Michael Farrell (photo from Penn GSE website).

The School District of Philadelphia has announced the hiring of a new principal to replace the school’s founding principal, Sheila Sydnor, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Michael T. Farrell, a West Philly native and the founding principal of Thomas Elementary School in South Philadelphia (run by Mastery Charter Schools) will take over at Penn Alexander in the fall. Farrell has been at Thomas since 2013 and before that he was an assistant principal, special education coordinator and teacher at various Philadelphia schools, including Science Leadership Academy.

A committee of Penn Alexander teachers, the School Advisory Council and University of Pennsylvania assisted the district in the nationwide search, which took more than three months.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sydnor began her career as a teacher in 1975 and was principal of M.H. Stanton Elementary School in North Philadelphia before coming to Penn Alexander when the school opened in 2001.

“The Penn Alexander School is one of the brightest spots in The School District of Philadelphia as a result of Sheila Sydnor’s stellar leadership,” Dr. William R. Hite, Superintendent said in a statement.

Sydnor will assist Farrell in the transition, according to the statement.