Arrupe Jesuit High School is busting myths about inner-city schools with its plans to build an expansion to meet its burgeoning classes.
The Catholic Jesuit school in Aurora announced it’s on the cusp of meeting its $11 million goal to build a three-story addition to accommodate the demand of educating low-income students eager to learn.
“There’s a great myth that low-income, inner-city kids don’t want an education. I think the kids at Arrupe prove that’s not the case,” said Jesuit Father Timothy McMahon, Arrupe president.
The addition includes nine classrooms, a cafeteria, kitchen, fitness center, offices and a student chapel. The school will break ground in June.
Arrupe outgrew its 250-student capacity at 344 students this year and needs room to accept more students on its waiting list.
The school is dedicated to providing low-income families—like a family of four living on a $27,300 yearly income—with a Catholic education.
Students help meet costs by earning 65 percent of their tuition through Arrupe’s corporate work-student program. Without missing class, students work five days a month at local businesses.
Father McMahon said the students are proving their inner-city address doesn’t hinder their academic potential.
This year, seven of its seniors were named scholars of the Daniel’s Fund, including Adriana Gomez, Andrew Marquez Gutierrez, Brendaitsel Martinez Hernandez, Jennifer Navarro, Hung Pham, Davion Rodriguez and Nhan Tran.
Last year they had eight Daniels scholars.
The school also boasts of a 100 percent acceptance rate into college. For many students, they are the first generation in the family to graduate high school, and 90 percent are the first to attend college, according to Arrupe.
“It just proves that if you challenge young people and you give them opportunity and resources, they can achieve,” Father McMahon said.
