Eder Cruz Leo 2011 - The Highbeam Cutting Through the Pfleger Pfog

Eder Cruz flanked by Aurora Latifi and Margarita Silva of Leo High School


On April 21st, I posted the announcement of Eder Cruz Leo 2011 selection as one of 31 Illinois recipients of the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship. The Gates Millennium Scholarship follows the recipient for his or her post-secondary education: college, post-graduate ( Law, Medicine etc.)

Eder Cruz transferred to Leo High School from Cristo Rey in his sophomore year. For two years Eder was the only non-African American student here at Leo High School.

Tomorrow's Mark Brown column is a look at this remarkable young man. Mr. Brown does a splendid job in telling about the school that helped a tough, earnest and thoughtful young man. Albanian born math teacher, Mrs. Aurora Latifi, Spanish teacher Ms. Margarita Silva and Guidance Counsellor Ms. Kaitlyn Kurta are three special ladies who were particularly important to Eder in his quest for success. Leo High School is generally known as a Catholic school with a particularly high testosterone level, but it is the young women who are making real impact on our guys.

Since mid-March, Leo High School's true story has been fogged by the media concerning an Archdiocesan personnel matter between the Cardinal and Father Pfleger of St. Sabina's Parish. The story went viral and national and Leo was tagged as struggling, troubled and in Father Pfleger's words "literally failing." The fact of the matter the taggers of those terms have no skin in the game at Leo High School - not Michael Pfleger, not Jay Levine and not Phil Kadner. Not one of the foggy narrative taggers, took the time to phone, much less visit the Leo Leadership: President for Institutional Advancement Dan McGrath and Principal Phil Mesina. No one the taggers talked to Leo Alumni President John Gardner, or Leo Advisory Board President Bob Sheehy. No tagger gave a call to Leo Men with much monetary and spiritual skin in the game like Frank Considine '39, Bill Koloseike '45, Andy McKenna '47, Dick Landis '47, Don Flynn '56, Bob Foster '57, Terry Sherman '64, or Joe Powers '70.

Mark Brown visited Leo. Mark Brown helped cut through the Pfleger Pfog narrative.

Eder Cruz leaves a great deal of skin in the corridors of Leo High School. Eder Cruz is a game changer.

Click my post title for Mark Brown's great Pfog Cutter.

By the way, Yale University is dropping by Leo High School at 9AM to talk to another Leo Man - a game changer of the Class of 2012.

Michael Pfleger Biographer Tells Everyone to "Shut Up"

I have not had anything to say about Rev. Michael Pfleger - not my rice bowl. That is until today, when Michael Pfleger's biographer, one of hundreds of talented journalists in Pfleger's PR quiver, told America to shut up. I have much to say about Leo High School, which was impugned by and concerning Rev. Pfleger's most recent and public Via Dolorosa ( March 15- May 11 2011).

Leo High School was founded by Msgr. Peter Shewbridge in 1921 at the direct order of George Cardinal Mundelein - build a central Catholic high school for boys. St. Leo the Great Parish leading the newer surrounding parishes of St. Sabina, St. Kilian and Little Flower raised the funds for the school designed by Daniel Burnham's right-hand man, architect Joseph McCarthy. Cardinal Mundelein staffed the school with Irish Christian Brothers and laymen. The school opened in 1926 and Francis O'Neill was the first student to register. Mr. O'Neill turned 100 in February and more than seventy young men including a couple of white kids from Canaryville enrolled as freshman 2012.

Leo High School immediately developed a reputation for tough discipline, exacting scholarship and an athletic reputation that continues into this new century.

