Detroit Cristo Rey High School
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Added Aug 23, 2017
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at Chicago's Cristo Rey High School students study math science and history but one day a week please enter City kids do more than homework they do office work and learn lessons they could never get in a classroom you're teaching them how to dress over right absolutely hygiene absolutely how does answer phones or how to speak properly on the phone tapping machine Common Sense sort of things if you didn't ever do it with all talk about the sad state of education in inner-city schools these days The Gangs the drugs the high Dropout rates here's one thing you may not have heard it's about a successful High School in Chicago where every graduating senior is accepted to college the school is called Cristo Rey and what puts it class by itself is that one day a week every week the kids skip class to go to work and white-collar corporations all over the city places Ernst & Young Bank won the Chicago Board of Trade of course it's a world away from everything they know but they're fast learners a Cristo Rey many of these students will be the first in their family to graduate high school with small class sizes like that students get the best education money can buy math science American literature taught in both English and Spanish good morning but back in 1996 when Father John Foley and his fellow Jesuits started Cristo Rey they knew the students in this neighborhood couldn't afford nearly $9,000 a year tuition so the school approached Chicago businesses for help but not for charity fact on doors and said would you give us a job and I remember one day we went back home too many yes this is going to work to do this so this didn't start off as a way to get these kids corporate skills oh my it started off literally and simply to pay the bills why do you want to come the police story what do you look for when your interview student we look for people who are capable of answering a question and come with a certain amount of spunk you have to be employable to BU student that's because Cristo Rey students been for extended days a week in class and one day at work the school has its own Employment Agency down the hall from the principal's office it sent more than 2,500 students off to work since the school started whether they're filing Bankers records delivering lawyers briefs are crunching an accountant's numbers their entry level salary goes straight to the cool to pay most of their tuition welcome to see you name tag where is it feel that I relate your chewing gum so this is a pretty bad first impression here one look good play learn the firm handshake good I contact over around under answer over and dressing for success and you're teaching them how to dress right hygiene absolutely how does answer phones how to speak properly on the phone the sound trapping machine well it's not common sense if you've never if you didn't ever do it apparently it works student employment is paid the bills for 8 years the first day they sent their kids off to work father Foley understandably was nervous I wanted to hide under the desk I didn't know whether they would be back in 15 minutes saying are you nuts what are we supposed to do with these kids but what was my surprise when the person in charge of the program came into my office and said you won't believe this this sponsors are calling and thanking me for the students that were sending them very let's see us remembers her first play on the job arriving at the looming corporate towers of downtown Chicago was the culture shock of her young life you ever come down town tell me it's kind of funny because I never did did you think about working in one of these big office tower honestly before Chris Irving not at all we're actually coming here setting of this is my supervisor sunny sunny Mangini says what some students lacking experience how is she she's the greatest they more than make up for in sheer will give them real jobs absolutely I got married recently I was okay I could go away and be fine because I had someone here and they would answer the phone and do all kinds of troubleshooting when I away what are you get out of this I think it's the experience I mean it's been the experience of a lifetime for does a resume look like already any High School saying that I worked at four different corporate offices for most of these kids the idea that they could succeed at anything is a revelation in these offices they learn just how far they can go when the fat as equals you know if it it surpasses that were Hispanic it surpasses that were 16 17 14 and says you know here going to the corporate world Dustin to work and he's big buildings and who knows maybe the CEO of them one day to help them Reach such lofty goals students are given a rule book on day one and it's their Bible I've got your rule book right here absolutely no shave or bald heads length should not be lower than a number 2 Clipper attachment America Ochoa had shaved his head much closer than this the way the local gangs do he got a detention for every week it took his hair to grow back are the rules restrict which ones America I guess the haircut one even a dances although the dress toad is loosened up security is tighter than ever lower you today they're pretty strict on you at the dances to it is A Little Too Close lyrics lower the Holy Spirit can I stop for 2 years English teacher and dean of students Rafael torch has served as the enforcer car tire for women blouse must be modest and professional with buttons sleeves and the collar I'm not sure I'm dressed appropriately to come to Chris. turn TV into tension some of the kids say this is this is like a boot camp that it's tough do you think you're too tough on them now I think we could be tougher we've had gang problems here in the shootings happen and people. And this is happening in their neighborhoods you happened to Sergio Garcia who would have been Cristo Rey Class of 2004 he was bright popular his family's big hope he was shot and killed on his block last year it's not known if he was in a gang but Raphael torch says despite several warnings Sergio kept breaking the number one rule no frat sizing with gang members sometimes feel like you failed him I have. Maybe I should have been violent with the kid like physically taking him in my hands and shaking her you're going to die kid that simple he knew it I knew it he went out and did it telling five other boys for associating with gangs that's hard not to do when gang members or friends neighbors even family torch says it's a clear choice you are any gang or you are not and if you were going to come to school and you were going to act like one if you were going to recruit if you're going to instill fear in others I want you here go to the public school good luck aren't you just sending them openly into the arms of the games sure quite possibly but at the same time we're here to educate we are not here to rehabilitate g********** what's on to appear they focus on the kind of kids who think math Awards or something to cheer about in the middle of your goals changed are they different now because of coming to Crystal Ray America and then after that I'm going to work construction then my dad works construction but now it's College like I want to go to college unfortunately and an air with 10,000 High school-age Hispanic teams Cristo Rey has room for only 500 students when we came here we thought great solution do all these young people we're going to school and we're going to race them off we found out you can't do that we found out that just doesn't work I think that the 500 kids were in our school are showing the way to the other 9500 that there is a way out then sup to you do you want this come and get it and Cristo Rey is showing the way to other communities a 22 million dollar gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation venture capitalist BJ Cason is funding schools modeled after Cristo Rey and 10 other needy communities just this fall schools opened and six City including New York Boston and Tucson 10 years ago the Chicago Community had a dropout rate is high 75% for the class of 2000 for the dropout rate is 1% and every one of the students marching today has next septa to college Alex Macias was accepted to several colleges for Choice was made easier by a phone call from a Xavier University Alex graduated in the top 10 of her class and the girl who had never been downtown before who had missed only one day of work in 4 years raped her reward and they're going to give me the $15,000 plus another presidential scholarship or something like that Scranton ringing cry all the rules the work the discipline came down to this we did it Ma
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