CRJ FRESHMEN LEARN ABOUT ENGINEERING THROUGH STEM LAB AT MSOE

Could you build a structure to safely land an astronaut somewhere in our solar system? This was the challenge posed to 18 freshmen at a STEM lab hosted by Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) earlier this month. The students had to ensure that Bob the Astronaut (a ping pong ball) was able to safely land on different planets in our solar system in a lander that they designed. Students had to use a constrained budget, limited material choices, and test their landers on force measurement plates hooked up to a graphing program to see if they succeeded. 

Freshman Kevin said, “My favorite part was designing and building the landing pad because I want to be an engineer, and the experience allowed me to see what engineers have to think about. I had to worry about the budget and materials and solve the problem in a short time frame.” Freshman Gabriela added, “The activity helped me understand a bit about engineering because I learned not everything will go according to plan the first, second or maybe even the third time, and we will need to make changes accordingly.”

At the end of the event, students received a tour of the MSOE STEM Center, including their robotics fields, makerspace/woodshop, and had a chance to hear from current MSOE engineering students who work at the STEM Center. Gabriela said, “I truly enjoyed exploring the MSOE STEM center and being able to see a glimpse of where I might be in the near future because I'm interested in aerospace engineering.” It was also a chance for these freshmen to get the experience of being on a college campus for the first time. Jarely said, “Going to a college campus as a freshman in high school felt like an honor to be there. It really helped me see what the college experience would feel like.”

May is a month full of many traditions in schools. Our Signing Day has become an annual tradition where we celebrate the college decisions of our seniors. The concept came from the common practice of publicly recognizing the university selections where high school athletes will continue their athletic careers. In our version, however, students don their school’s swag and are each called up to the stage to publicly declare their college intentions to their classmates, families, and the broader community. The event is typically full of energy and excitement, and it is the first step towards their next educational chapter.

This year’s Signing Day was no exception. The gym was packed. There was great energy in the room from all who were in attendance and for good reason. This year, we have 113 seniors and while every local university was called with a handful of students attending there, some college selections really stood out to me. We have 23 students who’ll be attending Marquette University in the fall, one of our largest number of graduating seniors to attend Marquette from a single senior class. UW-Madison will receive our largest number of graduating seniors we’ve ever sent as 14 will make their way to the university next fall. We even have some students venturing out of state to places on the east coast like Holy Cross, Fairfield, and Georgetown, three Jesuit universities. One student will head west to attend Stanford University in the fall. What’s also impressive is that these seniors amassed more than $20M in grants and scholarships to attend college. That comes to about $170,000 on average per graduate. Thanks to the excellent work of our college team, some large scholarship support, and the hard work of our seniors, our graduating seniors will be attending a school that will provide them solid degrees and not sink them into unmanageable debt.

Beyond the cheering and the testimonies offered by our seniors that included gratitude for family and teachers in helping them get to where they are today, the most impactful sight to me was that of a little sibling of one of our grads, maybe about three or four years old, who was there with her mom. The little girl, clearly challenged by the length of the ceremony, would walk away from her mother, then after a several steps would turn around with a smile, and run back to her mom. As I caught this activity out of the corner of my eye, I wondered about how that little girl’s future and family would be impacted because her sibling, one of our seniors, was going to be the first in their family to go to college. Nearly every senior in our graduating class will be a first generation college student. That means a lot to them, but it was clear this Signing Day has a ripple effect. When one student sets the bar to attend college, that impacts them and future generations. While that little girl in the crowd didn’t know it, the expectations for her future and that of other siblings or future family members have been impacted by the courageous choice of her graduating sibling. When Cristo Rey Jesuit opened, our goal was to create this ripple effect. Events like our Signing Day make me incredibly proud of our students, staff, and these wonderful accomplishments. They also remind me that this movement is greater than what we see in front of us today. Together, we are bringing to life a mission that will impact generations in Milwaukee.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

ALEXANDER, '24 LEADS ESPORTS TEAM TO THIRD PLACE FINISH IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

Senior Alexander (far right) has seen growth as a person thanks to his participation in esports.

It is not uncommon to hear cheers and shouts coming from room 223 every afternoon after school. This is where Cristo Rey Jesuit’s esports team is practicing or competing against teams from across the country. Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions played individually or as teams. Esports saw a surge in participation across the world in the late 2000s. By the 2010s, esports was a major part of the video game industry, with many game developers designing for and funding for tournaments and other events. There are now college scholarships available for esports, and players even playing professionally for millions of dollars.

