Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school and work study program in Takoma Park, Maryland serving low-income students in the D.C. area. It is cosponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the Salesians of Don Bosco. The school is named for St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesian order, and is part of a national Cristo Rey network of 28 schools. It offers a challenging college-preparatory academic program and fully integrated work study program, in which students from low-income families gain professional work experience at nearly 100 leading Washington-area businesses and earn money to pay for a significant portion of their Catholic education. The school finished renovation in 2007, graduated its first class in 2011, and finished adding a new science wing in 2014. The current president is Fr. Michael Conway. The current principal is Larry Savoy. Ana Chapa is the Executive Director of the Corporate Work Study Program. All students are from families with limited financial means, and each student works one day a week (Tuesday-Friday) plus one Monday per month. The jobs that the students are employed help pay for the bulk of the tuition.BackgroundDon Bosco Cristo Rey High School opened in August, 2007 and had graduated its first class in 2011. It is part of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools, the original being Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. As well the school is run by the Salesians of Don Bosco and is the only Salesian High School part of the Cristo Rey Network. In 2014, the school completed construction of a new wing that will primarily serve science classes. Cardinal Donald Wuerl blessed the new wing in a ceremony on Sept. 4, 2014.
