Salpointe Catholic High School Names New Principal

With the approval of the Carmelite Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary and the Salpointe Catholic Board of Directors, Salpointe Catholic High School president Mrs. Kay Sullivan is pleased to announce the appointment of Mrs. Ardemis T. Martin as Salpointe Catholic’s next principal, effective July 1, 2022. 

“On behalf of the Salpointe faculty, staff, students and alumni, I welcome Mrs. Martin and her family to the Salpointe community. As our school principal, Mrs. Martin will lead with a wealth of educational experience as we move Salpointe forward in our mission to prepare young men and women for their lifelong educational and faith journey. Mrs. Martin brings vision, competence, energy, leadership, experience and faith to the job,” said Sullivan.

Mrs. Martin has sixteen years experience in education. She served as a classroom teacher at St. Cyril of Alexandria School for six years and then as teacher, instructional coach, administrator and principal of Legacy Traditional School for the past ten years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Radford University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. Mrs. Martin and her family practice their Catholic faith at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. She shares Salpointe’s commitment to offering our diverse student/parent population a holistic, college-preparatory education which fosters faith, encourages the pursuit of excellence, develops servant leaders, affirms the dignity of individuals, and promotes global social justice.

“My family and faith are the cornerstones of who I am as a person. My husband and I have been married for twenty years and we have two incredible sons. There have been many tough times in the past two years in leading a school of over 1350 students through a pandemic. It was my Catholic faith that enabled me to lead with such great success and has led me to this new and exciting opportunity. The opportunity to support all aspects of Lancer life from academics to athletics and theater to STEM has me counting down the days until I begin this new journey. Thank you for welcoming me into your community. I am proud to be a Lancer,” said Martin.

Mr. Anthony Gerrettie, Assistant Principal for Academics, noted, “I am energized and excited about our future at Salpointe Catholic with the appointment of Mrs. Ardemis Martin as our next principal.  In our multiple conversations together, we exchanged a shared vision of support for faculty and staff by embracing our rich tradition and academic excellence, while also looking for methods to continue to cultivate our gifts and talents as educators. I feel strongly that she is the right person to continue our important work and I look forward to a strong partnership.”

Salpointe is grateful for the exceptional leadership provided by Mr. Keith Gibalski and Mr. Michael Urbanski who served as interim principals over the past two years. Sullivan said, “Mr. Gibalski and Mr. Urbanski guided the school through the pandemic as they worked to provide the signature, holistic, mission-driven Salpointe experience for our 1250 Lancer students. We are forever grateful for their commitment to this sacred place.”

Please join the Salpointe faculty, staff and board of directors in welcoming Mrs. Martin to the Lancer community.