New Bolton principal shares plans for conversion to magnet school

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - On October 11, the Rapides Parish School Board announced the hiring of Jenifer Scott as the new principal for Bolton as it converts into an academic and performing arts magnet school next school year. The plan is for 6-12 grades to be implemented in 2024-2025, then implement PreK-12 grades in 2025-2026.

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”Pure excitement. I was thrilled,” Scott said when she discovered the news that she would be the new principal at Bolton.

As an educator for 31 years, Scott said she has a passion for making education fun, challenging and exciting.

“I enjoy every day when I go to school getting to be around the kids because they are what makes it great, getting to spend time with them every day,” said Scott.

Now, she is tasked with providing what the Bolton Academic and Performing Arts Magnet School will entail. According to Rapides Parish Superintendent Jeff Powell, Scott helped with the launching of the district’s virtual school program and based on her success through different assignments and projects, the hire was a natural fit.

“Obviously, it just seems like a very natural fit with her experience, her expertise and then her success,” said Powell. “I mean, she has had success at every level she’s worked in.”

Currently, Scott is the principal at both Rapides Academy and Phoenix Magnet and is excited to create something bigger and better for Bolton.

“What kind of great new things are we going to offer that’s going to make this program/academy stand out?” Scott said. “Because we don’t want to be the norm. We want to be outstanding, we want to give kids opportunities they can’t get anywhere else. So, we gotta plan that.”

The next step is assembling Scott’s administration team before open enrollment begins in February. Powell said the team will help Scott with the development of Bolton.

“They have a timeline of January that they’ll be presenting to the board; kinda the overall big picture and the marketing plan to make sure that our community, our parents, our students are aware of exactly what’s going to be offered next year for the six to twelve component,” said Powell.

Scott will then engage with stakeholders and visit with parents of students at Rapides Academy, Phoenix, and Bolton on how those students will qualify for the magnet school’s academic expectations.

“Really just trying to get the programming established for what it will look like for the upcoming year,” Powell said. “So that when we start open enrollment in February, everybody will know exactly what the school is going to look like.”

As the transition moves forward, Scott says she wants to continue the Rapides Academy and Phoenix tradition of excellence all the way through 12th grade and can’t wait to see their future.

“The thought of getting to hand some of my current students their diplomas makes me extremely happy,” said Scott. It has reinvigorated me.”

Scott will officially take over as the school’s principal on October 23. Scott said every bit of that work is going to be worth it in the long run because they are going to make something that is really great for the district, the students and families in the district and the community.

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