Over the past seven years, principal Kevin Lowery has brought exemplary school reform to Bolivar Middle School. Implementing the Turning Points reform model, Mr. Lowery transformed a traditional junior high school into one of the most recognized, awarded, and visited middle schools in all of southern Missouri. Part of his success comes from thinking of himself as "a teacher first, and principal second." As a result, many of the reforms he has introduced are focused on improving teacher quality, from interdisciplinary team teaching and integrated curricular maps for each grade level to ample collaboration time for Bolivar's teachers. Students have received plenty of support from Mr. Lowery as well, with programs ranging from an Academic Recovery Center for students needing personal tutoring and mentoring to an Inter-Disciplinary Enrichment Activity (IDEA) Period for all students. He has also placed a strong emphasis on standards, benchmarks, professional development for teachers and analysis of student data. The end result of all these reforms has been a record of consistently outstanding student achievement, with the school being listed each year as one of the state's "Top 10" in the Missouri Assessment Program. Considering the many lives he has impacted, Mr. Lowery's innovative leadership has truly been a turning point for countless students and teachers.
