News Flash

Home

Posted on: August 11, 2021

Superintendent Alan Seibert Announces Retirement

Salem City Schools Logo

AlanSeibertWebAfter 30 years of service to the children and citizens in the City of Salem, School Division Superintendent, Dr. Alan Seibert, is retiring, effective September 30. Seibert’s retirement request was accepted by the School Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday night.

“It would be impossible to appropriately thank all of the people who made my 30-year career in Salem City Schools possible,” says Seibert. “This community embraced a transplanted Yankee from New Jersey, nurtured him and gave him opportunities to lead in both the classroom and in administration. My family and I are eternally grateful for the trust that was placed in me for three decades.”

Seibert, whose grandfather was a sharecropper, began his Salem journey as a college student in 1990 when he spent time at Salem High School as a student teacher. After completing that graduation requirement and becoming the first male in his family to earn a college degree, the division hired him to teach earth science straight out of Virginia Tech. During the five years he taught at the high school, he also acquired his master’s degree from Radford University. That accomplishment enabled him to move into his first administrative role in 1996, when he was named an assistant principal at Andrew Lewis Middle School.

“At each step of my leadership journey, I was mentored and encouraged by colleagues, principals, division leaders and board members who supported innovation and were truly student-centered in their decision making,” he says.

During the 1999-2000 school year, Seibert secured his doctorate degree from Virginia Tech and transitioned to Salem High School, where he served for five years as an assistant principal under John Hall. In 2004, he was named the principal of South Salem Elementary and less than three years later, the school board selected him to replace the retiring Wayne Tripp as the division’s superintendent. Seibert was appointed to the school division’s top leadership post in August of 2006, and he was sworn-in on December 1, 2006.

“To serve in an organization that purposefully seeks to grow leaders and to have the opportunity to represent our great teachers and students along the way has been the ultimate honor,” he says. “The Salem School Division is revered and envied around the state because the city council and the school board members have always worked together for the betterment of Salem and not for any individual gain or glory. It has been a great privilege to represent the city throughout the state and nationally.”

Seibert and his wife, Michele, have three boys. All three were born in Salem and educated from K-12 in the city’s schools. Their youngest son will begin his senior year of high school later this month.

“As my career unfolded and I was occasionally recruited for positions in larger districts, I never applied or interviewed for any of them,” he says. “Michele and I put our own children first to ensure that all three could attend Salem schools and experience what it is like to be ‘Salem Born and Salem Bred.’”

Seibert, who is an Eagle Scout, was inspired to teach and lead through his many varied experiences in scouting.

“In scouting, you learn that in order to lead, you must be able to teach,” he says.

He has steered the division through several peaks and valleys during his 15-year tenure and, perhaps, nothing embodies both ends of that spectrum more the South Salem Elementary School construction project. The first new school built since Salem became an independent city in 1968, was designed and constructed from the ground-up during the height of the great recession. It opened under budget and to rave reviews in 2012.

“Alan has been the driving force for excellence in our schools,” says David Preston, Salem School Board Chairman. “He totally restructured how we do things, and he always did so with a passion and a humble spirit. That combination is rare in any leader.”

Along with his leadership in Salem, Seibert has served in a variety of key positions with both Region VI and statewide superintendents. The relationships he has built over the years with legislators in Richmond and Washington have allowed Salem to be on the cutting edge of numerous instructional initiatives and practices.

“I am not retiring from work, and I have no plans to retire from a leadership role of some type in education,” says Seibert. “I am only 53-years-old, and I anticipate many more years of service to children and their families. I am not closing that book, rather I am just starting a new chapter.”








Facebook Twitter Email

Other News in Home

Salem Fire Department Logo

Structure Fire at 2011 Apperson Dr.

