Detroit Cristo Rey High School

Detroit Cristo Rey High School
Address
5679 West Vernor Highway
Detroit, Michigan, (Wayne County), 48209-2157
USA
Coordinates 42°19′2″N 83°6′9″W / 42.31722°N 83.10250°WCoordinates: 42°19′2″N 83°6′9″W / 42.31722°N 83.10250°W
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Motto The School That Works!
Religious affiliation(s) Christian
Denomination Roman Catholic,
Cristo Rey Network
Established 2008
School district Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
President Michael Khoury
Principal Susan Rowe
Grades 912
Enrollment 288[1] (2014-2015)
Color(s) Green and Gold         
Athletics conference Catholic High School League[2]
Sports Basketball, Track, Cross Country, Volleyball.[3]
Team name Wolves[3]
Newspaper Detroit Cristo Rey Howler[4]
Website detroitcristorey.org

Detroit Cristo Rey High School (DCRHS) is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Detroit, Michigan. The school opened in August, 2008 with an initial freshman class of about 100[5] students, and operates within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.[6] It is a co-educational Catholic high school in the city of Detroit located in the West Vernor-Junction Historic District.[7]

Description

The high school building is part of the Most Holy Redeemer Church parish.[6] It is co-sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and The Congregation of St. Basil.[6] The school is located in the former Holy Redeemer High School building.[8]

Detroit Cristo Rey High School opened August 2008 and graduated its first class in 2012. It is part of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools nationwide, the original being Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. The founding president of Detroit Cristo Rey was Dr. Earl J. Robinson, a past president of Lees-McRae College.[9] The Board of Trustees named Michael Khoury president in 2009.[10] Its founding principal is Susan Rowe, a former teacher and administrator at University of Detroit Jesuit High School.[6]

Admissions

A student admitted in the ninth grade must be able to read at a seventh grade level; students unable to meet this requirement may not be admitted.[11]

Student Demographics

During its first year (2008-2009), Detroit Cristo Rey had a student body that was approximately 50 percent African-American and 40 percent Hispanic. Approximately 50 percent of the student body was Catholic.[7]

Tuition

Cristo Rey schools are designed for children from low-income families. Each school has a maximum income cap for applicants. Detroit Cristo Rey has a standard tuition of $2,300/year but many families work at the school to lower their tuition costs to around $1,000/year.[7]

South side of Vernor at Junction, looking west

Local Support

In 2009, Detroit Cristo Rey High School has received grants from The Skillman Foundation, the McGregor Fund and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.[12] Students collaborated with Detroit Institute of Arts Art studio instructor Vito Valdez to create a mural representing the school and community.[13]

Corporate Work Study Program

Cristo Rey Network schools utilize a unique work study program that pairs students and local businesses. Students work one day a week at a local business while their wages are paid to the school for their tuition. In the 2009-2010 school year, "About 35 employers and 120 freshmen and sophomores are involved, and the program covered about 35 to 40 percent of the school's total expenses."[14]

The Cristo Rey Model

In January 2008, Loyola Press released a book titled More than A Dream: How One School's Vision is Changing the World (More than a Dream official site). The book, authored by G.R. Kearney, a writer and former volunteer teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, documents the unlikely development of the Cristo Rey model and its remarkable success throughout the United States.

References

  1. "Student Life". Detroit Cristo Rey High School. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
  2. "Catholic High School League: School Locator" Accessed May 28, 2009.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Detroit Cristo Rey Athletics" Accessed May 27, 2010.
  4. "The DCR Howler" Accessed May 27, 2010.
  5. Kohn, Joe. "Detroit Cristo Rey Opens Doors to Work-Study School", The Michigan Catholic. August 22, 2008. Accessed November 7, 2008.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Kohn, Joe. "Cristo Rey Ready to 'Rise'", The Michigan Catholic, April 11, 2008. Accessed May 27, 2008.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Delaney, Robert."Cristo Rey adds sponsors, looks for more, as it starts its second year", The Michigan Catholic, July 24, 2009.
  8. "Frequently Asked Questions." Detroit Cristo Rey High School. Retrieved on January 7, 2012. "Detroit Cristo Rey High School is located at Vernor and Junction in the southwest area of the city in the old Holy Redeemer High School."
  9. "New Detroit Cristo Rey High School Announces Selection of President", 2007. Accessed May 27, 2008.
  10. "People on the Move", The Detroit News, May 28, 2009. Accessed May 28, 2009.
  11. Guerra, Jennifer. "Catholic Prep Chain Helps Detroit's Minority Students Go On To College" (Archive). National Public Radio (NPR). June 11, 2014. Retrieved on July 7, 2014.
  12. Welch, Sherri Begin."Cristo Rey High School lands grants", Crain's Detroit, March 3, 2009.
  13. "Cristo Rey Mural Collaboration", July 3, 2009.
  14. "Private schools cope with weak economy", Education Report, May 26, 2010. Accessed May 28, 2010.

External links