LAMORINDA WEEKLY | A New Bell Rings For Students at Acalanes High


Travis Bell Photo Cathy Tyson

Current Acalanes High School Associate Principal Travis Bell is being promoted to principal as of July 1 in order to fill the shoes of outgoing principal Allison Silvestri, who announced her resignation in early March. She'll remain on staff for the remainder of the school year to ensure a smooth transition, but is moving on to become principal at San Lorenzo High School.

Acalanes Union High School District Superintendent Dr. John Nickerson announced the leadership change after the district did a statewide search for applicants.

"As we proceeded through a very rigorous interview process, it became more and more clear that Travis Bell would be an ideal fit for the desired profile," said Nickerson. The hunt for a replacement included a stakeholder survey that asked for student and teacher input.

Originally from the small foothill town of Murphys, Calif., Bell has been in the trenches as an English teacher and also served as the Leadership Teacher at Dougherty Valley High School, prior to moving into Acalanes administration in 2012. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from UC Davis and a Masters in Educational Administration and Leadership from Brandman University.

When not busy at school, Bell is plenty busy as a married father of two girls, age 3 years and seven months. The family lives in Danville. He played tennis and soccer in high school and enjoys family hikes along with running and swimming in his spare time.

The staffing change comes after outgoing principal Silvestri was at the helm for a relatively brief two-year stint.