The Riverview School District is proud to welcome Jeannette Siemers to the Riverview Community as the next principal of Cedarcrest High School. Siemers will assume her new role, effective July 1, 2023.
A servant leader at heart, Siemers has developed a proven track record of building relationships, balancing high student expectations with high student supports, empowering staff to grow their capacity, and prioritizing equitable access for student success.
From her beginnings as an elementary and middle school classroom educator, to becoming a Teacher Leader in both the Burlington-Edison and Lake Washington School Districts, Siemers facilitated a variety of trainings on literacy development, organized a book drive that saw more than 4,000 books placed throughout Lake Washington School District for Title I students, and helped align math and ELA (English Language Arts) curriculum across 27 elementary schools for 4th and 5th grade students.
In the Monroe School District as a Dean of Students for Fryelands Elementary, she launched a high school mentoring program, which matched high school student-athletes with at-risk elementary students. As Assistant Principal and Athletic Director with Monroe High School, Siemers brought community together creating a culture of celebration by recognizing donors at sporting events, and then carrying that culture into the walls of the school, celebrating the great work of students and staff alike.
At Monroe High School, Siemers created the Bearcats Teach program, a Bilingual Education Initiative focused on recruiting, preparing, and mentoring bilingual high school students to prepare them to become future bilingual educators. In addition, she implemented the Seal of Biliteracy and World Language Competency Credit program at Monroe High School. Her work in this area saw immediate results: an initial 1% increase in graduation rate overall in the district, and an approximately 4% increase in the second year of the program. Those numbers have continued to grow in Monroe even after Siemers moved into her new position as Assistant Principal at Cascade High School.
“Empowering staff to grow through an instructional leadership lens is one of my favorite parts of the work,” Siemers shares. Underscoring that belief, Siemers is the co-founder and lead facilitator of Together in This, LLC, an organization committed to training and consulting with school districts and organizations on Restorative Practices, and the interconnectivity of social emotional health, student leadership, and school safety. Her development of trainings and presentations has provided her the opportunity to present at educational conferences across the state, while also providing training during the first annual DEI Conference with
Everett Public Schools.
In reflecting back on these experiences, Siemers states that “growing an understanding of our individual beliefs and exploring our own personal and social identities and how they impact our work with students and families is humbling. It truly is a privilege to walk alongside committed and dedicated educators in the work of serving students and families.”
Riverview Superintendent, Dr. Susan Leach, shares her enthusiasm for Siemers’ arrival.
“A new era will soon begin at Cedarcrest High School, and we are excited to welcome Ms. Jeannette Siemers to usher it in. Jeannette comes with a wealth and breadth of experience, with a passion that is palpable and an energy that is contagious.”
Siemers will replace Ray Labate, who announced his retirement in February 2023, after 28 years in school administration and 25 years serving as Assistant Principal and Principal of
Cedarcrest High School.
Please join us as we welcome Jeannette Siemers to the Cedarcrest Red Wolves family!