By Camilla Cantu The Howler
This year, Cristo Rey’s junior class is going for the gold.
But this is a different game.
The President of the school presented the class of 2017 with a unique challenge: to score an average of 21 or higher on the upcoming ACT in March. The reward? A class trip to Cedar Point.
“It’s important to set high goals and I think this is definitely a goal we can achieve,” said Mike Khoury, president of Detroit Cristo Rey. “I want to make it interesting, and I think getting on a bus and heading to Cedar Point sounds like a lot of fun.”
Students received the proposition in College Readiness, a mandatory yearlong course for juniors take that offers college advice, workplace skills and most importantly, standardized test preparation. Cristo Rey makes sure their students are ready as they can be for the ACT, Khoury said.
“I think [the juniors] have the ability to do it. I want our school to be the best,” he said.
The juniors have named this challenge the #The21Project. The students are writing motivational messages on social media and sharing them by hash-tagging “The21Project.”
But students are not the only ones committing to the project.
“I have pretty high hopes for the Class of 2017. I think that they can all do well,” said Abigail Carter, an Algebra II teacher at Cristo Rey. “I encourage them to keep a positive attitude and not to let the test fizzle them out.”
Carter is new to the school and already has ACT score expectations for the junior class.
Along with College Readiness, Cristo Rey offers a variety of preparation opportunities. Teachers devote after-school hours to tutoring the students in all subjects, but especially math and science.
Carter said all the Cristo Rey teachers are helping the juniors reach their goal.
“Every teacher tries their best to teach their student and gives them the individual help they may need,” said Carter.
But in the end, juniors are the ones putting in the most work to see their project through. Josiah Walker, like many students of the junior class, is investing his time in Khan Academy to prepare for the ACT. Khan Academy is a website frequently used by the juniors to prepare themselves for the upcoming tests. Walker is hoping to achieve a minimum of 30 on the ACT.
“I’ll be doing personal studying. Khan Academy. Khan Academy all day, every day. That’s really the only way I’m preparing so far,” he said.
Cedar Point is a great incentive to encourage the junior class to do well on the ACT, but some students see this opportunity as a reflection of Cristo Rey’s commitment to helping their students.
Two years ago, Cristo Rey’s Class of 2014 scored a school record breaking average of 19 on the ACT. Last year, the average was 18. This year, the junior class is looking to break history once again.
“I love how Mr. Khoury is helping to improve our mentalities on the ACT, encouraging us to score higher and not letting us settle for the 18 average,” Walker said.
