Every Wednesday at lunchtime, the tables at the McDonald's on Franklin and Jackson in Chicago's Loop fill up with business people who work in the financial, insurance, and law offices nearby. But one table is different. Its members, who also work in offices nearby, are high school students.

Magali Oropeza, Vanessa Ruiz, John Hernandez, and Osbaldo Isaguirre, dressed in dresses or shirts and ties, are not skipping school but are actually fulfilling part of the requirements for school. They go to Cristo Rey Jesuit High, and part of the deal is that they work.

They and their fellow Cristo Rey students do not work simply to help pay tuition, though that is precisely where their salaries go. And they do not work schoolnights or weekends. They work one day a week from 9 to 5 in entry-level positions at companies such as the Chicago Tribune, consulting giant Arthur Andersen, and advertising agency Leo Burnett, in order to gain experience, learn new skills, and open doors for the future.

Cristo Rey students, in groups of five, share one full-time, entry-level position. Staff members drive them to and from their jobs on that one day a week; they spend the other four days in class. An eight-and-a-half hour school day and a ten-and-a-half month school year make up for the day at the office. Each student's salary of $3,900 goes directly toward the tuition of $6,025; families, scholarships, and financial aid go toward the balance.

During his freshman year at Cristo Rey, José Zuñiga spent Wednesdays in downtown Chicago at advertising agency Leo Burnett.

The Jesuits of the Chicago Province established Cristo Rey to address an educational crisis in Pilsen, the predominantly Latino neighborhood the school has called home since its founding in 1996. High school dropout rates in Pilsen and Little Village, another Latino neighborhood nearby, are 50 and 70 percent, respectively. To reverse this trend, the Jesuits proposed opening a new kind of high school.

But they were immediately faced with a problem, a purely business one: how could they start a private, college prep school in a place where most families could not afford it? In order to make the new school a reality, the Jesuits had to get creative. And that was when they decided to send their students to work, persuading corporations such as the Tribune and Arthur Andersen to hire Cristo Rey students, five for each job.

The benefits the students and school gain from the internship program are obvious: work experience for students, tuition for the school. But what about the companies? Is the program good business or just a charity case?

"We got involved because I believe in it and I need the help," says Luís Lewin, vice president of human resources at the Tribune. "We're always hiring temporary help and paying out all this money. But with this program, our money helps kids go to school and they help us get our job done."

Cheryl Herdina, a supervisor at Aon, an insurance company, agrees. "We need them," she says bluntly. "They do everything: filing, mailing, answering phones, delivering important messages. We have a Cristo Rey student here every day but Wednesday, and, boy, do we miss them on that day!"

Herdina was not as positive when she first found out that she was going to be supervising high school students. She was unsure how much help they would be. They looked so young and were very shy. "They were even afraid to look us in the eye," says Herdina.

But all that has changed. "It took them three or four months to get accustomed, but now they fit right in," says Herdina, who has enjoyed seeing her students grow over the year. "If you push them, they will rise to the challenge. You have to tell them they can, and they do."

Adrian Juarez gained computer skills, writing experience, and confidence at this well-known consulting company.

One of Herdina's students, Irma Tinajero, acknowledges the extra work involved in the program but says it is worth it. "I'd recommend Cristo Rey to anyone who wants to get somewhere in life. You have to put effort into it. It's not a joke; you have to be serious about your future and work hard toward it."

Herdina says the program is so logical that she is surprised no one thought of it before. "Because the kids work for their education, it means so much more to them. They're a part of it."

Frank Rizzo, who oversees Cristo Rey students at the Chicago Board of Trade, observes, "It's as if we had a full-time employee, but better: the school handles administrative details like insurance and work permits, the students are transported here every day by the school, and their performance is checked by parents and teachers."

Another supervisor, Joyce Wilson of advertising firm Leo Burnett, agrees, adding that "It's also better for us because they can be taught exactly what we want done and how to do it."

Wilson, a former teacher, saw the educational potential in the internship program and encouraged her company to get involved. "Teenagers are easy to train because they're a clean slate; there's no job history keeping them stuck in the rut of ‘doing things the way we did at my old job.' They're generally eager and ready to learn."

Ten Anantaphong supervises Magali Oropeza and other Cristo Rey students at Chicago's Board of Trade, one of the many corporate sponsors helping the school make quality education affordable.

Students are learning on the job, but the emphasis remains on classroom education. No student ever misses class to go to work; Cristo Rey's schedule is specially structured to be complete in four days. All freshmen, for instance, work on Tuesday, so their classes meet Monday and Wednesday through Friday. Classes are also longer--80 minutes as opposed to the usual 50. "The point is not simply to make up for the day at work, but to give teachers more time to be creative. It also gives the teens extended contact with their teachers and thus a better chance to develop meaningful relationships with adults," says Cristo Rey's principal, Sr. Judy Murphy, OSB.

This intense classroom contact combined with the corporate internship program helps prepare students for the future. "With a high school internship, they get a chance to learn about careers early, way before they think of college majors," says Wilson.

