New leader takes helm of Windermere Preparatory School

Being a swimmer and runner in college, Alex Birchenall knew he wanted to be a coach. 

He dreamed of becoming a collegiate swim coach and had originally taken the path of sports psychology in college, but as he started to coach, his path shifted.

Through moments of coaching, working with the kids, seeing the difference he was making in young lives, he started to feel a sense of impact from his work. 

“When they work hard and feel supported and you see them achieving success, that’s still what does it for me,” Birchenall said. “I get the most joy out of watching our students perform and seeing our kids excel in sports, the things they’re passionate about. To see them do really well, that’s what still inspires me and keeps me going.”

He left the sports psychology track and started down the road to becoming a teacher with hopes it also would lead to more coaching opportunities. 

Those moments helping to lead his athletes to success turned into moments of success in the classroom, and now it has led to seeing a K-12 private school succeed as Birchenall has been announced as the new head of school for Windermere Preparatory School. 

Birchenall came to Windermere Prep in the 2023-2024 school year as the assistant head of school.

Photo by Liz Ramos

When Mitchell Salerno accepted a position as the managing director for the U.S. schools for Nord Anglia Education, Birchenall moved into the interim head of school role and threw his hat into the ring for the permanent position. He was announced as the permanent head of school March 5. 

“It’s a great honor,” he said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary community. Windermere Prep has a great history and tradition that people who have been here really value, and so it’s an enormous responsibility to uphold those values while still looking ahead to the future, thinking about how we continue to grow and improve and continually make the school better for our students and the families that come here.”

Birchenall started his teaching career in 2006 as a public school teacher in New York City. As a young teacher, he never imagined he would become a head of school years later. All he ever wanted to do was teach. But people encouraged him to pursue leadership roles, and he climbed up the ladder to head of school.

As he’s become a leader, he’s never forgotten his roots as a teacher, engaging with students and understanding the importance of building relationships with students and staff. 

He’s found ways to interact with students through their passions. As the assistant head of school at Windermere Prep, he played the role of Harvard admissions guy in the school’s production of “Legally Blonde.” 

“I was never an actor,” Birchenall said with a smile. “I don’t have any skill in the performing arts at all, but just being able to have those kind of opportunities to work with kids in that setting was a lot of fun, and I never imagined I’d be doing it.”

Being a leader at Windermere Prep has given him opportunities to travel the world with students. He’s been to Tanzania on the annual trip students take to the Nazreti village. He’s traveled to the Swiss Alps with students on a summer trip. 

The experiences have taught him there are a plethora of opportunities for students to pursue excellence at a high level in various areas, whether it’s sports, the arts, STEM, etc. 

But now as head of school, his responsibilities reach beyond the classroom as he’s not only charged with ensuring academic success but also financial success of the school. He has had to learn the business side of running a school, which he said has been the biggest adjustment. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

Birchenall is helping to lead the charge in Windermere Prep’s expansion. 

The school is operating at 100% capacity with families who want to come to the school but aren’t able to due to enrollment capacity. The greatest need is at the elementary level, so Windermere Prep is exploring its options to allow the school to grow and offer more programs. 

There will be a community meeting Thursday, March 26, for a potential Windermere Prep elementary campus in Horizon West. If constructed, the school will be a two-story, kindergarten through fifth grade campus with a capacity of 880 students as well as associated sports fields.

Birchenall said Horizon West is a rapidly growing, and the school is seeing a demographic shift with more of the school’s families coming from that area. 

Windermere Preparatory School celebrated its 25th anniversary last fall. Part of the festivities was burying a time capsule, which Birchenall signed. 

While honoring the school’s history and legacy, Birchenall also is looking to the future with desires to continue to grow and add programs that will give every student “rich opportunities to grow, discover their interests and their passions, and find a place where they are thriving and feel known, valued and cared for.”

Academically, the school is on its way to becoming an International Baccalaureate continuum school, meaning the IB program will extend from elementary through high school, providing a continuity in education as students progress through the school.

“Just by doing that, it ensures we have an aligned curriculum that ensures we’re creating the type of learners and people we think the world needs more of,” Birchenall said.