ROSWELL—Frank Moore spent many weekends recruiting students and convincing parents that a school that wasn’t complete and a faculty that wasn’t hired would deliver a top-notch Catholic high school education.

The “student pioneers” gave Blessed Trinity High School its foundation when it opened in 2000, he said.

“When you open a new school, there’s the fear of the unknown. It was totally new. They didn’t have a clue.”

“I was hiring faculty and staff by the dozen. Hiring season was insane,” said Moore.

Staring at his computer screen, Blessed Trinity High School principal Frank Moore looks over the morning announcements for April 19 as he prepares to print them. Photo By Michael Alexander

Some 219 students—freshmen and sophomores only—enrolled that first year, their families putting their faith in the vision of a Catholic high school on a campus with a new parish and new elementary school.

“I thank God every day they entrusted their children to our care. That’s the most gratifying thing to me,” said Moore.

Sixteen years later, the thriving school has close to 1,000 students and was a 2014 National Blue Ribbon School. Moore oversees 111 staff members, including 73 educators. The founding principal, who has guided Blessed Trinity’s progress and watched the school campus and its community take shape, is handing over the keys. He will retire June 30.

He credits any success in the school to those teachers and staff.

“I hire the right people and get out of their way. It’s the folks I hire that really make it happen,” he said.

Moore said the school has become what he hoped it would become, a community where every student can be enriched.

“There’s something in the school, outside of the classroom, for everyone. Everyone can find their niche. Now it’s time for someone else to take it to another level.”

A veteran administrator of Blessed Trinity High School has been hired as the school’s second principal. Brian Marks, who spent 13 years serving as assistant principal at the Roswell high school, begins in the new position July 1. Marks spent the last two years as the founding principal of Notre Dame Academy Upper School in Duluth.

A constant presence on campus

People who know Moore call him passionate about education, a “go-to principal,” and a man who seems to live on campus.

Diane Starkovich, the superintendent of Catholic schools, said Moore is a valuable resource for the entire Catholic school community.

“Frank is a humble administrator, always giving credit for the success of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School to the talented administrators and teachers at the school,” she said. “I’ll miss working with Frank. He knew every inch of Blessed Trinity, and he was always on a mission to improve course offerings for students.”

His institutional knowledge of the archdiocese, especially the five schools opened in 1999 and 2000, has been very helpful to her, Starkovich said.

His decisions were always made with what was best for students in mind, she said. In fact, he declined when people wanted to honor him at the upcoming graduation ceremony. Starkovich said he wants the ceremony to focus on the graduates, celebrating their successes.

Lauren and Pete Gonzalez have watched him lead the school as the parents of two Blessed Trinity graduates and one current student. Lauren is the president of the BT Athletic Association.

“I often wonder if he ever leaves the building. He is there to support the students during their academic day, but also at fine arts and athletic events in the evenings and on weekends. Mr. Moore is passionate about education. He has been known to teach a class, filling in for math teachers who are ill or on maternity leave,” the couple wrote in an email.

Moore may be one of the longest serving employees on the archdiocesan Catholic schools’ payroll. He has been on the Roswell campus since 2000 and prior to that he worked at St. Pius X High School as a computer and math teacher for 11 years. His stint in Atlanta was interrupted for two years only when he moved to Oklahoma City to serve as the principal and president of Bishop McGuinness High School.

Moore has not rested during his last year. He continues to hear from teachers about what is best for students, from the arts to technology and campus ministry to engineering, say people who work for him.

Said Assistant Principal Susan Dorner, “He always puts the students first. His decisions are based on the students.”

“There are so many, so many,” said Dorner when asked what Moore’s legacy at Blessed Trinity will be. She listed off some accomplishments that shaped the school and the students, from implementing block schedules so students get more than the state-required credit hours to leading the school to its Blue Ribbon School designation, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

“Mr. Moore is a man of great reputation and worthy of great respect,” she said.

Ricky Turner, the athletic director, credits Moore for never wavering from Blessed Trinity’s mission statement focused on four pillars: Catholic identity, academics, fine arts and athletics.

“Over the past 16 years, every decision he made tied these four pillars together,” Turner said in an email.

“At the beginning he had the vision of fulfilling a need in the North Atlanta area for a top-notch high school that was centered around our Catholic faith. I don’t think anyone ever imagined this vision would be achieved so quickly,” said Turner, who has been with the school from the beginning.

Turner described Moore as loyal. When Turner’s young daughter died, Moore was one of the first people at the house, offering consolation and support, he said.

He is loyal to his community of New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit, the school accepted several students from the Gulf Coast. Blessed Trinity High School offered free tuition and waived fees to any students already enrolled in a Catholic high school in the damaged region.

As Blessed Trinity High School principal Frank Moore walks the building one April morning, he pops in on Chad Johnson’s physics class. Here he peers over the shoulders of juniors (l-r) Joseph Brinsmaid, Ania Trichet and Meredith Franchi. It’s one of the many activities Moore squeezes into his jam-packed daily schedule. Photo By Michael Alexander

“He made sure that families received what they needed and that they had the support of the whole school community,” said Turner.

Lisa D’Arienzo, the president of the BT Advisory Council, said Moore makes a point to support students at every school event.

“I appreciate his dedication to the school during the past 16 years. His love for and belief in the school was apparent,” she said.

She credits the school with preparing her two sons well for college.

“I believe the number of Advanced Placement courses and college preparatory curriculum is the biggest success of BT. Mr. Moore also strongly supported professional development of his staff and technology—both bringing cutting-edge methods to our students,” she wrote in an email.

Moore spent career in Catholic education

Moore’s family moved every few years until he was a teenager, following his father’s career as an auditor with a meatpacking company. They settled in Louisiana when he was in middle school. Moore received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Tulane University, New Orleans. With an early enthusiasm for computers, he envisioned a career in the corporate world. He served in a community outreach program two years into college at a disadvantaged public school, which changed his goals. Moore’s career has been spent in education, specifically Catholic education. He taught for 15 years at Archbishop Rummel High School in Metairie, Louisiana, from 1972-1987, followed by St. Pius X.

“It was the right thing for me. I wanted to give back to the (Catholic education) system,” Moore said.

Five new Catholic schools were built in the archdiocese in 1999 and 2000, launched by the $50 million capital campaign titled, “Building the Church of Tomorrow.” In addition to Blessed Trinity, the other schools opened during those two years were Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fayetteville; Queen of Angels School, Roswell; Holy Redeemer School, Johns Creek; and Our Lady of Victory School, Tyrone.

Moore is the only founding principal still at his school.

Early in his career, Moore saw the value of computer technology in education. He organized computer science classes. While he admits technology in the classroom has surpassed his knowledge, he sees its ability to reshape a traditional classroom. This year he helped shepherd Blessed Trinity to its next technology milestone, providing Chromebooks for all 978 students to unify the technology platform at the school.

Technology will continue to change the way schools fulfill their mission, Moore said. Because information is readily available, teachers will guide students and point out connections, he said. Successful classrooms will be based on students learning by engaging with each other and with the faculty, he said.

The values promoted by any school are spelled out in its mission statement. In addition to Catholic identity and academic achievement, the school shows its values in how it supports sports and the arts.

And while sports are stellar with the Titans, Moore has worked to ensure the spotlight also shone on students in dance, theater and the fine arts. He has written a few one-act plays and even had a cameo performance on the high school stage.

Dorner said the lesson Moore passes on to all students is “you go after your own dreams and your own passions.”