Though students do not always get their first-choice jobs, there is still plenty to learn. Sophomore José Zuñiga wants to be an archeologist someday but knows that having worked at Leo Burnett last year has already helped him. "My attitude changed. Early on, I was shy; but I learned to speak much better. I used to answer the phone just with ‘Hello,' but I changed that to ‘Hello, Distribution Center, may I help you?' "

Angelica Alcantara, who worked at the Tribune last year, chose Cristo Rey specifically so she could develop a professional demeanor. "Before we started our jobs, the school gave a training session on how to answer phones, file papers, shake hands, and look people in the eye when speaking." she says. "We also took a field trip downtown and talked to veteran students so we'd know what to expect. The whole experience has helped me learn how to present myself as a young adult."

The students learn not only about professionalism on the job but also about work ethic and responsibility.

The Pilsen Project "My concern was that the Jesuits in Chicago were not, at that time, involved at all in ministering to the growing population of Hispanics in this city," says former Chicago Provincial Fr. Brad Schaefer, SJ. As a result, he made a decision in 1994 to form a commission to study the situation in Pilsen and Little Village, two predominantly Latino neighborhoods southwest of downtown Chicago. Soon after the commission began its research, the Jesuits started ministering at Pilsen's St. Procopius Church, got involved with the parish grade school, and opened an adult education center. Cristo Rey High School was the next piece of the puzzle. "The idea was to make the educational resources of the Jesuits available to all generations in this community," notes Schaefer. Fr. Brad Schaeffer, SJ, former Chicago provincial and current president of the Jesuit Conference in Washington, D.C, was instrumental in getting Cristo Rey, the newest Jesuit high school, off the ground. He continues, "I said from the beginning that if this project was from God, then God would provide. And he has. We've had so many wonderful people involved, including Sr. Judy Murphy, OSB, Cristo Rey's principal; Rick Murray and Ted Munz, SJ, the two who came up with the corporate internship idea; Jim Gartland, SJ, St. Procopius's pastor; and John Foley, SJ, Cristo Rey's president. "What makes me happiest is that it's not my project, it's ours. And that's why it will keep going. This is an excellent example of Jesuits taking their gifts and sharing them with Chicago." The Jesuits in Pilsen hope that the idea will spread far beyond Chicago. "Our greatest desire is to see schools like Cristo Rey pop up all over the country -- wherever there's a need," says Fr. Foley. "We'd like to sell this idea on every street corner and see who'll buy it. It makes so much sense as a valid alternative for central-city education."

"I'm not going to let them coast here," Joyce Wilson says. "I make them work hard. And I want them to deal with the consequences of their actions." When a student complained he was tired from staying out all night, Wilson made sure that he was not allowed to put his head down. "I had that kid hopping all day with things to do. He was probably dog tired when he got home that night, but hopefully it taught him something about what's expected in the workplace."

The supervisors treat the Cristo Rey students as much like adults as possible, but it is clear that they take a special interest in them. When Norma Zaragoza, a supervisor at the Tribune, noticed one student's interest in art and computers, she sent him to editorial to observe the work of artists and graphic designers. Zaragoza's boss, Luís Lewin was impressed by her idea and is now planning to expand the Tribune's internship program from the two human resources positions already in place to new ones in a variety of departments including advertising, editorial, multimedia, and operations. These additional positions at the Tribune and elsewhere will help keep up with growth at Cristo Rey, where enrollment has increased from 79 in its first year to 260 today.

Stephanie Lilly, a human resources manager at Arthur Andersen, also strives to place students in meaningful jobs. "We try not to give them things that are mindless--we want them to make connections. I also want to put them with people who will take an interest in them."

Wilma Velez is just one of those people. Last year she oversaw the work of Adrian Juarez. "I always asked myself how I could help Adrian to grow," she says. "I wanted him to get experience in his area of interest, communications. So he helped us get our international newsletter out and did research on the Internet. He also wrote press releases in Spanish and English. These were experiences he really enjoyed."

Ten Anantaphong, sixteen-year veteran at the Chicago Board of Trade, is another supervisor who cares about the students. He learned that Magali Oropeza is a good listener and a fast learner. "She's grown, not only in maturity but in actual height!" he laughs, noting that Magali has grown a few inches since she began working at the Board of Trade in August 1997.

Magali says that her job can be hectic at times, but she likes the office environment. She is responsible for delivering important materials--everything from trading-floor notices to books for the board of directors' meetings--and knows that if she does not get them where they need to go it will affect other people. Though just fifteen, Magali understands the seriousness of her task.

The corporate sponsors are equally convinced of the seriousness of their task. "We are training the work force of the future," says Joyce Wilson. Others admit that they have been personally changed by their involvement in the program. Supervising Cristo Rey students has given Cheryl Herdina hope for the future. "You see all the news about shootings and violence. But now I know that there are good kids out there. You just have to tell them they matter and give them a chance. They need to hear you say, ‘You can do it.'"

Rita George, who joined Company's staff as assistant editor last year, has a master's in theological studies from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. She served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Minneapolis.