1133 Clifton Hills Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 | (513) 861-0600 | www.depaulcristorey.org | like us on Facebook1133 Clifton Hills Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45220 | (513) 861-0600 | www.depaulcristorey.org | like us on Facebook

Destination: DePaul Cristo Rey

Rey of Light Ready to Shine on April 12N E W S L E T T E R F O R F R I E N D S O F D E P A U L C R I S T O R E Y H I G H S C H O O L

WINTER 2014

SponsorsWe are most grateful to our generous sponsors, including:

Presenting Sponsors:Friend of DePaul Cristo Rey

Susie and John Lame/Lenox Wealth Management

SC Ministry Foundation

Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati

Gold Sponsors:Vicky and Rick Reynolds/Bartlett & Co.

kCura

St. Xavier Church

Silver Sponsor:MSA Architects

Table Sponsors:Susan and David Deye

Fifth Third Bank

Flynn & Co.

Terri and Paul Muething

Pat and Steve Robertson

Julie and Brian Ross

Betsy and Paul Sittenfeld

Pictured (left to right) are: Barb Bennie, Rey of Light adviser; Pat Robertson, Rey of Light chair, and Jane Yost, vice chair.

Students Ryan Riffle and Jasmine Wade helped cut the ribbon to officially open DPCR’s new Hillside Campus at a ceremony on October 10. The name of the new Seton Science Center was also unveiled recognizing with gratitude the school’s sponsoring organization, the Sisters of Charity, founded by

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. The Hillside Campus expansion project was made possible with the generous support of the SC Ministry Foundation. Also pictured are Tom Neyer of the DPCR Facilities Committee and Sister Joan Cook, SC, president of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

Students Ryan Riffle St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

can spend $25 or $5,000 or anything in between on the auction items. The raffles and bidding created a very festive atmosphere last year; so many people commented on how much fun they had.”

The committee welcomes additional sponsors, auction items and volunteers. Please contact Development Director Sparkle Worley at 513-861-0600 or sparkle.worley@depaulcristorey.org for more information.

The Rey of Light Scholarship Benefit promises to be a shining standout among the many spring fundraising events in Cincinnati. This benefit for the students of DePaul Cristo Rey offers a festive atmosphere, dinner, a diverse range of oral and silent auction items, and the opportunity to brighten the lives of students. It will be held on April 12 in the DPCR Student Center and begins at 6:00 p.m.

Rey of Light was inaugurated in 2013 to support the scholarships that enable students from economically challenged families to afford the nationally recognized dual-focus

education program offered at DPCR. A committee of dedicated volunteers has been planning this year’s event for months. The committee is led by Chairs Pat and Steve Robertson and Vice Chairs Jane and Dick Yost, and advised by DPCR Board Member Barb Bennie. The combined volunteer experience of the group is powerful, as is their commitment to support DPCR. As Pat Robertson explains, “The school’s mission is remarkable; I think it is changing lives.”

Committee members have secured many event sponsors (see the side panel) and a wide range of auction items. Pat says that there is something for everyone. “You

Inside2 Letter from the President

3 New Board Members

4 Come See Us

Ceremony Opens Hillside Campus

F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N TGenerous Friends Commit to “Sponsor a Student’s Dream”

The launch of DePaul Cristo Rey’s new “Sponsor a Student’s Dream” scholarship fund has brought a wonderful, generous response from benefactors seeking to personally invest in a young person’s future. Since the December launch of the new scholarship fund, 40 people have financially committed to sponsor students this school year. We are so grateful for these supporters who bring students closer to the dream of high school and college graduation, career and life success.

All DePaul Cristo Rey students need significant financial support to afford the transformative education we offer. All families complete a financial aid form, the PSAS, which indicates the estimated amount that the family can pay toward tuition, based on their income and expenses. “It’s not uncommon for the PSAS report to show a negative adjusted family income, meaning the family has more expenses than income,” explains Renee Hargrove, director of business administration. “We consciously choose to admit these students anyway because these are exactly the families this school was created to serve. No student is turned away because the family can’t pay,” she says. “This situation is why the support of benefactors through the new scholarship fund and events such as Rey of Light is so critical.”

The Sponsor a Student’s Dream Fund offers contributors the option to support a full, half or partial scholarship for a student. Sponsors will receive personal letters from student scholarship recipients, the opportunity to meet them in person in the fall of 2014, and the personal satisfaction of making a direct impact on a young person’s life.

If you would like to “Sponsor a Student’s Dream” or simply want more information on the program, please contact Development Director Sparkle Worley at 513-861-0600 or sparkle.worley@depaulcristorey.org.

As DePaul Cristo Rey has evolved over the last

few years from a tiny seed to a growing tree – like the mustard seed of biblical fame – I have learned that it’s both the little AND big things that make a school’s traditions its own. Our student talent show held on the last day before Christmas break started as a relatively “little thing” in 2011 and has quickly become a much-anticipated annual tradition. Last year’s inaugural Rey of Light scholarship benefit had a “big” debut and impact. Both these and many other events are giving DPCR its own unique character, feel and traditions.

