Brenda White, president of Siena Catholic Schools of Racine, has announced that current St. Catherine’s Athletic Director Mike Arendt has accepted the role of principal beginning the 2021-22 academic year. He held the role on an interim basis during the 2019-20 school year. Current Principal Tim Riedl is resigning to pursue other opportunities.
“We are so pleased that Mike will be the 18th principal in the 155-year history of St. Catherine’s,” said White. “His passion for St. Catherine’s has buoyed the school for the past five years, and his experience as an administrator and leader illustrates that Catholic secondary education in Racine is in great hands with him at the helm; Mike is respected by students, parents, peers, and leaders both regionally and nationally.”
Since joining St. Catherine’s in July 2017, Arendt has worked as an administrator at St. Catherine’s, both as an athletic director and interim principal. Before St. Catherine’s, Arendt was a teacher and coach at Union Grove High School for nine years and taught for the Port Washington School District. He also served as the Summer School Principal at Union Grove High School for six years. Arendt’s experiences include curriculum expansion, instructional design, needs assessments, comprehensive evaluations, aligning existing curriculum with Common Core, DPI reporting, master scheduling, budgeting, discipline hearings, and leading professional development opportunities for staff. Arendt earned his degrees from UW-Milwaukee: a B.A. in education and M.Ed. in administrative leadership and supervision.
Arendt is a member of the Wisconsin Athletic Director Association, the American Legion Baseball Board of Directors, an Executive Board member of the Milwaukee Officials Association, the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association, and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. He is also a WIAA official in football, wrestling, baseball, and softball.
“I want to thank Brenda White, the Siena leadership team, and the entire St. Cat’s community for the opportunity to lead as principal permanently,” said Arendt. “Anyone familiar with St. Cat’s or Racine is well aware of our rich history and traditions. Spend time talking to any alum and they’ll tell you just how much this school means to them. Talk to any student and their pride is evident. That pride needs to continue to grow and I am proud to lead our students, parents, faculty, staff, and the greater community as we look toward our bright future.”
“The primary goal of the leadership team will be to gain back the learning loss we experienced during the pandemic, as well as providing the social-emotional support our students and teachers need. St. Catherine’s is a family. 2021-22 will provide a renewed sense of energy and hope as we come out of the pandemic, allowing us all to re-focus on the community we are a part of.”
Arendt will succeed Riedl on July 1.
Mike Arendt
