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by Erika Anderson
ATLANTA—After two years away, Frank Moore is happy to be
coming back to Atlanta.
Named the principal of the new Blessed Trinity High School in
Roswell which will open this fall, Moore returns to the Archdiocese of Atlanta,
having served at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, for 11 years.
“My feeling for the Catholic community here in Atlanta is
that they are very devoted in seeing their kids grow intellectually and
spiritually,” he said. “They are very anxious to get their kids in
Catholic schools.”
Moore served for one year as the computer coordinator and as a
math and computer teacher at St. Pius. He served his next 10 years as the
school’s dean of studies. In 1998 he moved to Oklahoma City to serve as
the principal and president of Bishop McGuinness High School, where he has
served for the past two years.
Growing up in Lousiana, Moore received his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in mathematics from Tulane University, New Orleans. With
a love and knack for computers, he planned on making his success in the
corporate world until two years into college when he served in a community
outreach program at a disadvantaged public school that changed his outlook.
“I found I was good at it and I enjoyed it,” he said.
“I became more service-oriented rather than product-oriented.”
And so Moore began his extensive career in education, specifically
Catholic education, spending his first 15 years at Archbishop Rummel High
School in Metairie, La., from 1972-1987.
In the late 1970s Moore helped to develop one of the first
computer science programs in the state.
“At that time there were very few schools in Louisiana
teaching anything with computers,” Moore said. “We were able to get
in on the ground floor.”
His program led Moore to the state board to develop a computer
science curriculum for other schools.
“It opened a lot of doors and was a good intro to a lot of
different tasks” that he would later use as an administrator, Moore said.
The following 11 years were spent at St. Pius, where Moore feels
he made some of his greatest strides as an educator.
A firm believer in the Advanced Placement courses, Moore worked to
develop nine new AP classes at the school, which resulted in an 84 percent
growth in student participation between 1988 and 1997, so much so that 47
percent of the 1997 St. Pius seniors were taking at least one AP course.
Moore hopes to eventually have an active AP program at Blessed
Trinity as well. The school, located on the same property as Queen of Angels
School and St. Peter Chanel Mission in Roswell, will open in the fall with the
ninth-grade and add a grade each year, so that in four years they will have a
full enrollment of 1,000 students.
“I went to a new high school, and it was a great experience
to be a student and part of developing traditions,” Moore said. “The
idea of being a part of that from an administrative standpoint is very
exciting.”
Sandra Smith, Ph.D., superintendent of schools, is also excited to
have Moore on board as principal.
“We are very pleased to have Frank Moore as principal of
Blessed Trinity High School,” she said. “Having served as a teacher,
department chairperson and dean of studies, his experiences provide knowledge
and understanding of the academic needs of the high school student.”
Moore, who said he has always dreamed of opening a new school,
said that he and his wife, Belinda, plan on moving to Atlanta in late June. He
will be back monthly to work on hiring staff and other administrative duties at
Blessed Trinity.
Moore believes that there are many aspects of a Catholic school
that persuade parents to enroll their children.
“There has to be something different than at a public school
if parents are willing to spend $6500 a year for it,” he said.
Moore believes that, first and foremost, what makes a Catholic
school special is the “spiritual component” and the
“opportunities for religious instruction, prayer, group worship, outreach
and Christian service.”
“Because of that kind of spiritual unity, you get a greater
sense of community than in a public school or in a non-sectarian private
school,” he said.
Moore has many goals for the school, and said he wants to see the
school grow in faith, service and academics with each year.
“First of all, I want there to be a very strong religious
connection where students can really grow in their faith life,” he said.
He also plans to have a “very powerful college-prep
curriculum,” a full set of AP offerings and a broad range of
extra-curricular activities, such as technology, physical education and fine
arts electives.
“There has been lots of research done that (shows that) fine
arts don’t just give you outlets, but really help the mind to process and
grow academically,” he said.
In the first year, the school will offer 12 sports with
opportunities for male and female students, though Moore said he is unsure
which sports will be popular among the 250 freshman.
“We will have them all out there and just see who shows
up,” he said. “Basically if you have an interest in playing a sport,
there will be something for you.”
Moore’s desire for the new school’s success is for more
than just the students, indeed, the entire Catholic population in the area as
well.
“I want people to view Blessed Trinity as a resource for the
Catholic community in north Georgia, whether or not you have kids at the
school,” he said. |
