School choice students at the School Choice Week celebration in Carson City on January 25, 2017. (Courtesy: Las Vegas Review-Journal)
(Victor Joecks, Las Vegas Review-Journal) – A different kind of private school is looking to come to Las Vegas. If your family makes too much money, your children won’t be accepted.
That’s just one of the things that make schools in the Cristo Rey Network unique.
John Foley, a Catholic priest in Chicago, founded the first Cristo Rey School in 1996. To cover the costs of a college-preparatory education in his low-income and predominantly Hispanic community, he put students to work — literally. Local businesses agreed to hire students for entry-level work and pay a stipend to an employment agency attached to the school.
Four students rotate to fill one entry-level position. Ninth-graders get ready by going to a summer “boot camp” where they learn hygiene, professional dress and use of common computer programs. The school also works to improve the academic skills of students, who are an average of two years behind.
Corporate partners view students as employees, not as charity cases. Employers rate 94 percent of students as meeting or exceeding expectations on performance reviews.
