Salem School Division Superintendent, Dr. Alan Seibert, is pleased to announce that Michelle Palleria will move into administration to serve as the Assistant Principal at G.W. Carver Elementary School starting August 19. Palleria will fill the void created by the temporary departure of Sara Epperly, who is taking a year off to be with her young children.
Palleria has been a 4th grade teacher at G.W. Carver for the past 20 years and during that time she has earned the respect of students, parents and her peers. This year, she also is serving as an instructional coach for her co-workers.
“This instructional coaching position has pushed me to become a better leader at Carver and it has allowed me to think more broadly across the school and not just about my classroom,” she says. “Colleagues have asked for my assistance on a number of topics from creating personalized learning environments to observing students to working with parents, and I am appreciative of the trust they have shown in me.”
Palleria earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1998 and she has a master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton.
“In my five years as principal at Carver, Michelle has served as a go-to person for many of our teachers,” says Kristyn Schmidt, G.W. Carver Principal. “She consistently demonstrates a positive and professional demeanor, and I am looking forward to working with her in this new leadership role.”
Palleria, is a Salem native who graduated from Salem High School. She and her husband, Bob, who is a teacher at Andrew Lewis Middle School, have two sons, who currently attend Carver.