The Cristo Rey Torch Vol. III, No. 1 Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School * 680 W Peachtree, Atlanta, GA 30308 Wednesday, October 28, 2015

New Beginnings

Cristo Rey Atlanta will be getting a new home

Malcolm Delfish

Staff Reporter

On September 24th, Cristo Rey was blessed with the news that the school was moving to a new building. President Bill Garrett gathered all of the students into the great room and explained to the student body that the school was running out of space and needed a new building. Cont. p. C2

Pilgrim’s Progress Cristo Rey students pay a visit to the pope

Benton Thompson, IV

Staff Reporter

Six students from the Cristo

Rey 2018 sophomore class were giv-en the opportunity to see the pope on September 26, 2016 in Philadelphia. They traveled to Philadelphia by van with two courageous chaperones: Mr. Soares and Mrs. Bush.

Carlos Ramirez was inter-viewed before leaving for the trip. When he found out that he was select-ed, he was shocked and excited to have been given the opportunity to go see Pope Francis. His expectations for the trip were that it would be a pil-grimage, not a vacation, and that they would be living a simple life in commu-nity while on the pilgrimage. Lastly, Carlos was asked how he expected this trip to impact his life, and he an-swered, “One never knows what to expect, but in every pilgrimage, someone always comes back changed, and becomes a better person."

Jaqueline Montes-Espericueta said she found Pope Francis’s speeches and the opportunity to see him up close to be the most powerful part of her trip. His words at Independence Hall have caused her to be open to anyone's ideas, to welcome people, to continue her culture and traditions, to not to be afraid to show who she really is, and lastly to not be discouraged because everyone has a gift to show. She has many great memories, but the best one is seeing millions of people in Philadelphia from different cultures and religions all coming together to receive the pope in the Mass of the Family.

A2 SCHOOL NEWS

Freshmen Adjustments Jahdirah Wilkinson, Eunique Banner, & Kennedy Harris Staff Reporters

Just as sophomores did last year, the class of 2019 is working on the adjustment to being a Cristo Rey student. Eighty–four percent of students stated that it was their dreams and future goals that inspired them to come to Cristo Rey. Still, on the first day, 94% of students reported “not knowing what to ex-pect.” Seventy-eight percent believed that homework was the hardest thing about the school, but now are taking advantage of study hall and 9th period. On a positive note, 9th graders have had little trouble get-ting to know their classmates. Eighty percent now re-port knowing five or more students well.

The freshmen have many questions about how to survive at Cristo Rey. The most common questions are about time management, studying, ex-tracurricular activities, how to deal with stress, and balancing work and homework on the same day. If these struggles are real for you, read on for expert advice! Q: How do you manage your time? A: “After getting home, take a mini-break so you could settle down; go do chores. Don’t procrastinate be-cause time goes by quickly. Divide your hours of homework and free time, if you have it.” -Lizeth Morales, 10th grade

Q: How do you balance your homework and going to work on the same day? A: “Depending on what time you leave for work [you might] have some time to start on your homework. Sometimes the work-study program will give you down time, that way you’ll finish early but don’t wait until the last minute.” -Juan Garcia 10th grade Q: How do you not give up? A: “Ask for help and [do] not stay in the shadows. It’s better to be with someone than to handle it alone.” -Juan Garcia, 10th grade Everyone knows the feeling of anxiety, especially the freshman at this high school. However, these words from the sophomores demonstrate that by taking strategies and putting them to good use, students can learn to be more organized and prepared for their classes this year and years to come.

A3 SCHOOL NEWS

Drafted to Success Jada Milligan & Melanie Mata Staff Reporters On August 14 Cristo Rey held its second Draft Day. Dressed in their business attire, freshmen and sophomores waited impatiently, ready to seize the day and get assigned to their companies. When it was finally time to go to the All Saints’ Episcopal Church for the ceremony, all anyone could see was a line of students along the sidewalk dressed in gray and white with teachers here and there. The seats of the church were filled with students in their business attire, businessmen and women occupied the back rows, camera crews stood nearby, and a news broadcaster at the front happily waited to announce the names of the students. Freshman Nala Bishop, assigned to Air-gas Specialty Products where oxygen tanks are made, said that she was nervous and excited prior to Draft Day. When it finally came, she was more enthusiastic about finally getting a job. When freshman Chloe Simon, assigned to Alston & Bird, law firm, learned what her job would be, she didn’t know what to expect, but she had an open mind. Once Chloe went to her job site during the Cor-porate Work Study Program (CWSP) orientation, she knew what type of environment she was going to be working in. She now believes that she will fit into her company perfectly because her co-workers are goofy and they like to have fun. Sophomore Tre’vion Williams works at Invesco, a stock and trade company, and said that he was overjoyed that he gets to work at the same company he worked at last year and to see his former co-workers again. Despite the nervousness and anxiety of the students, they can’t wait for Draft Day to happen again.

“I love the food at my job, one

word to describe my job is

delicious!”

-Nala Bishop, 9th (D’Youville)

“My job has a lot to offer, I al-

ways have different projects!”

Solomon Hill, 9th, (Toussaint)

“I love doing projects that

involve my own personality

and tastes!”

Cassandra Canales, 9th,

(Drexel)

You’re invited to Cristo Rey's first official...

Dance!Dance!Dance! November 20th from 6 to 8 p.m.

B1 OPINION

Pious Parakeets?

Kennedy Harris Staff Reporter

One question that I have always wondered the an-swer to is if animals pray or not. Do dogs open up their doggy bibles and read? Do birds sing songs of prayer? How do ani-mals connect with God?

