According to Prep’s Registrar and Assistant to the Head of School Laurie Magee, Bill Sinfield’s tenure as Head of School was clearly characterized by an adherence to a 30,000-foot view sense of leadership. That is, Bill initiated and was involved in every aspect of the school’s upkeep. Since he set foot on Prep’s campus, he tended to lead with a global perspective. Keeping up with older building repairs was a given. However, Bill’s big picture outlook took literally everything—and everyone—on campus into account. He spearheaded renovating spaces based on student and faculty needs as well as for curriculum development. 

Bill personally saw the necessity of having a permanent school nurse position on campus, which then called for renovating a room off the main office area for that nurse, Lynn Jeffries, to provide a safe space to tend to students’ healthcare needs.

The chemistry lab was converted from two rooms to one large space. The 300 and 500 Buildings were remodeled to support cross-curricular learning typified by the DesignLab makerspace for engineering, innovation, and design programs. Most recently, the Briley Commons was renovated to accommodate the Pitchfork Café, where students earn school credits as they learn about operating a business. 

Notably, Bill focused on school security, adding over forty cameras, several gates, additional personnel, reporting systems, and multiple procedural changes during his tenure. Just as importantly, Bill had the campus upgraded to fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates, spurring the addition of ramps and automatic doors throughout the property.

Arguably, Bill’s greatest accomplishments involved leading and implementing the school’s exhaustive overhaul through the two-year course of the pandemic. With the unsparing work of Bill’s leadership team, every renovation, every cleaning technique, classroom rearrangement, tool purchase, air system innovation, water fountain replacement, and hand sanitizer installation throughout the campus was examined for state compliance and efficacy. For Bill and the leadership team, finding and implementing better systems to provide the safest possible virtual and in-person learning experience were imperative. Navigating the state’s health guidelines took an entire village of administrators, staff, and faculty to implement, but with Bill at the helm, the arduous task proved incredibly effective for students’ gradual, staggered return to campus.

It’s Bill’s inimitable and trademark sense of responsibility to the facilities which house Prep’s precious community, and his genuine care for our students, which will remain an important part of his legacy long after he’s left his position as Prep’s Head of School.

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