Dear Colleagues,
Last week, Dr. Greg Sucre, Board Members Harry Gruner, Dan Rizzo, Bo Dixon, and I had the opportunity to visit Success Academy Harlem. The purpose of our visit was simple yet important to learn from a school known for strong academic outcomes and to consider what lessons might help us strengthen teaching, culture, and student success here at Cristo Rey Jesuit Baltimore.
About Success Academy Harlem
Success Academy Harlem has earned national recognition for transforming outcomes for underserved students through structure, rigor, and high expectations. Its success comes from clear leadership, training and growing teacher talent, data-driven instruction, and a culture that expects excellence from everyone in the building.
At the same time, Success Academy faces some of the same challenges we know well, sustainability, teacher retention, and balancing high expectations with student joy. These insights are valuable as we continue shaping Cristo Rey Jesuit into Baltimore’s first-choice Jesuit Catholic high school.
Joy at Cristo Rey Jesuit
At Cristo Rey Jesuit, joy looks a little different, but it’s unmistakable. It’s found in our students’ laughter in the hallways, their confidence at work, and their faith taking shape through reflection and service. Even when challenges arise, our theme for this year, “Faith that Does Justice,” reminds us that joy grows when we walk with one another in faith, love, and purpose.
Over the years, I’ve seen that our students often find peace and confidence through learning, especially when they overcome challenges that test their sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and purpose. That is where God’s grace meets our work.
Our Commitment and Call to Action
As we approach the end of Quarter One, I invite each of us to pause and reflect:
- Am I teaching and leading with both excellence and compassion?
- Am I showing up fully in meetings, classrooms, and conversations so that I can grow and serve?
- Am I creating a learning environment that is both rigorous and humane?
- Am I living and working in alignment with our mission and goals as a Jesuit Catholic school?
Mission Moment
During our recent Shared Mission Day, Cristo Rey Jesuit students welcomed peers from Loyola Blakefield who are part of a service and Ignatian spiritual leadership program. Together, they explored the history, mission, and lived reality of Cristo Rey Jesuit Baltimore, engaging deeply in what it means to be students in the Jesuit tradition.
The highlight of the day was a roundtable dialogue where student leaders and peer ministers from both schools shared openly about their academic experiences, extracurricular life, and the role of faith, service, retreats, and social justice in shaping their education and worldview. After lunch, the students collaborated to prepare and decorate the gym for the schoolwide pep rally, transforming reflection into action.
The day was filled with energy, laughter, and gratitude, a true witness to “Faith that Does Justice.” It was an inspiring exchange that strengthened bonds between our two Jesuit schools and, we hope, marked the beginning of ongoing mission collaboration rooted in shared values, mutual respect, and service to others.
“The purpose of education is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions… To ask questions of the universe and then learn to live with those questions.”— James Baldwin
I’m deeply grateful for your faithfulness to our mission, your care for our students, and your courage to lead with both heart and conviction. Thank you for helping us keep the soul of Cristo Rey Jesuit strong.
With gratitude,
Walter D. Reap, Sr., President
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – Baltimore
