Supplemental content for our 2020 Community Report’s “Academic Year In Review”
Fulcrum’s partnership with the Office for Catholic Schools (OCS) has only grown stronger due to the successes of Fulcrum-funded positions within the organization.
Kristin Moore (left in photo), the director of marketing and enrollment , and Kelly Surapaneni (right in photo), the coordinator for leadership development, have supported educators and strengthened the 72 schools of the Archdiocese of Seattle through their hard work and dedication.
Kelly focuses on recruiting, training, and retaining teachers and principals with excellent leadership skills. She is deeply involved in leadership opportunities with seven partner universities, including the University of Portland’s Pacific Alliance for Catholic Education Program. This program supports 15 teachers living in community and teaching in Seattle and Pierce County Catholic schools while pursuing their master’s in education.
Over the last year, Kelly has seen archdiocesan educators face down the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic with compassion and grace.
“This past spring, seven individuals said ‘yes’ to a new principalship in our archdiocese in these COVID times,” Kelly said. “The Holy Spirit’s invitation fueled the courage for these talented leaders to lead our schools and they have been standing tall, leaning in, and igniting hope in their school communities.”
Meanwhile, Kristin is hard at work with schools, reviewing internal admissions and enrollment processes and discussing marketing strategy. She has also organized monthly professional development meetings and hosts “open mic” sessions to address any immediate challenges schools might face.
“I have met with over sixty-two schools already and plan to make in-person visits to the remaining schools,” Kristin explained. “The educational landscape has changed with COVID. Adaptability and creativity are key during this time.”
Kristin oversaw a joint Fulcrum-OCS endeavor leading to the implementation of a cloud-based enrollment and tuition management program, which she hopes will be adopted by all schools over the next few years. She also launched the largest archdiocesan-wide digital school marketing campaign in history, with a reach of over 200,000 people.
“We are a part of something bigger—an international family of faith, academics, and commitment to ‘the other’ through service,” Kristin said. “This will carry us through anything the future may bring!”