That said, DPCR is uniquely nontraditional among our regional high schools. Despite the cost of launching our Bruin athletic program, we have no fees. These are absorbed into our operating costs. We would not have teams, sports or uniforms if families had to pay to play.

As richly blest as we are, I do sometimes reflect on the uniqueness of what we do not have at DPCR. As a three-year-old school, we have no alumni base yet; we will not have a graduation until May of 2014. Our students do not wear traditional Catholic high school uniforms of plaid skirts, khaki pants and polo shirts. They dress for work, displaying either the DePaul Cristo Rey logo or that of their Corporate Work Study companies.

We do not have student- or family-driven fundraising because of the burden this would be to our financially stretched families.

Even the places where I sometimes find myself on behalf of our students says something about the unique nature of our school. Whether it is business women breakfasts, Chamber of Commerce business leader forums, or Rotary Clubs’ luncheon meetings – I am always the only person in the room from a local high school. That’s because we are a school that does business with businesses so we can offer our unique program to underserved but very deserving students.

Thank you for your interest in DPCR and our students, and thank you especially for your continued support of our unique contribution to Cincinnati’s educational landscape.

Sister Jeanne Bessette, OSF, Ed.D.President

Dear Friends,

Drive Is on to Find New Corporate Partners ntegral to a Cristo Rey education is the work opportunity given to students. The Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) provides students not only a means to contribute to their own education costs, but a hands-on introduction to the business world as well as exposure to mentors and career paths they may have never considered.

With the start of the New Year, CWSP staff has launched a sales drive to find new Partners for next school year. As DPCR adds students each year, we must also add jobs. The CWSP team is seeking 24 new Partners for student placements beginning in August 2014.

It’s important to point out that the benefits of CWSP are not limited to the students. While many companies join as Partners because of their commitment to advance opportunities for young people, they quickly find the program offers value on many levels, including to their bottom line. DPCR students are trained to complete many data-entry, clerical and entry-level tasks.

Judy Roesch is director of customer relations at partner company School Outfitters, which joined the CWSP this year. She quickly learned the value of the student workers. “The students’ productivity was a real eye-opener for us. We underestimated their ability to catch on to the tasks we gave them. They learned so quickly that some days they completed their list of assigned tasks and ran out of things to do,” she explains. Supervisors often comment on the value of having the students complete tasks that free up other employees to take on more complicated work, improving productivity all the way around.

If you or someone you know would like more information about the benefits of partnering with DPCR to bring eager, reliable, diverse young workers into your business, please contact our Corporate Work Study Program. Director Lisa Claytor can be reached at lisa.claytor@depaulcristorey.org or 513-861-0600.

joined the CWSP this

DePaul Cristo Rey has welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors. Read on as they explain in their own words why they have joined our governance team.

Christie A.M. Bryant, Esq.Owner, Records Requests, Ltd.“I am serving on the Board because I’m inspired by the innovative approach DPCR has taken toward education, especially with respect to the work study program and the exposure it provides to the students.”

John Moster, CPAShareholder in Charge, Cincinnati Office, Clark Schaefer Hackett“Having spent a year in Leadership Cincinnati

with Sister Jeanne and seeing her passion to help these students and then having a team of students in our office, have all convinced me that the mission of DPCR is vital. Success in our region needs to encompass everyone, not just the fortunate.”

Joe RohsDirector of Finance, ORS/Nasco“I have raised three daughters, sold a family business and want to assist other children in their journey to achieve the full range of life possibilities. Life provides more possibilities through the proper education and the establishment of values. I hope to add to the success of DePaul Cristo Rey to mimic that of the rest of the Cristo Rey Network.”

I

Welcome New Board Members

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Come See DePaul Cristo Rey for Yourself If you’ve never had the opportunity to see DePaul Cristo Rey in person or haven’t been here since the new Hillside Campus opened, we’d like to invite you to visit.

We’re hosting several Meet-n-Greets which o�er a chance to see the campus, meet some of the students and sta�, and hear a brief update on the school.

Join us on:February 26, 12 noon - 1:00 p.m. (lunch will be served)

March 18, 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. (light breakfast will be served)

May 1, 12 noon - 1:00 p.m. (lunch will be served)

Please RSVP to Mary Jo Speed at 513-861-0600 or

maryjo.speed@depaulcristorey.org to let us know how

many will attend.

A Student’s Re�ection “I have learned something from every teacher and staff person at DPCR. They don’t push us so that we fail; they push us because they care. They don’t wake up every morning and come here because they have to, they do it because they want to see us graduate from high school and college and do something big. And because they do that, it gives me the energy to keep trying, to never give up, to keep going when the going gets tough. Without them doing that, I wouldn’t be the person I am.” Chris M. Member of the Class of 2017

From an end-of-the semester writing assignment