Thousands of Leo graduates came from St. Sabina Parish. Hundreds of St. Sabina bred Leo Men pour precious dollars in support of the school. They do that because of Robert W. Foster who single-handedly kept the doors of Leo High School open from 1991 until his retirement in 2009. Principal/President CEO Bob Foster had taught history, government, served as guidance counsellor, athletic director, football coach and school leader beginning in 1962, with brief absence from 1965-1970, returning in that year and continually serving the Leo students and our neighbors along 79th Street. Bob Foster was one heroic man serving a much larger mission. Leo High School continues thanks to Bob Foster, but without his physical presence. Bob Foster always taught, 'the individual is nothing; the mission is everything.'

The mission continues as it had after Leo High School was no longer directed by the pastor of St. Leo Parish, the racial demographics changed from white Catholic to African American, received no further subsidy from the Archdiocese per Cardinal Bernardin's directive, the departure of the Irish Christian Brothers in 1991 and the retirement of the legendary Bob Foster. There has been a huge bump in the mission's road, through no fault or participation of the school whatsoever. In fact Leo High School was never privy to any conversation about Leo High School's serving as a component in a hot-button personnel matter.

Leo High School has suffered the collateral damage from the Father Phleger flap. Leo High School was tagged with a narrative spun by ABC 7's Jay Levine and picked up by too many news persons who never bothered to contact Leo Leadership, let alone pay this great school a visit.

This morning I read a guest article for US Catholic by Robert McClory. I have never seen Mr. McClory here at Leo, let alone around 79th Street from Peoria west to Father Phleger's Throop Street. McClory is Pfleger's biographer and has a book out on sale - this current personal journey for Michael Pfleger can not hurt sales.

That same personal journey has caused an unnecessary bump for Leo High School. In fact the very words of Father Pfleger on the NPR chat-fest with Tavis Smiley and Cornell West, Leo High School was impugned as "literally failing."

The fact of the matter Father Pfleger has not been to Leo High School - like his biographer. He would have known that even in a lousy economy an inner city Catholic High School for young men with a student population of African Americans and a trio of Mexican Americans, raised many, many, many dollars, partnered with an NFL legend, raised ACT scores by 2 percentage points across the board, tested and enrolled the largest in-coming freshman class in 12 years, expanded its advisory board, netted new Non-Alumni support, place graduating seniors in the best colleges around the country, and announce Eder Cruz as a Gates Millennium Scholar for 2011.

Why Father Pfleger would say that Leo High School was literally failing? He has his reasons I suppose.

Back to Mr. McClory. Mr. McClory has a dog in this fight and it certainly is not the young men of Leo High School. Mr. McClory has a book out and a subject-client in Father Pfleger; yet, Mr. McClory demands everyone else to "shut up."

The context is this- Mr. McClory wants a total victory for Father Pfleger - that means making Cardinal George look weak by rescinding his suspension for Father Pfleger. McClory tells his national readers what he believes to be his straight dope on the conflict and also demands that Cardinal George mistrust his lying ears.

Hopefully, reason and hope will prevail when George, now back from John Paul II's beatification, and Pfleger meet again. George's suspension of Pfleger was based on what the cardinal thought Pfleger had said on a radio show. In fact, Pfleger said something quite different. Regardless, Pfleger's crime was that he did say that under certain circumstances, he might leave the priesthood and seek ministry in another (non-Catholic) church. And that is what really rankled George.

Like Cardinal George, thosands of Leo Alumni, all of Leo's staff, many of our parents, our students and evn the Associated Press, I heard exactly what Father Pfleger said to Tavis, Cornell and all of us out in radioland. Robert McClory is pretty bold there, but he is out of line in this summation:

Meanwhile, it would be especially helpful if the hordes of Catholics and bloggers who have never visited St. Sabina or driven around the neighborhood, never talked to Pfleger or listened to one of his sermons, never met or conversed with Sabina parishioners would just shut up and stop bloviating on a subject they know nothing about.

That did not stop Robert McClory. Speak up, folks! This is still America.

Robert McClory is author of Radical Disciple: Father Michael Pfleger, St. Sabina Church and the Fight for Social Justice (Lawrence Hill, 2010). He is also professor emeritus at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a regular contributor to U.S. Catholic.

