Catherine Arndt: 2nd/3rd grade teacher
Corbett's 2nd/3rd grade teacher, Catherine Arndt is "homegrown!" Born in Portland, Oregon and adopted at birth, Catherine Arndt lived in Canby until age two. She joined a sister, seven years older, also adopted at birth. Catherine moved to Corbett with her mom and sister when her parents divorced. Catherine's dad later remarried and she has a half-brother who is four years younger. Catherine is pleased to say that she attended school in Corbett from kindergarten through her senior year, graduating in 2010. As a youngster, Catherine was always busy! Growing up on property, she also played both school and club sports, with her mom being one of her biggest fans and strongest supporters. Catherine played basketball, volleyball and softball, but says that volleyball was always her favorite. During Catherine's senior year, she blew out her knee and then never played volleyball again. But, she came back to coach volleyball at Corbett in 2015-16, which she loved! After graduation, Catherine attended Mt. Hood Community College for one year. She then moved to Oklahoma for a relationship and found work as a corrections officer. When the relationship did not work out, she stayed in Oklahoma and met her current husband through mutual friends. Zac Arndt was in the Army when they met, and after dating a short time, got married in Arkansas. In 2014, Zac had completed his time in the Army, so they moved to Oregon. Soon after moving, Catherine became pregnant. Easton was born at 27 weeks and was in the hospital for 77 days due to his birth weight being just 1.7 pounds. At this time they were living with Catherine's mom and Catherine became Easton's full-time caregiver when he came home from the hospital. When Easton was two years old, Catherine went back to school and earned her bachelor's degree in social work from Portland State University. During her schooling, Catherine also worked as an educational assistant at the Corbett Grade School and worked as an intern as a social worker in the Reynolds School District. Catherine graduated in 2020, near the start of the pandemic. Catherine then began working for the Corbett School District, willing and able to help out in any capacity needed. She ended up running the online learning program for several students who did not return to the classroom in 2021. In the fall of 2022, she was hired as a temporary substitute to cover for a teacher on leave, and it turned into a permanent position. Catherine is now enjoying having her own classroom, teaching both 2nd and 3rd graders. Catherine has a passion for reading and loves to share that passion with her students. Currently, Catherine is attending Western Governors University online to earn her master's degree in elementary education. Her initial desire to go into the field of social work changed once she got into a classroom setting. She is thrilled to have found a career that brings so much joy and allows her to be in the community in which she was raised. Easton is now in the 3rd grade at Corbett and Zac works for Tillamook County Creamery, Assoc., working from home in Corbett. As a family, they love living in Corbett with all of the nature that it offers. They also love to golf, and it is a family affair, with all three enjoying the activity! They also enjoy camping and being active outdoors.