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
High School Football 2026 gets underway this week
b-Sports, Madison County Record, News, ...
Special Teams
Bob Labbe 
August 19, 2026
MADISON - The summer- long workouts are now memories of the past. The pre-season practices are now complete. With both of those facts in the history b...
Huntsville Ballet Company unveils 2026–2027 Season
Events, Lifestyles, Madison County Record, ...
STAFF REPORTS staff@themadisonrecord.com 
August 19, 2026
HUNTSVILLE - Huntsville Ballet announced its dynamic 2026– 2027 season, featuring beloved classics, innovative new works, and immersive audience exper...
MADISON HISTORY: James Alexander Humphrey and Madison High School
Lifestyles, Madison County Record, News, ...
EXPLORING LOCAL HISTORY WITH MARIA
Maria Rakoczy 
August 19, 2026
MADISON - The Humphrey family was among the early families of Madison and many of its members were influential in founding industry and education in t...
High school football players, what makes them tick?
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
Bob Labbe 
August 19, 2026
MADISON - Most elite high school football players have a core motivation, an inner reason why they do what they do in the sport they love. Many coache...
Hit-and-Run investigation launched after Huntsville teen killed on Capshaw Road
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Staff Reports 
August 16, 2026
MADISON - State troopers are asking for the public’s help to find the driver of a vehicle believed to have struck and killed a 16-year-old on Capshaw ...
SANDRA LESTER: A Miracle Mural in MidCity
Living50Plus
MARIA RAKOCZY | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY 
August 13, 2026
Sandra Lester is known for her colorful art style, evocative of Vincent Van Gogh’s mastery of color and movement. Her art usually graces 11”x14” canva...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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