Each of Fulcrum’s programs tackle a complex issue facing Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle. While the programs are separate, they all work together to lift schools up and help them remain excellent and accessible. St. Rose in Longview is a great example, having benefitted from each of Fulcrum’s main program areas in recent years.
In 2016, St. Rose School principal Cathy Strader participated in the Leadership Academy, a program of the Office for Catholic Schools funded by Fulcrum, to provide training in the areas of spiritual, academic, managerial and strategic leadership. The Leadership Academy provides new principals a chance to learn best practices from experts in each training area alongside fellow new principals. The Leadership Academy is now beginning its fourth year and has proven to be an invaluable experience and resource for new school leaders.
The school received a Fulcrum School Partnership Grant in January 2018 to update the bathroom in their preschool to comply with Washington State preschool licensing requirements. Having a fully licensed preschool not only provides a great Catholic preschool option for parents in the area, but also provides a pipeline of potential students for the school. The investment in preschool is paying off as enrollment in kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year is up eight students over 2017-2018.
For many families at St. Rose, the cost of tuition makes accessing a life-changing Catholic education unattainable. In the 2017-2018 school year, 16 students at St. Rose were awarded Fulcrum Tuition Assistance Grant Program (TAP) grants. Approximately 58% of students at the school receive some sort of financial assistance and 22% of families in the school qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program.
Fulcrum is able to invest in St. Rose School thanks to many generous donors. We are profoundly grateful for their trust in us and belief in our mission. Cathy Strader agrees with this sentiment as she recently shared, “Fulcrum’s support of our school and our preschool program in particular has helped make us a larger community which increases our ability to make a Christ-focused impact in Cowlitz County. We are so grateful!”