For O'Connell Principal, It Has Been a Good 9 Innings

Principal Al Burch of Bishop O’Connell High School didn’t plan on being principal. He didn’t expect that his life would involve setting policy, talking with alumni and supervising the education of 1,400 high school students.

As he retires now, after 42 years at Bishop O’Connell, 27 years as principal, Burch wouldn’t change a thing. While wearing the O’Connell colors Burch has had it all. He coached a successful baseball team, befriended countless alumni and continued the tradition of building bright futures for the students that passed through the school under his watch.

When Burch graduated from Texas A&I (Now Texas A&M) he was a three sport athlete with a lot of experience and a desire to impart that to others. With the demand for coaches low Burch found it difficult to break into the field and started teaching English and History at Surrattsville Junior High School in Maryland.

Then, in 1961 Burch accepted a position as assistant football coach at Bishop O’Connell. Little did the young Burch know, that position was going to lead him into a lifetime of work with Northern Virginia students.

The next year Burch was named head baseball coach and began the process of teaching what was to become, one of the most impressive streaks in the history of Catholic League sports. Between the years of 1963 to 1965 Bishop O’ Connell High School won 42 consecutive games including three straight Catholic League Championships.

Burch also worked as assistant basketball coach, with a two year stint as head coach.

In 1972 Burch accepted Monsignor McMurtrie’s offer to work as assistant principal. Burch decided to leave the challenges of the field and to take on the new challenges of administration.

Burch got his masters in administration from American University and in 1977 accepted the position of Principal. Over the next 27 years he presided over O’Connell, promoting the excellence that the school has guaranteed since it’s inception in 1957.

Burch talked about his work to continue the school’s tradition of excellence. “You don’t change the batting order when you’re winning,” he said. Burch pointed out that O’Connell has done a good job of promoting life-long learning in its students. He pointed out that ninety-nine percent of O’Connell students attend college after graduation. “The seeds have been planted,” Burch said.

Burch noted the similarities of coaching and being principal. “You’re a motivator,” he said. “You take them from one realm of their lives to another.”

Richard Martin will be taking over as principal for a year, and then the new president Barry Breen will select a new principal.

With a lifetime of experience Burch had very simple advice for the next person following in his footsteps. “Let the faculty, students, and parents know that you care about them,” he said. Burch recalled the constant work that he has done in building bridges with the school’s alumni. O’Connell has 15,000 alumni and their constant support has helped O’Connell succeed while still having one of the lowest tuitions of all the private schools in the metropolitan area.

While Burch plans to continue working with the school dealing with alumni relations, he has decided that after 42 years as principal and 42 consecutive baseball victories, he is ready to hang up his books, next to his cleats. “It felt like it was time,” Burch said.