A principal from Sturtevant, WI

Recent public school closures in Racine and Kenosha have left local families looking for a trusted place to send their children. Enter St. Sebastian STEM Academy, one of seven Siena Catholic schools, which re-opened their doors in the fall of 2023 for the first time in over a decade. Enrollment at St. Sebatian has doubled since then, which is no coincidence. Principal Amanda McCauley describes the environment at St. Sebastian as a loving, family-like feel, which is palpable in the single-hallway school building that now houses 65 3K-1^st grade students.

Principal McCauley understands first-hand the impact the Siena Catholic school system has on its student population and the Catholic community. She grew up in Racine and is a graduate and former employee of St. Catherine’s, a Siena high school. The tight-knit, family feel of this network is strengthened by alumni such as McCauley who wish to give back to their community. Starting this school year, McCauley is trialing a work study program with St. Catherine’s that partners with high school students who are interested in becoming teachers. Every day, two students from St. Cat’s visit the science classrooms at St. Sebastian as teacher aids. In addition to earning course credits for this partnership, they are learning how to develop their own lesson plans and create curriculum.

These familial ties within the Siena network are a clear testament to the necessity of keeping the choice program alive in Wisconsin. The anticipation of future growth buzzes underneath the surface of promising school systems such as this, which are always seeking creative ways to improve for the sake of their kids and stand out as a strong educational option.