School board okays new principal, five assistant principals
Madison, Madison County Record, News, Schools, Z - News Main
 By  John Few Published 
1:00 pm Wednesday, December 15, 2021

School board okays new principal, five assistant principals

MADISON – The new year will also bring leadership changes at several Madison Schools.

The Madison City Board of Education on Tuesday approved a new principal for Columbia Elementary and assistant principals for Columbia, Rainbow, Heritage, Madison and Horizon elementary schools.

Miranda Bolden with Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols and Assistant Superintendent Eric Terrell
New Columbia Elementary Principal Miranda Bolden, flanked by Assistant Supt. Eric Terrell and Supt. Dr. Ed Nichols.

The promotions are new for the position but not new to Madison City Schools. All come from within the district and are mostly transferring schools.

Mid-year retirements of several principals began the domino-like effect of changes.

In the special called meeting of the Board, Miranda Bolden was named principal of Columbia Elementary.

Bolden began her teaching at Columbia so has come full circle in becoming principal there. She comes from Assistant Principal at Rainbow Elementary where she had also been in the Madison Aspiring Administrators Program (MAAP) assigned to Rainbow.

Five assistant principals pictured with Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols and Assistant Superintendent Eric Terrell

Assistant principals (L-R) between Mr. Terrell and Dr. Nichols: Nedjra Russell, Kimberly Massey, Wendy Pharo, Kristen Kolenich, Tammy Jones

The following assistant principals were approved today by the Board:

Nedjra Russell, Rainbow Elementary – Russell was MAAP at Rainbow and taught before Tuesday’s promotion to RES assistant principal to replace Bolden.

Kimberly Massey, Columbia Elementary was selected to replace Laura Minor, who just retired. Massey is currently the MAAP at Columbia.

Kristen Kolenich, Heritage Elementary – She replaces Nathan Wilson, who recently was promoted to principal at Mill Creek Elementary. Kolenich is currently reading coach at Heritage.

Tammy Jones, Madison Elementary – Jones was assistant principal at Horizon and transfers to MES to replace Demetria Freeman, who was recently named principal at Horizon.

Wendy Pharo, Horizon Elementary. Pharo is elementary instruction specialist at the Central Office. She will fill the AP job left by Tammy Jones who is transferring to assistant principal at Madison Elementary. Pharo taught and was a reading coach at Heritage prior to moving to the district elementary instruction specialist position.

Also on The Madison Record
Downtown Madison to host Third Thursday event this Thursday
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
John Few 
July 15, 2026
MADISON – It is that time of month again – time for fun at Main Street Madison’s Third Thursday. The event is bringing family fun, food trucks, local ...
City unveils plans for art installation in Town Madison
Madison County Record, News, The Madison Recor, ...
MARIA RAKOCZY mailto:maria@themadisonrecord.com maria@themadisonrecord.com 
July 15, 2026
MADISON - The city of Madison with Madison Visionary Partners revealed and approved plans to install a sculpture in Town Madison at the July 13 Madiso...
Madison Chamber to host “State of the Region” at Toyota Field
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
July 15, 2026
MADISON – Residents can learn about updates for initiatives and the status of in-progress projects at the upcoming “State of the Region” address. Madi...
Madison Board of Education proceeds with superintendent search
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Gregg Parker 
July 15, 2026
MADISON – Since the end of May, Madison Board of Education has been searching for a qualified candidate to fill the vacancy for Superintendent of Madi...
Alabama back-to-school sales tax holiday comes July 17-19
Business, Madison County Record, News, ...
STAFF REPORTS staff@themadisonrecord.com 
July 15, 2026
MADISON - Alabama shoppers can save money on back-toschool items during the state’s 21st annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, according to the Ala...
Alicia Waddail looks forward to serving at Madison’s newest school
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
Gregg Parker 
July 15, 2026
MADISON – With its opening set for the 2026-2027 school year, Russell Branch Elementary School has filled another slot – an experienced educator who i...
Summer closing FCA events highlight of the year
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
Bob Labbe 
July 15, 2026
MADISON - Summer is quickly coming to a close, especially within the calendar year of local school systems. Madison City Schools return to the classro...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *