New ROCORI AD Mitch Dorr one month into first fall season
COLD SPRING — For the first time in a decade, the ROCORI school district’s activities department has a new leader.
Former Cook County activities director Mitch Dorr was hired this summer to replace retiring activities director Joel Baumgarten, who announced his retirement in January. Baumgarten has been with the district for 34 years and has been AD since 2012.
ROCORI principal Ryan Hauge, who was involved with the lengthy hiring process said Dorr’s experience in administration and activities departments will be most beneficial to the district but added, “I think also just listening to Mitch's passion and understanding of how activities impact school climate gave us the confidence that Mitch could do the job.”
ROCORI’s activities department has over 30 sports or groups, many of which have traditionally been competitive in the Central Lakes Conference and Minnesota State High School League. The Spartans have won seven team state championships all-time, according to MSHSL, most recently a robotics championship last season.
“I was looking for a place that fit my personality,” Dorr said. “Blue collar, a place where kids come first, a place where activities matter.”
Dorr is a Grand Marais native, where he grew up then coached and taught for 23 years in the Cook County School District. He played many roles there, starting with assistant football coach, then head girls basketball and later assistant principal and activities director. More recently, he was principal of St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jordan. Since 2021 Dorr has overseen the school add a seventh grade and prepared for adding an eighth grade this school year. He said he is ready to be an AD again.
“Mitch has been engaged in and seen how a high-functioning activities department can run,” Hauge, who was previously Sartell’s AD, said. “He's also had principal experience so he understands the roles of a variety of things in the school and I think that's beneficial as well.”
Dorr has four children, one of whom is still in school out of district. He lives in St. Joseph and isn’t without connection to central Minnesota. Wife, Sharon Dorr, is from Albany.
“(My family) grew through athletics,” Dorr said. “Big losses, big wins, bad performances good performances — those are all teachable moments for my kids and for myself.”
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Dorr earned his teaching degree in 1998 from the University of Minnesota Morris. (Administrative degree or masters?) He played baseball and football during his freshman year and was a student assistant on the basketball team for the three years after that.
Dorr’s focus since starting the job in July has been on learning the job and creating a smooth transition. He emphasized the importance of the people who work to put high school sports on, including the athletes, coaches and parents, but also the custodians and superintendent.
“If people feel respected and honored, everything else falls into place,” he said.
Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @Red__Glenn
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Mitch Dorr hired as ROCORI activities director
