Posted January 24, 2017 in Press Releases

St. Martin one of three Ohio Cristo Rey schools cited for student work program with local businesses

Cleveland, OH-January 24, 2017 - Saint Martin de Porres of Cleveland and two sister schools are being honored by Ohio Gov. John Kasich for a work study program that Kasich said meets the challenge of training students for 21st Century jobs.

The Governor’s Innovation in Education Award is being given to Saint Martin de Porres along with Ohio’s other Criso Rey schools, DePaul Cristo Rey in Cincinnati and Columbus Cristo Rey.

All three schools are part of the Cristo Rey Network, which creates partnerships between the school and local businesses and corporations.

Saint Martin has more than 150 partnerships with Northeast Ohio organizations in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, legal, healthcare, finance, technology, education and more, said Saint Martin founding President Richard F. Clark. Long-time partners include DayGlo, Eaton Corporation, Parker Hannifin, Sherwin-Williams, Shur-Tech Brands, Baker Hostetler, Jones Day, Tucker Ellis, Progressive, Forest City, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, and the Cleveland Indians among others.

“Quite simply,” Clark said, “this is a program that works for the students, for the parents and families, for the local businesses, for our neighborhood – really, for everyone involved.”

Speaking at the International Economic Development Conference in Cleveland last September, Governor Kasich questioned whether schools are training kids for 21stcentury jobs and praised the Cristo Rey model. “The fact is the system is broken. It’s a broken system. So one of the things we’re going to try to do is put in the Cristo Rey model….”

Founded in 2004, Saint Martin de Porres was the first Cristo Rey High School in Ohio and fifth school to open in the Cristo Rey Network®.

Saint Martin students get more than 1,600 hours of real-world work experience through the corporate partnerships while also receiving a high-quality, Catholic college preparatory education.

“And the result of that is that Saint Martin alumni are going to college!” Clark emphasized. With more than 650 alumni, Saint Martin has achieved 100% acceptance into college since opening, and 92% of the Class of 2016 directly enrolled in college. Further, Saint Martin alumni graduate with a bachelor’s degree 67% more often than peers that share their socioeconomic circumstances. Recent Saint Martin alumni have graduated from John Carroll University, Cleveland State University, The Ohio State University, Georgetown, Case Western Reserve University and Loyola University of Chicago, among others.

Clark said the work-study experience also leads to full-time work after college. There are now more than 40 Saint Martin alumni working full time at current Corporate Work Study Partner organizations.

Looking to the future, Saint Martin de Porres is committed to Cleveland. Clark said the school is investing $27 million to build the first new school in the St Clair-Superior neighborhood in more than 100 years. Phase I is expected to open in spring of 2018.

“Every student deserves the opportunity to receive a high quality education. Our Cristo Rey students and graduates throughout the country , remind us daily of the high human stakes and profound human consequences of this worthy work,” said Cristo Rey Network Chairman Nick Howley. “They motivate all of us to continue the innovation and the audacious thinking that spawned the movement.”

About the Cristo Rey Network®
The Cristo Rey Network is the only network of high schools in the country that integrate four years of rigorous college preparatory academics with four years of professional work experience. Comprised of 32 Catholic, college preparatory schools that today serve more than 10,700 students across 21 states and DC and collectively claim 11,500 graduates, the Cristo Rey Network delivers a powerful and innovative approach to inner-city education that equips students from economically-disadvantaged families with the knowledge, character, and skills to transform their lives. From freshman year, Cristo Rey schools establish a culture of high-expectations by blending rigorous academic preparation, significant professional work experience through the Corporate Work Study Program, Catholic educational values, and support for students to and through college.