Eder Cruz - Leo High School 2011 - Gates Millenium Scholar

Eder Cruz Leo Man 2011 in the center - he's the Mexican American gent - Leo's Gates Millenium Scholar!


Eder Cruz came to Leo High School from Cristo Rey High School. He was the only Mexican (Hispanic) student at Leo, until this year. Eder was welcomed by his fellow Lions and mentored by Mrs. Aurora Latifi and Ms. Margerita Silva. Mrs. Latifi is an Albanian immigrant and Ms. Silva a proud Latina. Eder Cruz immediately established himself as a leader and a scholar.

Eder Cruz is also a Gates Millenium Scholar. Mrs. Latifi nominated the young man who has been accepted at Marquette University and many others. Eder may use this scholship at Valparaiso University, Marquette University, Iowa State, St. Louis University, Bradley University, University of Alcorn, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Hope College. President Dan McGrath will insist upon another Leo Man at his Alma Mater - Marquette University.

Click my post title for the Leo High School Oriole and more college success tales from the Lions.

But first Mr. Eder Cruz, Leo Class of 2011!

Mr. Eder Anibal Cruz Alvarado
5#$% South Campbell
Chicago, IL 606$%


Dear Eder,

Congratulations! We are very pleased to inform you of your selection as one of the 1,000 Gates Millennium Scholars for the GMS Class of 2011. We commend you on your strong leadership, community service and academic achievements that contributed to your selection as a Gates Millennium Scholar. Your accomplishment is especially notable in context of the more than 23,000 students who applied, making this year's the largest and most competitive group of candidates in the program's history. We are very excited to have you as a Gates Scholar and very pleased to confer this distinct honor that distinguishes you as a Leader for America's Future(tm).

As a Gates Millennium Scholar, GMS funds are available for you to attend any U.S. accredited* college or university of your choice. This is a renewable scholarship based on the GMS Program guidelines. The documents you will submit throughout your undergraduate career will guide GMS' review and determination of a new scholarship amount for each year you are eligible. In addition, if you pursue graduate studies in the fields of Computer Science, Education, Engineering, Library Science, Mathematics, Public Health or Science, you may be eligible for GMS fellowship funding for your education through the master's and doctoral levels.

In order to determine the amount of your 2011-2012 academic year GMS award, please send us the following documents:

* your admissions letter from the institution you will be attending (if you have chosen an institution other than the one previously submitted),
* the enclosed GMS Information Sheet completed by your financial aid counselor, and
* your financial aid award letter from the same institution as the admissions letter you submitted for the institution you will be attending.

Please send these documents as soon as possible, but no later than the June 20, 2011 priority due date. Remember, a scholarship award cannot be determined until you submit all the documents listed above from the institution you will attend during the 2011-2012 academic year.

In addition, for all Scholars who are currently high school seniors, we will request an official copy of your final transcript from your high school showing your final grades and graduation date. Your scholarship award will not be mailed to the college/university you will attend until we receive your final transcript.

The GMS program is much more than a scholarship. GMS' Leadership and Scholar Relations program offers Academic Empowerment services (ACE) to support your academic success and graduate education planning. In addition, we provide a wide range of resources including a GMS leadership conference specifically designed to orient and prepare you to maximize your GMS experience, a mentoring program and an online resource center that gives you access to internships, fellowships and other scholarships.

Please review the documents included with this letter as they will provide you with an overview of many of the GMS initiatives. Should you have any questions about GMS or your scholarship, please do not hesitate to contact us at 415-808-2410 or via e-mail at gmsinfo@hsf.net.

Again, congratulations on being selected for this distinguished award. Be sure to also thank your Nominator and Recommender for their support and confidence in your potential.

Sincerely,


Cathy Makunga
Vice President of Scholarship Programs, HSF
Gates Millennium Scholars Program

Thousands of Leo Men are Proud of You Eder! Fact Non Verba !