Author: Administrator

Northern Deanery Catholic High School Steering Committee member Kali Ortiz is exemplifying her Catholic faith through a dedication to education.

A 2014 alumna of Immaculate Conception Regional School in Mt Vernon, Kali recently shared her educational journey with over 1,200 supporters at the January 31st Fulcrum Foundation Celebration of Light dinner.

As a Fulcrum tuition assistance recipient during her grade school years, Kali went on to earn her Masters degree and now has her sights set on a PhD in education. She expressed deep gratitude to Fulcrum and its donors, stating, “I see a lot of my dreams as a collective because it’s not just my dreams, but dreams of my family and community and the needs of people who look like me.”

We are incredibly proud to have Kali on our High School Steering Committee. Her perspective on the Universal Church and her commitment to collective action in education are truly commendable.Check out the Fulcrum 2025 Impact Video to see Kali Ortiz and other inspiring young leaders. 

Versión Española:

Kali Ortiz, miembro del Comité Directivo de la Escuela Prepatoria Católica del Decanato Norte, ejemplifica su fe católica a través de su dedicación a la educación.

Kali, ex alumna en 2014 del Immaculate Conception Regional School de Mt Vernon, compartió recientemente su trayectoria educativa con más de 1.200 simpatizantes en la cena Celebration of Light de la Fundación Fulcrum, celebrada el 31 de enero.

Como beneficiaria de la ayuda para la matrícula de Fulcrum durante sus años de escuela primaria, Kali obtuvo su maestría y ahora tiene la vista puesta en un doctorado en educación. Expresó su profunda gratitud a Fulcrum y a sus donantes, afirmando: «Veo muchos de mis sueños como un colectivo porque no son sólo mis sueños, sino los sueños de mi familia y mi comunidad y las necesidades de la gente que se parece a mí».

Estamos increíblemente orgullosos de contar con Kali en nuestro Comité Directivo de Prepatoria. Su perspectiva de la Iglesia universal y su compromiso con la acción colectiva en la educación son realmente encomiables.Echa un vistazo al Vídeo de Impacto de Fulcrum 2025 para ver a Kali Ortiz y a otros jóvenes líderes inspiradores. 

This is the first in a series of updates that highlights findings from the Northern Deanery High School 2024 feasibility study.

Fun fact: when presented with the idea of a Catholic high school in our region, 78% of respondents showed interest in opting for that school over their current alternatives. That amounts to families with 567 school-aged children spread throughout Whatcom, Skagit, Island, and North Snohomish counties.

This and other fruitful data came out of a spring 2024 feasibility study conducted by Meitler consulting group for the Northern Deanery. Watch for more updates in upcoming blog posts or view the feasibility study report.

Versión Española:

Esta es la primera de una serie de actualizaciones en las que se destacan las conclusiones del estudio de viabilidad del Instituto de Enseñanza Prepatoria 2024 del Decanato Norte.

Dato curioso: cuando se les presentó la idea de un instituto católico en nuestra región, el 78% de los encuestados mostraron interés en optar por ese centro frente a sus alternativas actuales. Eso equivale a familias con 567 hijos en edad escolar repartidas por los condados de Whatcom, Skagit, Island y North Snohomish.

Estos y otros datos fructíferos surgieron de un estudio de viabilidad realizado en la primavera de 2024 por el grupo consultor Meitler para el Decanato del Norte. Esté atento a las próximas actualizaciones del blog o consulte el informe del estudio de viabilidad.

Father Jeffrey Moore (Dean of the Northern Deanery, Co-chair of the ND High School Steering Committee, and Pastor of Whatcom Catholic) recently gave a presentation on the proposed high school to both of our regional K-8 Catholic school communities. Parents and parishioners attended these information nights at Assumption Catholic School-Bellingham in November and again at Immaculate Conception Regional School-Mount Vernon in early January.

To learn more about our progress on the Northern Deanery Catholic High School project, we encourage you to watch a recording Fr. Moore’s presentation at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiMWMhU0p34. Thank you!

Versión Española:

El Padre Jeffrey Moore (Decano del Decanato del Norte, Copresidente del Comité Directivo de la Escuela Secundaria de ND y Párroco de Whatcom Catholic) hizo recientemente una presentación sobre la escuela secundaria propuesta a nuestras dos comunidades de escuelas católicas regionales K-8. Los padres y feligreses asistieron a estas noches de información en la Assumption Catholic School-Bellingham en noviembre y de nuevo en la Immaculate Conception Regional School-Mount Vernon a principios de enero.

Para obtener más información sobre nuestro progreso en el proyecto de la Escuela Prepatoria Católica del Decanato Norte, les animamos a ver una grabación de la presentación del P. Moore en el siguiente enlace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiMWMhU0p34. Muchas gracias.

The Northern Deanery High School Steering Committee took a much-needed summer break and has started to regroup ahead of the next planning phase.

Before the break, the consulting firm Meitler completed and presented a demographic feasibility study to both the committee and our partners at the Fulcrum and Ferry Foundations. The study contained a lot of nuanced data, but the key findings were: (1) we can likely recruit about 20-30 students for our first class, (2) tuition per student will likely be 10–15% of median family income, and (3) the Bellingham and Burlington locations are equally matched in terms of interest and available resources. These results indicate that a sustainable, long-term high school is feasible, but it will require effort.

Following these results, the committee voted to proceed with Meitler’s Phase 2 project, which will provide a suggested 5-year budget for the proposed school. The Steering Committee also voted to create a property sub-committee tasked with investigating possible short- and long-term options for location.

We will continue to share more details as they unfold. Thank you for your prayerful support of the project.

We are pleased to announce that Phase 1 of the Northern Deanery Catholic High
School study is now complete. Our consulting firm, Meitler, determined from the
survey that there is significant community interest in this proposed high school,
and that local student populations are projected to grow over time.  These
findings foster optimism about the potential enrollment for this proposed high
school. However, there are still open questions related to financial feasibility and
geographic location. The committee will meet in July to determine next steps,
including whether to fund a Phase 2 study with Meitler to assist with these
questions. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress and ask for your
prayers during this discernment process. Thank you!

Want to receive ongoing updates about this project? Please subscribe here:

We are excited to share that we received over 600 submissions to the recent Northern Deanery Catholic High School feasibility survey. Thank you to everyone who took the time to fill out this survey and give feedback!

The Meitler consulting group is busy compiling the findings from both the survey and other demographic research. We look forward to sharing the study results and conclusions with the Northern Deanery parishes this summer.

Please subscribe to this website for ongoing updates in the meantime. Thank you for your support.

Families and interested community members are now invited to fill out a short online survey about the proposed Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Seattle’s Northern Deanery.

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Responses will be accepted through Monday, May 6, 2024.

Why Your Participation Matters:

• You will help determine whether a Catholic high school in this region is viable based on potential enrollment and support.
• Your feedback will directly influence location of the school. 
• Your educational needs, preferences, and expectations will influence the formation of the school.

Everyone is encouraged to respond, even if you do not plan to enroll your children at the school. Thank you for being an essential part of this exciting journey!

Fulcrum Helps Fund a New Catholic School Feasibility Study