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There's a new chief on this campus

A former Chamberlain High assistant principal becomes the school's new leader.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK
Published February 12, 2006

FOREST HILLS - From the day Jeff Boldt started teaching in 1974, he set a career goal of becoming a school principal.

"That was the ultimate for me," Boldt said.

He reaches that point on Monday, when he officially takes over the reins of Chamberlain High School, where he served as an assistant principal for about seven years in the 1990s. Already, Boldt has new targets in his sight.

"I've studied the test scores," he said. "I know we've got some work to do."

Chamberlain has received a C grade from the state. That's not good enough for Boldt.

"My goal is to bring it to the next level, a B, and before I leave this profession, Chamberlain has got to be an A school," he said.

He sees the school moving forward with several initiatives.

Already home to blossoming career programs, such as a well regarded culinary arts curriculum, Chamberlain will continue to promote more of these, including an "academy" focused on finance related skills and professions, Boldt said.

Chamberlain also will develop methods to create smaller learning environments, such as school within a school and other academies, to help bolster achievement, taking advantage of a federal grant that the administration recently received.

The argument is that high schools larger than 1,000 students are too impersonal and ineffective. Chamberlain has about 2,200 students.

"Research indicates what we can do to make youngsters feel they've got someone to turn to and they're not just a number in the system," Boldt said. "We want youngsters to feel comfortable."

As Chamberlain moves into the future with its academic programs, Boldt said, it also needs to hold firm to its past.

"The beautiful thing about it is, there are great traditions and a rich history here at Chamberlain High School," he said.

Boldt especially looked forward to the annual senior send-off in the spring and the school's traditional headdress passing ceremony on Tuesday. Outgoing principal Pam Peralta, who was promoted to head the school district's technical and career programs division, will take the Chiefs headdress and put it on Boldt's head, signifying the transfer of leadership.

"Some places might say it's hokey" Boldt said. "It's not. It's real."

When growing up, Boldt had no plans to become an educator. An Army brat, he came to enjoy electronics and planned to become an engineer.

A year at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, however, convinced him that engineering wasn't the answer. He headed home to Pennsylvania, where his parents urged him to get a part-time job.

He tried substitute teaching, and liked it. Boldt transferred to the University of Tampa, where he earned first a bachelor's degree and then a master's in education. He joined the Hillsborough County School District in 1974 as a Sligh Middle School teacher and never looked back.

Boldt's career path has included teaching stints at Coleman Middle and Leto, Plant and East Bay high schools. He took his first administrative job in 1987, as assistant principal for student affairs at Bloomingdale High. Since then, he has been an assistant principal at Chamberlain and, most recently, Riverview high schools.

Boldt, 53, lives in Brandon with his wife, Barbara, a math teacher at Mann Middle School.

"I made the drive before. I'm going to do it again," he said. "It removes the temptation of going home between school and after-hours activities."

- Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at 813 269-5304 or solochek@sptimes.com

[Last modified February 11, 2006, 10:43:05]