One school. One hundred percent. Every time.
Detroit Cristo Rey has done it again. On Jan. 6th students and staff gathered in the gym to announce that the Class of 2016 had reached 100% college acceptance. It marks the fifth consecutive year that the high school has accomplished this feat, and the first year for the accomplishment to take place as early as February.
This assembly, an annual tradition since the Class of 2012, was filled with encouraging words from the school principal and president, praise for Cristo Rey’s seniors, and lots of cake. Seniors then gathered for a full class photo with signs reading “100% College Acceptance”.
“When I was a junior, I originally saw it as the school using the college acceptance accomplishment as a propaganda,” said Christopher Lara. “But now I see that the reason they push us so hard is that we so can actually have an option to go. It’s not a propaganda; it’s about giving the opportunities of college to every senior.”
On top of 100% college acceptance, the class of 65 seniors was offered $3.1 million in scholarships and more are trickling in. One senior was awarded $100,000 in scholarships for a single university.
Lara said Cristo Rey helped mold his college life.
“The school brought out the academic responsibility part of me that prior to ninth grade, I really didn’t have,” he said.
On top of being president of the school’s National Honor Society, Lara has set high bars for the college accomplishment scale. Guided by the two dedicated college counselors at Cristo Rey, Ms. Linton and Ms. Ravani, Lara has been accepted into nine different universities with scholarships totaling more than $370,000. He is also the first Cristo Rey student to be accepted into two nursing programs at both Wayne State and Loyola University in Chicago.
“He’s going to do great,” said Ms.Linton. “We’re excited to read about him in the nearby future.”
But Lara, like every other Cristo Rey student keeps in mind his personal intentions for attending college.
“I want to prove to people that kids from Detroit aren’t a bunch of criminals,” he said.
When people unfamiliar with Detroit meet him and others with a Detroit education, Lara hopes “that they are motivated to support the schools there.”