According to Father Van Dyke and Father Kenny, ani-mals pray by being their best animal selves. Birds sing songs of worship to give God glory. Dolphins tilt their heads back-wards and show God thanks. Are animals closer to God because they give praise in a different way? As we have learned in Father Kenny's reli-gion class, humans were put here to have dominion over the animals. Animals unlike humans weren’t made with con-sciousness. What if that lack of consciousness actually makes them closer to God? Animals can hear and see the unknown and unseen; for example, they can sense natural disasters and even death. Maybe this shows that God values animals more because he gave them special powers. Ani-mals may get warnings of danger while they are being their best selves and that’s why sometimes they stop and stare. Only God will know how animals truly praise him. Ani-mals might even be oblivious to the higher spirit that created them. Who knows?

All I know is that, at the end of the day, animals and hu-mans all praise God in a different way.

The matter of free will

Eunique Banner Staff Reporter Of course animals don’t pray! Ani-mals are simple-minded creatures that can-not have an understanding of religion. The definition of prayer is a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship. I believe that animals don’t pray because they have no reason to and also that God never gave animals specifically the right of free will as He did with Adam and Eve. Animals, soul-less and ignorant, do not have the ability to pray or even comprehend religion. Although the Bible says that ani-mals, in fact, do go to Heaven, there are a lot of other absurd ideas and beliefs within its many passages. Luke 3:6 states, “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God”. Typically, when the Bible refers to some-thing as being “in the flesh,’’ it is alluding to humans. Metaphorically speaking, how could a dog possible be able to compre-hend a higher being and pray to it when it spends all day chasing its own tail? There is, logically, no way that animals are able to pray.

Do Animals Pray?

C1 SPORTS

Exclusive Interview with new AD Meet History Teacher and Athletic Director, Mr. Straube

Benton Thompson IV Staff Reporter Tell me what the sports are that we have here at Cristo Rey. We have boys and girls cross country, girls volleyball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, and boys baseball. When are these sports coming? Cross country and girls volleyball will take place during the fall. Basketball will be in the winter. Baseball and soccer will begin in the spring. What are your expectations for this year's sports teams? I expect all student athletes to give 100% effort. All sports will be competitive and have games this year. Will you ever practice and interact with our student athletes? Yes. I will also be the coach for the boys baseball team.

Flame Spotlight: Naol Hulufe

Melanie Mata & Eunique Banner Staff Reporters

Student Naol Hulufe has always had a forte for running. However, when Naol first learned he would be competing in the varsity race at the Do-minion Dash on September 19, he felt uneasy. His competitors were mostly seniors, and it was not the race he prepared for. Although Naol started the race slow, he eventually picked up the pace and caught up with the front runners. He won his first varsity race with a time of 19:52. The race was not easy for Naol because he did not like leaving his teammates be-hind, but he knew that he needed to in order to run his best race. He has had running experience all his life but didn't join a cross country team until the age of thirteen. Before moving here he used to live in a mountainous area in Ethiopia where he would practice running with his friends. His dedication did not stop there; he would also run a mile or two everyday at six in the morning! Apart from everything, he knows that team-work is most important, "If they don’t win, I don’t win ,If they lose, I lose." To Naol the most im-portant aspect of it all is having great teamwork and feeling comfortable with his cross country team.

C2 SPORTS

Serve’s Up!

Regan Riley

Tenbite Tesfaye

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Staff Reporters

The game at KIPP Collegiate on Thurs-

day September 17, 2015 marked the real com-

mencement of Cristo Rey’s volleyball team. After

over two weeks of tough after-school practice

almost every day, Cristo Rey’s girls volleyball

team debuted under the coaching of Ms. Melissa

Beam and Mr. Ivan Soares.

The Cristo Rey Volleyball team played a

total of three volleyball games this year which is

a drastic improvement from last year. The girls

learned teamwork, communication, and strategy.

The volleyball season is over for now but the

team will still be warming up for next season so

that they may set the net on fire next season.

The team practiced three days a week

until 6 p.m. Many players chose to practice af-

ter, therefore extending practices to around 6:15

or 6:30. Sometimes, when games were coming

up, they stayed after school on Fridays to be

able to do well in the game. Overall, the girls on

the volleyball team have worked hard, and are

ready to work harder, to represent the Cristo

Rey Flames. Viva Cristo Rey!

Cont. from front page He gave the students visuals of

the building along with plenty of information. After deliv-

ering the great news, the students awarded him with a

huge round of applause.

The new building is located on 22 Piedmont Av-

enue at a soaring seven-story building with a two-deck

parking garage. Cristo Rey will be relocating to the new

site during the 2017-2018 school year. The students

are very thankful for the new space.

Isela Benitez said, "The new school will be

amazing, large, and better than Cristo Rey's current

location. I will feel no significant loss moving from our

current building. There will be more space and opportu-

nities and an actual gym."

Monick Umana said," I like the new building and

have no real attachments to this building. I'm looking

forward to having more space in the common area.

Right now it's too crowded and there's nowhere to put

your stuff."

Students and staff are optimistic about the

move.

The Cristo Rey Torch Staff would like to

thank all of the faculty, staff, and students

for their contributions. Without their help ,

we would not have been able to complete

our first issue of the Cristo Rey Torch.

Sincerely,

Benton Thompson IV

Malcolm Delfish

Jadirah Wilkinson

Kennedy Harris

Eunique Banner

Jada Milligan

Melanie Mata

Regan Riley

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Amani Clark

& Tenbite Tesfaye