Story by Vicky Gao, Staff Writer
At a faculty meeting this afternoon, administrators announced Emme Siburt, current Instructional Specialist, as the new head principal for the 2021-2022 school year.
“What you pray for has revealed exactly the right person for Abilene High school,” superintendent Dr. David Young said. “In this selection process it was 100 percent obvious that the next principal of Abilene High School needs to be Emme Siburt.”
Siburt has been at Abilene High for two years as the instructional specialist and supervisor of the 9th grade academy and has served Abilene ISD for 13 years in key leadership roles across several campuses in the district.
“It is truly an honor to be the next Abilene High School principal,” Siburt said at the meeting. “I have walked alongside you for the last two years and see how you consistently love and care for our most precious gifts, which is our kids.”
Current principal Michael Garcia announced in January that he was going to be stepping down, accepting a position as a district administrator after four years as Abilene High School principal.
“I’m going to be part of the transition,” Garcia said. “I’m going to do what I need to do to help make next year a grand year.”
Siburt has plans which she thinks both faculty and students can work together to achieve.
“I have several things that I will outlay for my vision for Abilene High,” Siburt said. “I want us to work together and be very consistent with what we do, and I want us to be innovative.”
This view is echoed by the selection committee which weighed in on the final decision with feedback from school faculty.
“We were looking for a principal that could provide our school with a clear vision for the direction that we needed to go,” sophomore English teacher and member of the selection committee Katy Roberts said. “We wanted a principal that would support our CTE program and honor classes such as creative writing on the equal level that we do athletics. Someone that would promote equity among the students.”
Siburt feels she has a jump start with already being familiar with not only campus faculty but students.
“I like to have relationships with kids, and also just having understanding for each other,” Siburt said. “I and everyone here at Abilene High is here for the kids.”
Siburt will be joining Lydnsey Williamson, principal at Cooper High School, as the second female principal of high schools in Abilene. Siburt will be the new campus principal effective July 1st, 2021.
“What a place of tradition and excellence and such pride, and I see so much potential,” Siburt said. “ I cannot wait to get started so we can continue all these wonderful things that we’ve been doing.”
