On Wednesday, Oct. 4 in the North Auditorium, the Jones Blueprint and Jones Local School Council co-hosted a forum for the principal-to-be Kerry Dolan, an assistant principal at Brooks College Prep.
Dolan has since been offered a four year contract set to begin Oct. 23.
¨I’m ready to step into leadership,” Dolan said. “I’m eager to join a community where I can provide some stability in a place that has not been so stable, and some consistency in a place that has not been so consistent.”
JCP parent Karen Trine, who attended the meeting, appreciated Dolan’s realistic views.
“She seems sincere down to earth and open to the community and staff and student bodies input,” said Trine.
Dolan focused on the building blocks that were already there for Jones and looked to improve on them.
“I liked her upbeat, optimistic outlook, while still accepting some realities that are a little tough right now in our community,” said Trine.
“The first time I heard her speak was in a parent or a teacher form right beforehand. During both those forms,” said LSC Student Representative Michael Lane ‘25. “She sounded very well-educated and very informed about the Jones community. She came in and she knew what she was talking about, and she sounds like she has a plan.”
Dolan’s excitement and eagerness about potentially joining Jones is communicated clearly to the community.
“Jones quite frankly is an incredible place, and with the support and engagement that Jones deserves it will continue to grow,” said Dolan.
Dolan hopes to build back trust in the community by promoting student voice.
“I believe very strongly in student voice, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with students to hear their vision for Jones moving forward,” said Dolan.
Dolan emphasized listening to stakeholder voices in her decision-making process.
“From what I’ve seen, she definitely holds the qualities of listening. She has been involved with students and compared to the previous administration,” said LSC Student Representative Anabelle Sanchez ‘24. “This is something that’s definitely needed. Building back that trust between the administration and the student body is a change Jones needs.”
Positive sentiment was expressed from the SGA for the sole candidate.
“I really think Miss Dolan’s gonna create a good Jones atmosphere and really try to bring the school together and I think she is the fit for Jones,” said Lane.
Dolan also spoke about her plans to help Jones academically.
“I think one of the things we can do is a course and program audit,” said Dolan. “The more dual credit courses we’re able to offer, the more opportunities students will have to earn college credit inside the building.”
Dolan expressed her desire to commit to the student body and help provide opportunities.
“I and the other student reps all agreed that she has good communication skills,” said Lane. “She was one of the assistant principals at Brooks Academy, and she talked a lot about how she liked to build personal relations with students and we just thought that’s what Jones needed at this time.”
Apart from providing students with additional academic courses, Dolan placed an emphasis on enhancing elective classes.
“I want to ensure that we are supporting a robust arts program,” said Dolan. “As we continue to support Jones’s academic excellence, I think we would be at a loss if we only focus on academics.”
Dolan’s goals for the school align with the goals of the LSC as well.
“Right now the LSC really wants to help build a community. It seems like she knows that Jones has been through a lot of tough times and the students are also well aware of that,” said Lane. “So she wants to come in here and help students build a sense of community and build a stronger Jones relationship.”
Sanchez liked the experience Dolan brings in from a diverse student body at Brooks.
“She has her focus on not only the curriculum but also the well-being of students, teachers, and staff,” said Sanchez. “I think overall, she was just very well-rounded, especially for a school like Jones with a very diverse population.”
