ABILENE –- Abilene Independent School District Superintendent Dr. David Young announced to the Abilene High School faculty and staff Tuesday afternoon that AHS Instructional Specialist Emme Siburt has been named the new campus principal, effective July 1, 2021.
Siburt will replace Michael Garcia, who announced in January that he is stepping away from the role of principal at Abilene High to become the AISD’s Executive Director of Student Services at the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year.
“Emme Siburt is a tremendous administrator who has served the Abilene ISD faithfully for 13 years in key leadership roles across several campuses in our district,” Young said. “I am absolutely thrilled about her assuming the position of principal at Abilene High School for the 2021-22 school year and beyond.”
Siburt – who graduated from Abilene Christian University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in biology – began her career in education at Abilene High School in 2000 and worked as a biology teacher from 2001-03 before moving to Tyler and working in the Tyler and Lindale school districts from 2004-2011. She moved back to Abilene in 2011 and has served in campus administrative roles at Cooper High School, Holland Medical High School, Dyess and Thomas elementary schools and at AHS where she is currently in her second year as the 9th grade Instructional Specialist.
“I am truly honored to be the next principal of Abilene High,” Siburt said. “I am excited to continue the great traditions of excellence and work with the outstanding faculty, community, and parents to equip our students to excel both academically and socially.”
Beginning in 2011, Siburt served as the associate principal at Cooper High School before serving the 2017-18 school year as the Director of Holland Medical High School. She also served as the secondary summer school principal each of the last three years (2018-20). She joined the AHS administrative team prior to the 2019-20 school year as the school’s Instructional Specialist and supervisor of the school’s 9th Grade Academy.
“The past two years I have had the pleasure to work alongside the faculty and staff at Abilene High, and I have been consistently impressed by the way they love and care for our students,” said Siburt, who earned her master’s degree in educational leadership from ACU in 2009. “I am thankful that we get to continue this journey of empowering our students to reach their full potential.”
Garcia told the AHS staff on Jan. 21 that he was stepping down after four years as the campus principal and would be moving to a district administrative role.
“I would also like to thank Michael Garcia for the significant leadership he has shown over the last four years as the principal at Abilene High and look forward to him serving the entire district next year in his new role,” Young said.
