Renee Schumm Becomes Birchwood's New Assistant Principal

Written by Ms. Lea Tyrrell | Jan 18, 2024 7:05:03 PM

Congratulations to Renee Schumm on her new position as Assistant Principal at Birchwood Intermediate School! Ms. Schumm takes over the role from Mr. Dimitri Bernadel who just started his new role as Birchwood’s Principal after Mr. Anthony Ciccarelli retired.

Ms. Schumm first joined the South Huntington District in 2013. For the last ten years, she has taught both fourth and fifth grades at Maplewood, as both an inclusion teacher and a general education teacher. “I wanted to be a teacher my whole life,” shared Ms. Schumm. “It was probably due to the good teachers that I had, so I hope I instill that in others as well, and pay it forward.” Before that, she worked as a teacher in both the Northport-East Northport and Elmont school districts.

Now she wants her love of education to reach beyond the classroom, which prompted her to return to school to pursue her administrative degree. As Assistant Principal she believes she can have more of an impact on the school community as a whole, something that appeals to her because she lives in the district as well. “I want to be part of more of the community, to have those connections. I want to work with both teachers and students in a different capacity, more as a mentor and a leader, and build other people's leadership capacity.” explained Ms. Schumm. She has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from LIU Post and Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership from SUNY Stony Brook.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Schumm is a member of a number of school-related committees, works on the SHEF policy board, and Teacher Center policy board. And you’ll see her at a lot of school events and activities including Relay for Life, Wildcat Bowl, and the St. Jude Children’s Hospital Math-A-Thon.

Ms. Schumm is eager to take on the challenges her new position will bring. “It's exciting to think about getting yourself to a different place and meeting new people and working side by side with new people.” But from school to school, she knows there are things that won’t change because they run throughout the district. “I love the families,” she explained. “I love the administration, the support of the administration, the collaboration that goes on between everybody.”

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