Fresh off his appointment as permanent head of Windermere Preparatory School, Alex Birchenall is wasting no time tackling one of the campus’s biggest headaches: an elementary school enrollment crunch at the 25-year-old private school. Windermere Prep is currently packed to the rafters, with the tightest squeeze in the lower grades, and parents in rapidly growing west Orange County are set to get their first look at a proposed fix at a public meeting tomorrow night.
Birchenall stepped into the interim role after longtime head Dr. Mitchell Salerno departed for a managing-director post with Nord Anglia Education, and was officially named head of school on March 5 after serving as assistant head. He launched his teaching career in 2006 as a public school teacher in New York City and moved up through various leadership roles before landing at Windermere Prep. School leaders pointed to his work on enrollment growth and program expansion when they made the promotion, according to the West Orange Times & Observer.
Horizon West campus proposal
County planning documents outline a plan for a two-story kindergarten-through-fifth-grade campus at 15765 New Independence Parkway in Horizon West that would serve about 880 students and feature sports fields. A community meeting on two related requests - a change determination to scale back certain framework streets and a development plan for the school - is scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow at the Bridgewater Middle School media center, 5600 Tiny Road in Winter Garden. The proposal is still in technical review and would need approval from the Development Review Committee and, ultimately, the Board of County Commissioners to advance, according to Engage Orange County.
IB continuum and the school's reach
Windermere Prep already offers the IB Diploma Programme and is working toward authorization as an IB continuum, which would add the Primary Years and Middle Years programmes to align instruction from elementary through high school, according to Nord Anglia Education. That profile lists Birchenall as head of school and notes the boarding program and international trips that attract students from dozens of countries. The International Baccalaureate directory also lists Windermere Prep and confirms its IB affiliation on the International Baccalaureate website.
“It’s a great honor,” Birchenall said, pledging to uphold the school’s traditions while exploring ways to grow its offerings. He was among the leaders who signed the time capsule as part of Windermere Prep’s 25th-anniversary celebrations, details reported by the West Orange Times & Observer.
The county’s project page notes that the request will move through technical review, be placed on a Development Review Committee agenda, and could then proceed to a Board of County Commissioners public hearing, with mailed notices to nearby property owners. Residents can find additional information, including how to submit questions or comments, on the county’s project page via Engage Orange County.
