By: Laura Mosier
In-Depth Editor
John Seibel, Hammond’s 9th Grade Administrator, was awarded with the Maryland Assistant Principal of the Year for the 2017-2018 school year. The Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals Executive Director Scott Pfeifer held the formal celebration in honor of John Seibel. There was also a celebration at Hammond after school on October 3rd that was attended by former Hammond Principal Marcy Leonard.
Mr. Seibel has worked at Hammond for seven years, and he loves working with all the people that are a part of our Hammond community.“[The] School is awesome, [the] committee is awesome, [and there are] great kids. It’s a place where kids appreciate what you do for them and you want to do more for kids.” He genuinely enjoys his job and wants to help the students and staff. He works overtime to make sure everyone’s needs are met, and his hard work is appreciated and rewarded.
Many students have directly benefited from the efforts of Mr. Seibel. Senior Sara Swanson, has known Mr. Seibel throughout all of her time at Hammond. She said, “He genuinely cares about each and every student in the school… He will always say hello in the hallway and ask how your day is going.” Sara is not the only student that thinks Mr. Seibel is an irreplaceable part of the school.
Senior, Alexa Adams said, “Whether it’s complimenting my hair, giving me a high five in the hallway or just telling me how great of a student I am, Seibel is the energy all Hammond staff should be radiating.” Students find Mr. Seibel to be an important part of their day at Hammond. Standing in the main hallway between classes gives Mr. Seibel a chance to see and interact with more students in the building.
Mr. Seibel is in charge of and helps run many programs for students. His biggest task is being in charge of the freshman class.
According to Hammond’s assistant Principal, Ms. Reed, “[He runs] The en
tire ninth grade team, all of it: all of the freshman and the parents and the guardians and everyone.” That is just one of the things that Mr. Seibel does for Hammond students. He also helps Mr. Saunders and Mr. Hawkins with Empowerment Night, a program that they run to help freshman boys improve grades and decision making skills. Mr. Seibel also helped to start a summer boot camp program for ninth and tenth graders who are looking to take their first challenging classes.
Mr. Seibel cares greatly about the students and staff at the school as well as the well being of the school. Junior English teacher Ms. Speirs added that, “Mr. Seibel’s consistent presence and encouragement reaffirms Hammond’s motto everyday.”
When Dr. DiPaula first became Hammond’s principal, Mr. Seibel was very involved in helping him have a smooth transition back into a high school. “Every morning when [Mr.Seibel] got here, we met as soon as he got here and he checked in, like ‘What do you need? How can I support you? What’s going on?’ and then throughout the day, we’re all working together, but at the end of the day before he left, he would always come and check in with me,” emphasized Dr. DiPaula, principal of Hammond. Having Mr. Seibel as a support system helped Dr. DiPaula to understand the inner-workings of Hammond to maintain programs and norms in the building. Dr. DiPaula described Mr. Seibel as an “anchor.” Seibel plays a role in helping the school and its programs run efficiently and effectively.
Mr. Seibel has become an instrumental part of the Hammond community since he joined the staff in 2012. He goes above and beyond to make sure staff and students are successful at Hammond and in their future. In the words of Dr. DiPaula, “Hammond is a better place because John Seibel is here.”
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