After 28 years in public education, GRC Principal David Bolen considers the 2020 Kentucky Association of School Administrators Administrator of the Year award a treasured achievement.

The prestigious statewide award was presented to Bolen today at KASA’s Annual Leadership Institute in Louisville. The honor is given to only one school administrator in Kentucky.

“I was shocked to find out I had even been nominated,” Bolen said. “Colleagues from other districts completed the nomination process and that made me feel like others recognize and value my contributions to public education.”

His 10-year tenure at GRC has included innovative academic transformations and expansions in the areas of dual credit and career pathways, along with implementation of the Student Leadership Challenge program. GRC’s EKU Now program has been a model for numerous other schools, as has the SLC, the first of its kind in Kentucky.

“When I was hired at GRC, I looked at our school through the lens of my own two daughters who were at high school age,” he said. “That helped me see how to craft our academic programs to meet the needs of the whole child.”

Bolen oversaw GRC’s transition to a new high school campus in 2013, and the opening of its state-of-the-art athletics facilities this past year.

“It’s nice to know I am receiving recognition for a lot of hard work put in over the years,” Bolen said. “It’s a good piece for my career and one I will always treasure. I see it as acknowledgement of things well done that maybe sometimes I don’t see myself.”

While the award is special to him, he especially values the rewards his career has brought.

“I am proud of the legacy of empowering my employees and students, thinking outside the box, and helping teachers propel their careers,” Bolen said. “I hope I have given everyone who has crossed my path something they can use in their careers and lives.”