Cristo Rey Jesuit celebrates ‘groundbreaking’ ceremony
College preparatory school unveils logo, crest to supporters
By JONAH DYCUS Herald Staff Writer
HOUSTON – Admirably converting the dining hall into an impromptu ballroom, Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School unveiled its logo and crest to more than 250 supporters assembled on campus, March 11.
Cristo Rey’s president, Father T.J. Martinez, S.J., considered the event a “groundbreaking” of sorts for the school, which welcomes its inaugural class of approximately 100 students this coming August.
“We are reaching out into the poorest communities of Houston, regardless of where they are, regardless of their history, regardless of where they come from. We are telling them that this school has the power and potential to change their lives, and change their destinies,” Father Martinez said. “This is a school which has come to Houston and has promised those kids that if you go through our program, you will succeed. And there are no excuses for not succeeding here at Cristo Rey Jesuit.”
The Cristo Rey Network provides quality education to urban young people living in communities with limited educational options. Cristo Rey schools participate in a work-study program through which they finance the majority of the cost of their education while gaining real world job experience.
“The cycles of poverty, the cycles of violence, and many times, the cycles of danger that are inflicted in their lives will be broken in a way that will not only affect their immediate futures, but will affect their children’s children,” Father Martinez said. “Your support tonight isn’t simply changing the lives of 100 kids, but in a very real way, is changing a generation of children who would have been trapped (without) your help.”
The gathering of supporters consisted of corporate work-study sponsors, donors and friends of the school. More than 30 corporations in Houston have signed up to participate in the work-study program, offering jobs for Cristo Rey Jesuit students to fund their education. The salaries earned by these students will cover more than 70 percent of the cost of their tuition.
“We have united as one community to back the idea that nothing can stop kids from achieving. One of the most profound, groundbreaking moments that we are experiencing is that we are here as one community, no matter where you came from,” Father Martinez said.
Cristo Rey Jesuit’s corporate work-study sponsors are from a wide selection of industries in the Houston area: accounting/financial firms, banking institutions, car dealerships, construction and engineering firms, energy companies, entertainment companies, healthcare institutions, law firms, real estate development and management, software companies and non-profits.
“This community breaks ground together and believes with all of their hearts and all of their souls that these children are our future … that their future is all of our responsibility,” Father Martinez said.
During the event, the Cristo Rey principal announced that Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza and Trinidad Mendenhall Sosa will serve as honorary chairpersons for the school’s future capital campaign.
BrandExtract’s president, Bo Bothe, and senior designer, Will Cunningham, unveiled the logo and school crest during a special presentation. They commented on the strategy behind the design, which is based on the teachings of the Jesuit order.
“Cristo Rey Jesuit’s new identity conveys the new opportunities and hope for a brighter future the school offers its students,” Bothe said. “We wanted a look and feel that communicates that Cristo Rey Jesuit isn’t just opening a school – they’re transforming Houston’s future by giving children a chance at a college education and a better, more productive life, who otherwise might not have the opportunity.”
A proud product of a Jesuit education, Bothe said creating a brand for Cristo Rey was very important to his team. He believes the tagline, “Houston’s future at work,” is a perfect summation of the school’s mission. “I think that embodies everything we are talking about,” he said. “This is so much more than a place to learn, and a place to learn how to work; it is an experience that these young people will take with them for the rest of their lives.”
Cunningham walked through the various design aspects for the logo, an image he believes an individual may only glance at for a moment, but will “hopefully remember for a lifetime.” The logo’s symbol of the sun “represents the light of Christ, and that God is in all things,” Cunningham said. “It also represents our faith and our future, for the city, for the community and for the world. The cross embedded in the sun and yet emerging from it signifies that we are followers of Jesus Christ and that he is the reason for this transformation.
“We transform our students, transform our community and hopefully, transform the world,” he added. According to Cunningham, BrandExtract created the crest to “serve as a constant reminder of the school’s mission and vision, to represent this promise to our students, supporters and community.”
For more information about Cristo Rey Jesuit, visit www.cristoreyhouston.org.†
