I write with deep pride and gratitude as we celebrate the accomplishments of our Athletic Director, coaches, managers, and, most importantly, our student-athletes. Your commitment, discipline, and teamwork reflect the very best of who we are as a school community. Thank you for representing Cristo Rey Jesuit with excellence and integrity.
Running an athletic program within the Cristo Rey model is not simple. Our students are on campus four days a week and engaged in the Corporate Work-Study Program one full day each week. That means less practice time, tighter schedules, and a constant balancing act. Our coaches must plan creatively. Our Athletic Director must coordinate logistics with precision. Our student-athletes must manage their time with maturity beyond their years.
The reality is that high school athletics today demand more than ever. There are academic pressures, social pressures, recruiting pressures, and the ever-present challenge of maintaining focus in a world filled with distractions. For many schools, athletics can become the primary identity. At Cristo Rey, athletics are formative and create meaningful opportunities that deepen the student experience.
From the very beginning of each of their high school admission processes, we are clear. Students are asked to prioritize:
- Academics
- Corporate Work-Study
- An Openness to God
- Athletics
This ordering is intentional because we have a lot of academic ground to cover. It reflects who we are as a Jesuit Catholic school. Athletics are a gift and an opportunity, but they exist within a larger mission: forming young men and women for and with others.
The benefits of athletics are real and lasting. Student-athletes develop resilience, leadership, time management, and the ability to work within a team toward a common goal. These are not just “sports skills.” They are college readiness skills. They are career formation skills. They are life skills. Colleges seek students who can manage multiple responsibilities. Employers value individuals who can collaborate, take coaching, and respond to adversity with character. Athletics, when properly ordered, help build exactly that kind of graduate.
What makes me most proud is not simply wins or championships. It is watching our students become scholars, leaving practice and preparing for their Corporate Work-Study placements. It is seeing them compete hard and then shake hands with dignity. It is hearing them speak with conviction about faith, service, and responsibility.
I am proud to serve as president of a school where students strive to become men and women for others, where rigorous academics matter, where professional work experience shapes confidence, and where athletics strengthen the body and the character.
To our Athletic Director, coaches, managers, and student-athletes: thank you for the discipline, the sacrifice, and the pride you bring to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School.
Viva Cristo Rey!
Walter D. Reap, Sr., President
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – Baltimore