Posted on: April 22, 2023
Salem Fire Department Logo

Structure Fire at 16 McDivitt Road

Posted on: April 22, 2023
Salem Parks and Recreation Logo

2023 Easter Egg Hunt Set for April 5

Posted on: March 21, 2023
Salem Civic Center Logo

New Owners for the Salem Red Sox

Posted on: March 17, 2023
Salem Fire Department Logo

Early Morning Fire on West Main Street

Posted on: January 14, 2023
Salem City Seal

2022 Holiday Events All Set in Salem

Posted on: November 22, 2022
Salem Civic Center Logo

Indoor Pro Lacrosse Coming to Salem

Posted on: November 21, 2022
Salem Parks and Recreation Logo

2022 Halloween Activities Set in Salem

Posted on: October 20, 2022
Salem Fire Department Logo

Salem Fire and EMS Extinguish 9th St. Fire

Posted on: September 25, 2022
Salem Police Department Logo

Salem Police Receive Statewide HEAT Honor

Posted on: September 16, 2022
Salem City Seal

Olde Salem Days 2022 Traffic Information

Posted on: September 7, 2022
Salem City Seal

Apperson Bridge Sidewalks Closed

Posted on: May 22, 2022
Salem Civic Center Logo

Paw Patrol LIVE Coming to Salem In June

Posted on: February 14, 2022
Salem Fire Department Logo

Yokohama Fire Causes $160,000 Damage

Posted on: December 20, 2021
Salem Police Department Logo

Police Arrest Two for Stealing from Cars

Posted on: December 3, 2021
Salem City Seal

2021 Holiday Events Announced for Salem

Posted on: November 17, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Commercial Fire at MedExpress on West Main

Posted on: November 10, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Three Pets Perish in Peach Street Fire

Posted on: November 5, 2021
Salem City Seal

Council Proclaims Murray Cook Day in Salem

Posted on: September 28, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Structure Fire on Azalea Street

Posted on: August 27, 2021

Parker McCollum is Coming to Salem

Posted on: August 26, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Structure Fire on Victoria Street

Posted on: April 3, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Dog Perishes in Front Avenue Fire

Posted on: March 30, 2021
Salem City Schools Logo

Epperly Named Assistant Principal at SHS

Posted on: February 10, 2021
Salem Police Department Logo

Goodman Named Police Officer of the Year

Posted on: February 10, 2021
Salem City Schools Logo

Kayla Wood Named SHS Girls Soccer Coach

Posted on: February 10, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

House Fire on Valleydale Avenue

Posted on: January 23, 2021
Salem City Seal

I-81 Widening Meeting Set for Feb. 9

Posted on: January 11, 2021
Salem City Seal

Local COVID-19 Vaccination Plans

Posted on: January 11, 2021
Salem Fire Department Logo

Structure Fire on Stonewall Circle

Posted on: January 4, 2021
Salem City Seal

Need Help with Utility Bills Payment?

Posted on: December 21, 2020
Salem City Seal

2020 Holiday Events Set For December

Posted on: November 30, 2020
Salem City Seal

Salem Receives Second State Tourism Grant

Posted on: November 16, 2020
Salem City Schools Logo

Boyd Named SHS Boys Basketball Coach

Posted on: November 12, 2020
Salem Police Department Logo

Salem Murder Suspect Arrested in West Va.

Posted on: November 10, 2020
Salem City Seal

Salem Awarded 15 New NCAA Championships

Posted on: October 14, 2020
Salem City Schools Logo

Salem School Division Earns Statewide Honor

Posted on: September 21, 2020
Salem Parks and Recreation Logo

2020 Salem Half Marathon Goes All Virtual

Posted on: September 14, 2020
Salem Parks and Recreation Logo

Parks & Rec Offering New Wellness Classes

Posted on: September 8, 2020
Salem City Seal

Phase II Downtown Revitalization Underway

Posted on: September 3, 2020
Salem City Seal

Rob Light Named Assistant City Manager

Posted on: August 24, 2020
Salem Parks and Recreation Logo

Salem Half Marathon COVID-19 Update

Posted on: July 30, 2020
Salem City Seal

Council Extends Due Dates for Taxes

Posted on: April 14, 2020
Salem City Seal

Local Governments Declare Emergencies

Posted on: March 16, 2020
Salem Police Department Logo

Police Make Arrest in Baymont Inn Incident

Posted on: February 19, 2020
Salem Fire Department Logo

Residential Fire on West Riverside Dr.

Posted on: February 16, 2020
Salem Civic Center Logo

Americana Music Artists Coming to Salem

Posted on: February 10, 2020
Salem Police Department Logo

Webb Named Salem Officer of the Year

Posted on: January 21, 2020
Salem City Schools Logo

Adam Ward Classic Expands for 2020

Posted on: January 14, 2020
Salem Fire Department Logo

Commercial Fire on Salem Industrial Dr.

Posted on: January 5, 2020