Following the departure of Principal Elizabeth Tavasci, Alisa Stieg is now behind the principal’s desk at West Sedona School as of Monday, July 1.

“I am expecting my first baby in September and will be taking time off to be with her,” Tavasci wrote in an outgoing message on June 26. “While I am thrilled for the next adventure, I am sad to be leaving such a beautiful community … Thank you for all your continued support for our WSS students, families and staff.”

Stieg was previously a principal at Santa Fe South Charter Schools in Oklahoma City, Okla., and was chosen as the new WSS principal by the Sedona- Oak Creek School District Governing Board on May 7. Stieg is an alumna of Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She was already working in education when she was in high school and she worked at Kachina Country Day School as a music and movement educator.

“I was born and raised in Phoenix, I moved from [there] in 1999,” Stieg said. “That’s when I moved to Oklahoma, taking my family with me, and at this point I’ve got two of my children and their significant others still in Norman, and then my oldest and his wife live in Houston.”

Steig is a certified early childhood and elementary educator and has previously been a principal for kindergarten through eighth-grade classes, and is pursuing a second master’s degree in character education through the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, following her master’s in educational administration from the University of Oklahoma.

“She comes across as very bright and thoughtful,” SOCSD Superintendent Tom Swaninger said. “But also an individual who appears to find great joy in being a part of the education system … We live in a time when many educators are questioning their commitment to education because of the extensive challenges that come along with it. But it was clear to me and our hiring committee that Alisa comes to work each and every day with a sense of joy in what she is doing, and I believe that it will emanate throughout not only [WSS] but our entire district.“ 

Stieg described herself on her LinkedIn page as a “practitioner of the African concept of Ubuntu, which speaks to our connectedness to each other and how this connectedness leads to mutual flourishing.” 

She attributed her career as an educator to an early desire to serve “my community and contribute to the greater good,” starting with babysitting at an early age for her sister, who was 14 years her senior: “So I was the built-in babysitter for all of her children, and so I really enjoyed teaching, guiding children.”

“I’m fully open to meeting people and learning about the needs of the community and partnering with people in the community,” Stieg said. “I spent many summers here, I know the land, I know the vibe. But I don’t know the people who live and work yet here and so being able to meet with people who I believe want to partner in helping all students achieve, I’m very much looking forward to.”

She owns a dog and two cats, and one of her cats is named Theo in honor of Thelonious Monk.

“I would not say Thelonious Monk is my favorite of the jazz musicians,” Steig said. “I just think that his work is very prolific and influential over many of the other jazz musicians who have followed after him. But I love almost all jazz, contemporary or historical … When you study the history of jazz and the artists who were the creators of [it], it’s a really interesting story and a cultural heritage all in and of itself. And I think respecting those musicians is something we as a culture today owe them because they have influenced so much of our current music.”

Stieg started at SOCSD on Wednesday, June 19, alongside Tavasci, whose final day on the job was Friday, June 28.

“[Tavasci] has been absolutely so kind, and generous,” Stieg said. “And [Tavasci’s] words were, ‘I wanted it to be as though I were passing the baton. So you could continue the race rather than having to start the race over.’ That just says everything about the person that I am following. So I know that she has really created an amazing path for me to follow. And I’m looking forward to being very successful as a result of that.”

Stieg can be reached at (928) 204-6601 or by email at stieg@sedonak12.org.

On May 7, the board also hired Francoise Aronfeld as the Sedona Red Rock High School assistant principal and Deana DeWitt as the special education director. Francoise Aronfeld served as English department chair at the Paradise Valley Unified School District. DeWitt was SOCSD’s assistant superintendent for nine years after teaching 13 years in the Mingus Union and Cottonwood-Oak Creek school districts.