Catholic School Champion: Dr. Rachel Moreno

After being chosen as Arizona's Teacher of the Year, Hands Across the Border Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year, Rachel Moreno wanted to contribute her expertise to the next generation of teachers. So the 27-year veteran of public schools earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and then fulfilled her lifelong dream of teaching in a Catholic school, taking a position at Kings College. After 3 years, she joined the faculty of supervision and instruction for ACE Service through Teaching.  Dr. Moreno also teaches for ACE's English as a New Language program.

We asked Dr. Moreno, who lives in Tucson and works with ACE teachers in Notre Dame ACE Academies (NDAA) and elsewhere, to share some of her favorite examples of hope.

Hope surrounds all of the Notre Dame ACE Academies as they continue to be a "flagship" for the diocese of Tucson. I saw hope [when a gifted ACE graduate moved to Tucson] to work especially at an NDAA. I see hope when [two gifted ACE teachers] decide to embark on the journey to become administrators. [Another NDAA teacher] demonstrates hope each time he directs and produces one of his outstanding and kid-friendly plays at Santa Cruz, where he has taught for 12 years. [Still another NDAA teacher] had three job offers in big cities all over the country yet chose to remain here. And because she is so committed to promoting literacy she specifically requested to teach 1st grade. (If that isn't a story of hope, I don't know what is!) Finally, [NDAA teachers] give their students hope each time they remind them that they are not only preparing for heaven but for college.

Mi esperanza existe todos los dias de mi vida (hope is present every day of my life). Why? Because everyone I work with is fully committed to making God known, loved and served.