Royals Report

Seniors get a look at what college looks like
One recent Friday was eventful our Cristo Rey seniors, who attended STEM Day at Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU), myself included.

As soon as we arrived at campus, I knew it was going to be a visit to remember. There were crowds upon crowds of other seniors and upcoming college freshmen from schools far and wide, making it almost a guarantee I would get lost at least three dozen times.

Luckily, I had friends with me, plus most of my classmates took the same tour as me. There were hands-on activities at every station, giving us an insight into the types of materials the school would be covering in the major of our choice, along with the teaching styles of a few of their professors there.

Beginning college is a scary experience for anyone, so having an insight into those types of things really helps properly process that fear. 

Making connections 
That same Friday, our freshmen enjoyed their first high school retreat. Although they spent most of the day in the hot sun, by partaking in teamwork and showing resilience throughout the different activities of the day, the students grew in both mental and spiritual strength.

Retreats are not only about having fun, they offer a period for personal growth, spiritual development and an opportunity to bond with classmates. The people in your grade are the people you will grow alongside into adulthood with for four years of your life.

It is crucial to at least get to know them. Who knows, you might make a friend for life.  

Testing testing testing ... 
Almost every grade had to put their noggins to work.

Seniors took the SAT, while juniors and sophomores took the PSAT/NMSQT. Significant tests like these can be scary, but the school helped provide some additional comforts to their Royals by giving us snacks during the break period to boost our systems, helping us go on performing at our absolute best. 

Stepping stones 
As we reach the end of the quarter and slowly inch closer to the end of the semester, many students look back and reflect on the beginning of our academic school year.

Although we do our fair share to make Royals have fun here with different events at school, we also prioritize academic growth. Royals are barely dipping their toes into the school year. We encourage them to reflect on their performance this past quarter and take it as an opportunity to go into this next quarter with a growth mindset to work towards achieving their full potential.  

“Una Despedida” 
We ended Hispanic Heritage Month with a fiesta hosted by our lovely Hispanic Student Association, as all Royals gathered to celebrate our culture with music, stories and games.

Senior Roberto Elizondo Villalobos performed a “rola” (slang for song in Spanish) on his guitar for all Royals. Who knew there was such hidden talent in our school?

We also had speakers Wilda Ortiz, Monica Suyo and special guest speaker Brenda Hernandez share their upbringings to us Royals, reminding us that although we may come from different backgrounds, we are all destined for greatness, even if we don’t always feel like it.

Like all good fiestas, we concluded by smashing some piñatas, sending almost every Royal home with a backpack full of candy that day. 


Photo: Freshmen girls used teamwork to transfer a ball to each other during a Freshman Retreat activity. Photo provided.