Building the School She Once Imagined

Double alumna Henna Billings launches her own preschool, shaped by the education she received at Belmont 

Henna Billings had no way of knowing that her educational journey would lead to opening her own school when she first came to Belmont as an Asian Studies major. 

This fall, Billings will welcome the first students to Alexandria Schoolhouse, a play-based independent preschool she is co-founding in Virginia.  

The new school represents more than a decade of teaching experience, educational leadership and a vision for early childhood education that first took shape during her years at Belmont. 

"Opening a school feels like freedom to really go for my vision and what I feel like education should be," Billings said. "It's a place where I can create my own school culture, and that feels really freeing and beautiful." 

Discovering a Calling 

After earning her undergraduate degree in 2012, she traveled to China to study Chinese in the Lumos program.  During her six weeks in China, she volunteered in two very different settings: an elder care home and a school serving children with disabilities. 

While both experiences were meaningful, it was her time working with children that left a lasting impression. 

"I just loved being with the children," she said. "That's really what pushed me toward teaching." 

After earning her bachelor's degree, Billings entered Belmont's  Master of Arts in Teaching program, graduating in 2014. The early childhood education program's emphasis on play-based learning immediately resonated with her educational philosophy. 

"I think young children learn through play," she said. "Belmont offering that program really drew me in." 

Learning by Doing  

From the small class sizes to the hands-on learning environment, several aspects of her graduate experience helped shape her approach as an educator. 

"Because the classes were small, professors could differentiate and connect with us in a way that was really meaningful,” she said. “We were constantly creating projects, working with students and testing out what we were learning in real schools. It showed me that people learn in different ways, and as a teacher, you need to create those opportunities for children too." 

One project has stayed with her throughout her career. In one of her first education courses, students were tasked with designing a school of their own.  

At the time, it was simply an assignment. Today, it feels remarkably familiar. 

Creating Alexandria Schoolhouse 

After getting her Master of Arts in Teaching at Belmont, Billings embarked on her journey as an educator, starting as a substitute teacher in Nashville. She eventually moved to New York City and taught at several respected schools, including Brooklyn Friends School, Corlears School and Bank Street School for Children.  

Each role strengthened her understanding of child development, collaboration and community-building, leading her to relocate to Virginia, where she became a preschool 3s co-teacher at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School. 

The vision for Alexandria Schoolhouse began years ago through conversations between Billings and her husband Brian that manifested into reality over time. 

Together with her husband and fellow co-founders, Kim Turnbull and Newlin Wilkins, Billings has spent the last two years finding a location, navigating regulations, designing the program and preparing to welcome students. Billings will assume the role

Billings is the founding and lead teacher at Alexandria Schoolhouse, opening this fall. The school will offer a play-based, Reggio Emilia-inspired approach to early childhood education. The curriculum is built around children's interests, allowing teachers to create meaningful learning experiences that integrate literacy, math, science and creative exploration through hands-on discovery. 

The school will also feature mixed-age classrooms, encouraging younger children to learn from older peers while giving older students opportunities to lead and mentor. 

For Billings, the model reflects much of what first drew her to Belmont's education program. 

"We look at each child as an individual and build from what they're interested in," she explained. "It's about the process of learning and creating, not just the finished product." 

A Community-Centered Vision 

Beyond academics, Billings hopes Alexandria Schoolhouse will cultivate a strong sense of belonging for every child who walks through its doors. 

"We're very much about the social-emotional development of children and making them feel like they're part of a community," she said. "We want them to feel seen and heard for who they are." 

Music also plays an important role in that vision. Both Billings and her husband are trained classical musicians, and they plan to incorporate music throughout the school day as a tool for learning, creativity and connection. 

For a Belmont alumna whose journey has spanned classrooms in Nashville, New York and now Virginia, the launch of Alexandria Schoolhouse marks both a professional milestone and the fulfillment of a long-held dream that began taking root at Belmont. 

“Back in the day our task was to find a building somewhere in Nashville that could hold a school,” she recalled. “It was just a project then, but now I can even put that into practice.”