Liberty Property Trust Takes Part in NFL-Style Signing Day at Cristo Rey High School

Liberty Property Trust, based in Malvern, recently took part in an NFL-Style Signing Day at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, showing its support of the school and announcing its work-study students for the school year. On August 27, 350 students and leaders from more than 60 area businesses gathered for a “job draft” event called Signing Day. The event, formatted like the NFL draft, featured business leaders presenting company-branded accessories and apparel to each of the selected student workers as they announce their names to cheers from the crowd.

Now in its third year in Philadelphia, Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, a co-ed college prep school for grades 9-12, welcomes its third freshman class of 140 students this week. The school is a much-admired, national model for Catholic, college prep education that serves low-income, highly motivated students of all faiths and is successfully operating 28 schools nationwide.

Central to Cristo Rey’s success is the model’s Work-Study Program, in which students work one day per week in mentored, entry-level positions in professional settings. Local businesses and organizations, such as VWR and Essent Guaranty, hire students to do real work for real wages, which offsets the majority of the cost of each student’s education. Each job provided by a company employs four students for the year.

This year’s event was a lively celebration with leaders from 60 area companies showing their support for education in Philadelphia and for the unique work-study model at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School.