Recently, CRJ’s esports team took third place in a Mario Kart tournament with more than 100 high school teams from United States and Canada. Esports coach and CRJ teacher Erik Charney said, “The look on their faces when the totals came up to find out that we won third place was a perfect moment! I couldn't be prouder of the players we had competing this year. Everyone on that team was willing to work with each other to build their confidence and use everyone's ability to their team's maximum potential.” 

Senior Alexander is one of the leaders of CRJ’s Mario Kart team. “It feels amazing to achieve third place in a nationwide competition. We have grown so much these past few years since I first joined esports as one of the first members of the team. Esports is just like any other sport. It's a community of people who want to have fun playing the games they love. It also provides a place to grow and connect with others.”

Alexander has not only seen growth in the esports teams' skills, but in his own skills. “I grew so much from it, and I got to meet and bond with so many people because of it. It certainly has felt like a second home to me. I personally grew more confident in how I am as a person as well as a player during my time in esports. I am very grateful that Cristo Rey has offered me a group that lets me improve as a person.” Alexander will be continuing his education at MSOE with the hope of a career in video game development.

BUILDING PRIDE THROUGH WEBSITE CREATION COMPETITION

Seniors Brayan, Emmanuel, Yasmin and Kimberly presented their website designs at an after-school showcase.

Two teams of CRJ students have advanced to the second round of the Creators of Tomorrow website creation challenge. Creators of Tomorrow is designed to equip young innovators (ages 16-21) with future-ready skills, entrepreneurial mindsets, and professional tools to be the trailblazers of tomorrow. The challenge is to design and build a website in 10 days that addresses one of four impact areas: Sustainable Living, Lifelong Learning, Equitable Futures, and Climate Action.

Senior Brayan V. chose the area of climate change by focusing on sustainable clothing options called 'Vintage Unscripted'. “Climate change is a huge problem that really affects us. Although we learn about climate change and have all this information about it, I wanted to think of a new and different way that I could help with this issue, and that’s when I came up with a website to upcycle clothing. Finding time to work on this project in my busy schedule was a challenge, as well as the fact that I have never designed or worked on a single website. Seeing my design pass to the second round really filled me with excitement. I am really proud of myself, and I’m excited to continue working on this project in the next round.”

Seniors Emmanuel S., Yasmin G., and Kimberly R. chose to a create a website focusing on informing immigrants and low income families of neighborhood resources called 'Community Outreach'. The team shared, “Many of these families that come here to the US or already live here aren't informed on what resources surround them around their communities. It's something all three of us have seen not only from our own families but also our community. The site went through five different designs until we reached our final look. We were really excited to see our design advance to the second phase since we took a lot of time making the website. Our team actually spent the whole night before the deadline working on it so getting to see that effort pay off was exciting.”

Currently, they are paired with an employee from web development company Wix who serves as a Mentor with access to 1:1 online feedback sessions and additional workshop opportunities. Both teams also received a 1 year Wix Premium Account to support their sites. In June, the two teams will participate in the Challenge Finals where they will submit their final websites and project summaries to a panel of judges, who will decide on the Challenge Finalists. The winners of the Challenge Finals will receive up to $2,000. We wish both teams the best of luck and encourage you to check out both of their sites by using the links below.

SAVE THE DATE: MILWAUKEE STARS MERENGUE 2024

Milwaukee Stars Merengue

Saturday, November 9, 2024 | Baird Center - Rooftop Ballroom

Downtown Milwaukee

Don’t miss this opportunity to see Milwaukee celebrities take the stage with a professional dance partner to entertain and raise funds to benefit Cristo Rey Jesuit High School’s rigorous academics, innovative Corporate Work Study Program and faith formation.

Is your business interested in partnering with our work study program?

We would like to speak with you about how your business or organization can partner with our Corporate Work Study Program! Contact Everette Fernandes at 414.436.4600 Ext. 3141 or efernandes@cristoreymilwaukee.org.

Make a difference in the lives of CRJ students!

The generous support of Cristo Rey Jesuit donors like you makes it possible for us to offer a Catholic, college-prep education combined with unique professional work experience to young women and men of all faiths and limited financial means.