New this year at Cristo Rey Jesuit, each Academic Department recognizes one Student of the Month. These awards currently go out bi-monthly to students at any level from each Department. When selecting Student of the Month, teachers are looking for students who have shown:

• Significant progress in the classroom
• Marked improvement in grades
• Outstanding Grades
• Leadership
• Notable consideration towards others
• Outstanding attitude/disposition
• Community involvement/service
• Personal Development

Each student receives a letter home with words of praise from their teacher and a certificate.

Certificates are also posted on a bulletin board in the main stairwell at school.

Cristo Rey is proud to congratulate the following Cristeros/Cristeras. 

The Cristo Rey Drama Club was formed in the 2002-2003 school year by former Jesuit Volunteers Ryan DuBose and Amanda Schweitzer, who directed the first drama production. A fellow Jesuit Volunteer at the time, Anna Chapin, joined the group the following year, and has been an integral part of the club ever since. In her nearly 20 years with the program, she has directed 19 Cristo Rey Jesuit student productions. 

Social Studies teacher Dennis Moller has been working alongside Ms. Chapin as production manager for several years. "Ms. Chapin was the first visionary and artistic director," Mr. Moller said. "Through her tireless dedication to the dramatic arts, she's helped countless students develop the personal character and self-belief that represent the highest aspirations of the Cristo Rey mission to develop the 'whole person'."

On Sunday, April 30, following the second night of this year's spring play, Alice in Wonderland, Cristo Rey's Drama Club awarded backstage manager Carolina C. ('23) with the inaugural Anna Chapin Award for the Dramatic Arts. 

The Anna Chapin Award for the Dramatic Arts is presented to the Drama Club member who most embodies Ms. Chapin’s values of preparation, creativity, dedication, and professionalism. 

"This award honors Ms. Chapin’s legacy and is named in gratitude from all who found their voice through Cristo Rey Drama," Mr. Moller explained.

Ms. Chapin is deeply honored that the award is being given in her name. "Drama Club has been a labor of love over the last 20 years, and I am incredibly proud of how it has grown and developed," she said. "The hundreds of Cristo Rey students who have participated in Drama Club are dedicated, creative, and courageous, and it is an absolute joy to work with them. Each year, I am amazed by what we manage to produce despite the slimmest of budgets, aging lights and audio, and no dedicated rehearsal space. The success of the Cristo Rey Drama Club is a testament to the resourcefulness and resolve of our students."

As the first student to receive the Drama recognition, Carolina says, "My time in stage crew has not only helped me grow as a leader but helped me realize the importance of teamwork. Even though there were stressful moments, the final product made it all worth it. Not only seeing the cast succeed, but seeing my crew look at each other with a smile and being proud of all the work they have done made everything worth it. Including all the work put into costumes, canvases painted, props and cues, constant mic and tech problems. At first, I didn’t see the value of what I was doing, but I got emotional thinking about the contributions that my work and my crew have made towards the Drama Club. The thought of being the first student to receive this award fills me with pride and gratitude. My granito de arroz was all worth it. And even if this isn't the career path I intend to take, it will always have a special place in my heart, and I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to do it all over again."

Ms. Chapin is thrilled that Carolina is the first recipient of this award. "As the house lights go down, I say into my headset, 'Okay, Carolina, the show is yours,' then get to sit back and enjoy our finished product. Her leadership and organization truly have ensured the success of our shows. Our next stage manager will have enormous shoes to fill, but also a wonderful example to follow."  

Get to know Martin Arredondo '12, entrepreneur of Dazzle Events Chicago, DJ and producer. 

After graduating from Cristo Rey in 2012, Martin enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and majored in Finance with minors in Technology and Management. During his time studying finance and working for Deloitte and Equitable Advisors post-graduation, Martin decided to pursue a different profession that would bring him much joy. Inspired by his passion and love for music, Martin decided to leave his 9-5 role to pursue entrepreneurship and music, and to this day claims it to be one of his greatest life accomplishments.  

Martin shares his love for music first began during high school when he started to DJ as an outlet and form of expression, and after DJ’ing for a while, started producing his own music and distinguishing himself through his own sounds. When asked what he enjoys most in his work, he shares his love for being able to create and discover new sounds and music. He further states, “I love that I can improve people’s days through my work; even just playing someone’s favorite song can brighten their day. Music brings us together, and being able to share that is so powerful to me.” Martin also enjoys being a lifelong learner, especially as an entrepreneur who learns daily from his peers and clientele. This year, he’s found himself occupied with learning more about music production to help scale his business.  

When asked if he believes Cristo Rey has impacted his career or who he is today, Martin confirms that much of his personal and business success is thanks to Cristo Rey. He goes on to share, “Because of Cristo Rey and a generous gift from Chris Perry, I was able to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, on a full academic scholarship. Graduating from college debt free was a significant reason why I was able to pursue entrepreneurship at a young age.” He continues to share the value he has for his Jesuit education at Cristo Rey and how much of a cornerstone it’s been in how he lives his life. He is motivated to continue to be a man for others, putting the needs of others before his by sharing his gifts and talents with the world around him.  

Martin also shared his favorite memory at Cristo Rey during his freshmen year on the baseball team, when they had to sell boxes of chocolates as part of a fundraiser to travel to St. Louis for an exhibition game. He shares, “Even though I was not very good at baseball, I was good at selling chocolates and sold the most out of anyone on the team. As a result, even though we didn't go to St Louis, we each got a Varsity Jacket, which I still have. That experience taught me that even if I couldn't contribute much on the field, I could still be a good teammate off it. It also showed me that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, even if it were something as simple as selling boxes of chocolate.” 

When Martin isn’t producing new music and working on his business, he enjoys spending time with his family, significant other and friends. He loves trying new recipes as he grills, cooks and bakes. He claims himself to be a finance nerd, as he loves to keep up with markets, economic news and anything Warren Buffet, Charlie Munger or Ray Dalio have to say.  

Finally, when prompted with the question on what advice he would give to other Alumni or current students who aspire to pursue a similar career path he responded, “Be bold and follow the road less traveled! Entrepreneurship is scary, but it only happens if you try. My biggest regrets didn't come from my failures, but from the times I didn't give it a shot. The best thing you can be is yourself and believe in yourself unapologetically.”  

Thank you to Martin Arredondo ‘12 for sharing his career journey with us. We are so proud of your work and your continued involvement with our community. We know your passion will take you so much farther! For updates on Martin’s endeavors, follow him on Instagram @dazzlechi 

Interested in being featured? Contact Daisy Castillo, Manager of Alumni Support.