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June 25, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School Celebrates
its Second Graduating Class, the Class Of 2019
On June 8, more than 2,000 people
gathered at Santa Clara University to
honor and celebrate the second-ever
graduating class of Cristo Rey San José
Jesuit High School (CRSJ).
Surrounded by family, friends,
Corporate Works Study employers and
supervisors, school benefactors and
members of the CRSJ Class of 2018, the
105 graduates were granted their high
school degrees by CRSJ President, Dr.
Margaret Higgins, Principal Joseph
Albers and Chancellor, Reverend Peter
Pabst, S.J. Also cheering on the seniors
were members of the CRSJ board of
directors including board co-chairs, B.J.
Cassin, John A. Sobrato, incoming board
chair Bryan Polster along with Kristi
Bowers, Tom Mohr, Nick Moore, Davide
Vieira and Colleen Wilcox.
Highlights from the graduation
ceremony included the presentation of
the Outstanding Achievement in Work
Study Award, presented by Matt Bell,
Executive Director of the CRSJ Cor-
porate Work Study Program, and the
Honorable Dave Cortese, Supervisor,
County of Santa Clara, District 3.
The Class of 2019 achieved many
milestones, including 100% college ac-
ceptance and 100% college attendance!
The seniors submitted 906 college ap-
plications and received 88 acceptances
to 31 UC schools, 7 Jesuit schools and
10 schools out of state. This is a huge
accomplishment as 98% of the students
are first-generation college students
with a similar percentage being the first
or second in their families to complete
a high school.
“I’m extremely proud of our graduat-
ing seniors,” said CRSJ principal Albers.
“They have worked tremendously hard
in and outside the classroom, gaining
preparedness to thrive in universities
and in their careers. More importantly,
they all have developed a passion and
commitment to use their education to
make our community better through
the rest of their lives.”
“I never imagined college would be
an option for me,” said senior, Wendy
S. “However, Cristo Rey challenged me
both academically and socially through-
out my four years of high school and has
molded me into the person I am today. It
has prepared me for the real world and
has helped me be a person who serves
others. I have been able to prove to my-
self that I can go beyond expectations.”
A group of Cristo Rey students wait back-
stage to process into graduation.
Seton’s Snack Shack – Serves Hungry Students after School
The school day for most at Saint
Elizabeth Seton School starts at 7am
with many remaining for our Extended
Care Program after school until 5:30
pm. It’s a long day, but necessary
as most parents work multiple jobs.
We have a terrific food program that
serves breakfast, lunch and a snack,
but still find that many of our students
remain hungry, and most notably on
our minimum school day when the
school’s kitchen closes early and there’s
no afternoon snack.
A grant awarded by the CRS Rice
Bowl allowed our Middle School stu-
dents to pilot a service program to al-
leviate hunger at our school. The eighth
Grade Students took full responsibility
realizing a dream of having a “Seton
Snack Shack” stocked with healthy
nutritious snacks to distribute once a
week to our hungry students.
The types of healthy snacks were
discussed at length, the budget allo-
cated that needed to stretch over the
academic year, purchasing, storing
and presenting snacks and devising a
work schedule for the eighth Graders
to setup, distribute and clean up the
Snack Shack each week.
They did a terrific job! We plan to
continue this program into the next
academic year too. Not only did we
see happy recipients, but the service
Excited Seton Students receiving a late
afternoon snack.
project reinforced multiple values that
we know will serve our students well;
leadership, program management,
budget control, scheduling and most
importantly the joy of serving others
“This project made us closer to our
fellow classmates,” said Ashlye Gut-
tierez, eighth grader.
“We felt glad to be able to give back
to our school that has given so much
to us over the years, ” said Alexander
Medel, eighth grader.
“While serving at the Snack Shack,
everyone felt a sense of compassion
and happiness,” said Marvin Valdez,
eighth grader
We are grateful for this CRS Rice
Bowl Fund that has given students a
rich opportunity to grow in faith and
experience the joy received when serv-
ing others.
Saint Lucy School Hosts Annual STREAM Celebration
On a warm Friday evening in
May, Saint Lucy parents and teach-
ers worked collaboratively on the
STREAM Celebration event to show-
case the students’ hard work, come
together as a community, and celebrate
the STREAM philosophy in our cur-
riculum. STREAM is a framework
for delivering excellence in Catholic
education. STREAM stands for Science,
Technology, Religion, Engineering,
the Arts, and Mathematics. Saint Lucy
School families love to celebrate learn-
ing and our welcoming community at
the same time!
The STREAM Celebration began
three years ago as a science fair and
art showcase. It was so popular, that
food trucks and STREAM hands on
activities for the children were added,
such as such as designing gliders, pro-
graming a galaxy, controlling a robot
through coding, expressing creativity
with clay, creating math Tangrams. The
event is only made possible due to the
collaborative nature of the Saint Lucy
community. The Saint Lucy School
Parent Teacher Group, School Board
STREAM Committee, Booster Club,
Advancement Committee, parent vol-
unteers, Faculty & Staff all pitched in!
Earlier in the trimester, sixth,
seventh and eighth grade students
developed a Science or Engineering ex-
periment, question or problem to solve.
Each student tested their hypothesis,
created a display board to document
their experiment, data, and results, and
prepared their presentation. A group of
science and engineering professionals
from the public sector were invited to
act as a panel of experts, interview-
ing each junior high student about
Science Fair projects, discussing their
hypotheses, and commenting on their
findings. The students were ready to
field questions from teachers, parents,
friends, and families who packed the
gym later that evening for a repeat per-
formance. Principal Sue Grover notes
that “Talking with outside visitors and
articulating the scientific process and
results is an amazing experience for
our students!”
Taking a stroll through the art ex-
hibit to see the talent and creativity
of our Saint Lucy artists was an event
highlight. Saint Lucy students are also
encouraged to express their imagina-
tion and creativity. Art teacher Ann.
Horowitz challenges her students to
explore color, patterns, different medi-
ums and design while expressing their
creative side.