Michael Khoury, president of the high school. |
Detroit - At least five new work-study sponsors have committed to take students from Detroit Cristo Rey High School for the coming school year, and all but one of last year's 15 paying sponsors have recommitted for 2009-10.
"And we're working on the 15th," said Michael Khoury, president of the southwest Detroit Catholic high school where students go to school four days and work one day of a typical week.
The work-study aspect of a Cristo Rey education is not only a key element of the school's finances, but also an integral part of its educational program
The school also places some students with non-profit organizations, which do not pay, but needs a preponderance of paying sponsors, Khoury said, explaining that the Cristo Rey network aims for 85 percent of its sponsor to be paying ones.
A sponsor pays $25,000, and gets four student workers for the nine-and-a-half months of the school year. The students each work a different day of the week on a regular basis, plus they each work an additional day (Mondays) once every four weeks on a rotating basis.
They do entry-level work, such as answering telephones, data entry, filing documents, preparing packages for shipment, and so forth.
The current roster of sponsors includes a variety of businesses, as well as professional firms, such as law offices and accounting firms.
"We probably need 20 more paying sponsors, so it's a significant challenge for us," Khoury said.
Detroit Cristo Rey High School is in the former building of Holy Redeemer High School on West Vernor Highway, just west of Junction Avenue, in southwest Detroit.
The school started with just a freshmen class last year. Sixty-eight students completed their first year, and the school expects as many as 63 will be returning as sophomores. Sixty-five new freshmen are already confirmed.
Khoury said the goal is to have an enrollment of 180 for the coming school year.
During its first year, Cristo Rey (Spanish for "Christ the King") had a student body made up of a little a more than 50 percent African-American and a little more than 40 percent Hispanics.
About half of the students were Catholic. "We welcome students of all faiths, but all students will take four years of theology. We hope all students will see the benefit of leading a faith-filled life," Khoury continued.
The Cristo Rey concept is intended for children from low-income families, and there is a maximum income ceiling beyond which a student will not be considered. But while the standard tuition is $2,300 a year, exceptions are made because of family circumstances. "Most of our families pay less than $1,000, some earn their tuition by working for the school," Khoury explained.
Student Ysabella Martinez said about her work-study experience at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia that she was "kind of scared at first, but it turned out to be a fun experience."
She assisted the techs in the hospital's birthing center. "I learned how to set up a table with all the instruments for having a birth, and I got to be in the room when the mothers were having the baby," said Ysabella, 15.
Since she is hoping for a career in health care, she said she hopes to return to St. Mary Mercy or have a work-study experience at a different hospital in her sophomore year.
Ysabella said Detroit Cristo Rey has rules about how students may dress and rigorous academic standards, but that's fine with her: "They're kind of tough on you, because they want you to get a good education and they want you to experience the real world."
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Michigan Catholic File Photo
Cristo Rey student Christopher Beatty says he enjoyed his work-study job at a local law firm. responsibilities in front of his classmates. |
Christopher Beatty had his freshman work-study experience at the law firm of Kitch, Drutchas, Wagner, Valitutti & Sherbrook in downtown Detroit.
"My first day I was real nervous, because I had never worked at a job before. But after a week I started getting more comfortable, and it became a lot of fun," said Christopher, 15.
He said each day he was there he had a different assignment, whether filing, working with the law clerks, or even helping organize a company party to benefit Cristo Rey that was held in conjunction with the Red Bull Air Races on the Detroit River.
The party took place the weekend after school let out for the summer. "I spoke that day about my year at the Kitch law firm," said Christopher, who hopes to attend Ohio State University for both his bachelor's degree and law degree after he graduates from Cristo Rey.
He said the school is a great place to get an education because "all the teachers are there to help you."
"They're really preparing us for college," Christopher continued.
He said he valued his work-study experience during his first year at Cristo Rey. "I've already put the word in that I'd like to go back to the Kitch law firm, but if they'd like me to go somewhere else, I could do that, too," he added.
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