I write today with deep gratitude and pride in the work that is taking place across our school community. I am pleased to share that every student in the Class of 2026 has been accepted to college, each senior has received at least one acceptance to a four-year institution, and in alignment with our schoolwide goal, 91% of seniors have been accepted into three four-year institutions. This milestone reflects not only the aspirations of our students but also the collective commitment of every adult who serves in this mission.
At Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, preparing students for college and career readiness is not the responsibility of a single office. It is the shared work of a community. It is present in the classroom where expectations are high, and learning is rigorous. It is present in the Corporate Work Study Program, where students gain professional skills and confidence. It is present in the hallways, in counseling offices, during retreats, in after-school activities, and in the countless conversations where faculty and staff encourage students to keep moving forward.
Each faculty and staff has played a role in establishing and sustaining a college-going culture. You have modeled discipline, curiosity, and belief in our scholars. For many of our students, often the first in their families to pursue a four-year degree, this culture becomes the bridge between possibility and opportunity.
As we celebrate this important moment, we also recognize the work that still lies ahead. The spring semester is one of the most challenging times of the school year for seniors. College decisions, financial questions, academic expectations, and the responsibilities of the Corporate Work Study Program all converge. This is precisely when our commitment to high expectations and accompaniment must remain strongest.
As President and Director of the Work, my role is to help ensure that our mission remains clear and that our actions reflect the values of Jesuit Catholic education. The work entrusted to us includes:
- Forming young people who pursue academic excellence and integrity.
- Ensuring that our students are prepared not only for college admission but for college persistence and success.
- Accompanying students with cura personalis, care for the whole person.
- Encouraging resilience, responsibility, and leadership rooted in faith that does justice.
In reflecting on this stage of our students’ journey, I am reminded of a familiar story about a boy who discovered a butterfly struggling to emerge from its pupa. Wanting to help, the boy gently opened the casing so the butterfly could come out more easily. What he did not understand was that the struggle inside the pupa was necessary. That struggle forces fluid into the butterfly’s wings, strengthening them for flight. Without it, the butterfly emerges weak and unable to fly.
Our students are in that very stage of transformation.
There will be moments when we feel the instinct to remove the struggle. Yet part of our responsibility as educators and mentors is to accompany students through the struggle rather than eliminate it. The discipline of meeting expectations, managing responsibilities, and persevering through challenges is precisely what prepares them for the freedom and responsibility that awaits them beyond our doors.
Scripture reminds us of the deeper meaning of this process:
“We also glory in tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.”
— Romans 5:3–4
This passage speaks directly to our work. The challenges our students encounter build perseverance. Perseverance forms character. And character ultimately produces hope, hope that our graduates will flourish in college, lead in their communities, and live lives of purpose.
As we continue through the remainder of this school year, I encourage each of us to celebrate the Class of 2026’s journey, remain steadfast in our expectations, and continue the faithful work of accompaniment that defines Cristo Rey Jesuit.
Thank you for the role you play each day in forming young men and women for lives of faith, leadership, and service.
With gratitude,
Walter D. Reap, Sr., President
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School -Baltimore
