Marblehead High School principal to step down

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead High Principal John Ziergiebel will step down, effective June 30, for health reasons.The resignation was submitted verbally to Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac Thursday afternoon, shortly after Ziergiebel announced his decision to the high school faculty.Superintendent of Schools Paul Dulac expressed deep regret at Ziergiebel’s decision."It’s all very sad," he said.Ziergiebel, who was appointed three years ago by Interim Superintendent of Schools Philip Devaux, is a former Gloucester High assistant principal. He and his wife, Ann, moved to Marblehead soon after accepting the appointment.A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Master’s in education from Harvard University, Ziergiebel taught English and was a former officer in the Gloucester teachers’ association.While in Gloucester he served as high school MCAS coordinator, grant writer and liaison to the Department of Education, created a mentoring program, a writing lab/learning center and English as a Second Language classes for parents and participated in the budget process and the development of the high school improvement plan.In announcing the appointment Devaux praised him for "his capacity to grow and his willingness to listen," and Ziergiebel called his job "a tremendous opportunity.""Every time I turned a corner there was something new and creative happening," he said at that time.