Project Description
Christine Moore, Fellow
Luther Burbank Middle School
Los Angeles, CA
Christine Moore is the proud principal of Luther Burbank Middle School, serving grades 6-8 in the Highland Park community of Los Angeles. She started her career in education 22 years ago, teaching 5th grade in East Palo Alto, California, after completing her undergraduate degree at Stanford University. After relocating to Los Angeles, CA, she began teaching at the middle school level for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She then served as a Literacy Coach, supporting teachers in implementation of literacy practices through all disciplines. It was during these years that she found her passion for curriculum design, planning and facilitation of professional development, and working with adolescents at the middle school level. These interests along with her desire to create systemic change, led to the pursuit of her Master’s in administrative leadership at UCLA. In 2010 she began her work at Luther Burbank Middle School as Assistant Principal where she worked alongside colleagues in a reform process, from staffing, designing a student centered master and bell schedule and, to creating an effective professional learning plan for educators. The focus remained on serving adolescents in the middle grades with a clear connection between theory, beliefs and practice. In 2014 she assumed the Principal position. In 2015, 2018 and 2021 LBMS was named a School to Watch by the California League of Middle Schools. Chrissy loves reading, writing, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and children, ages 12, 9, and 8.
Megan Gastelum, Ally
Assistant Principal
Luther Burbank Middle School
Los Angeles, CA
Megan Gastelum, Assistant Principal of Luther Burbank Middle School in Los Angeles Unified School District, has dedicated her professional career to meeting the diverse learning needs of all middle school students. She began her teaching career in 2003, as a multiple subject teacher. Then, in 2007, her love of reading and books led her to pursue her Teacher Librarian credential from California State University, Long Beach, and to serve in that capacity from 2007-2010. When the school she was working in underwent reconstitution in 2010, she decided to head back to the classroom to deepen her instructional practice specifically utilizing Understand By Design to develop reading and writing units. During this time, she served as the chair of the English Department as well as on the school’s Instructional Leadership Team. Megan Gastelum was awarded as a California League of Middle School’s Teacher of the Year in 2012 and earned her National Board certification in 2013. She completed her Administrative Services credential in 2017 and stepped into official school leadership as an Assistant Principal in 2019, focusing on increasing teacher capacity and therefore student achievement. Megan earned both her BA in education and MA in teaching from Azusa Pacific University. Megan is the mother of two small boys, and she and her husband Roy, enjoy spending quality time together playing and having adventures with them.