Two educators from within Mars Area School District will take up new leadership roles in district schools in the coming school year.

Dale Sleva Jr. will serve as principal at Mars Area Primary Center, and Jessica Semler will fill Sleva’s previous role as assistant principal at Mars Area High School.

Sleva replaces Anastasia DiLorenzo at the primary center. DiLorenzo was principal at the primary center during the 2020-21 academic year, and has returned to her position as a fourth-grade teacher at Mars Area Elementary School.

A graduate of Washington & Jefferson College with a master’s degree in education from Point Park University, Sleva was Mars Area High School’s assistant principal for 14 years, from 2007 to present. He also served as acting principal at Mars Area Middle School during the 2015-16 academic year.

Semler, who originally graduated from Mars high school, taught at Mars elementary as a second-grade teacher from 2009-12 before moving to a third-grade teaching position from 2012 to present. In 2015, she also served as an elementary principal intern.