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THE BOLLES SCHOOL

Alumnus wants to help Jacksonville private school with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An alumnus of The Bolles School wants to help the private school with its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Dixon told News4Jax on Tuesday he wants to have one or two of his fellow members sit on Bolles’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to help the school create change. Ad“It appears as though they have a different idea of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Dixon said. Dixon said he has not heard back after reaching out to Bolles about putting one or two of the members of the Black Bolles Alumni Group on the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to help the school create change. Dixon also has suggested a mentoring program where Black alumni can mentor Black students, but he said he hasn’t heard much from the school in return.

Donors pressured Jacksonville private school to drop diversity curriculum

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Six days before The Bolles School announced it would not move forward with a planned diversity curriculum, the Board of Trustees and others received a message signed by five former board chairmen saying financial support was in jeopardy if the school adopted the curriculum. “As a past board chairman, alumnus and past-parent, we are deeply concerned about the direction of our school,” the letter said in part. The letter was signed by A. Chester Skinner III, Richard Dostie, Clancey Houston, Rodney McLauchlan and William Lynch — all of them former chairmen of the school’s Board of Trustees. “It had absolutely no bearing on our decision to change course on our curriculum implementation,” Hodges said in an emailed response. Ad“The Bolles School is committed, and as Head of School I am personally committed, to a comprehensive program of diversity and inclusion,” Hodges said.

Davis Ellis honored as All-Star Athlete

Davis Ellis is a senior at The Bolles School where he is the captain of the football team and is on the basketball and track teams. Davis is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has over 120 hours of community service working with young athletes as a Grit Summer Camp counselor and a Bolles Football Camp counselor. Davis currently has 4.2 GPA and is currently committed to play football at the University of Pennsylvania and will attend the Wharton School of Business.

Jacksonville private school halts part of its racial diversity curriculum, citing community ‘angst’

This photos of a banner outside The Bolles School campus on San Jose Blvd was captured on Jan. 29, 2021. AdWhen News4Jax asked for clarification on what the school leadership meant by “angst,” Jan Olson, Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at The Bolles School replied, “...some people really wanted it and some really didn’t so our board decided to seek other resources. “We realize that the topic of diversity and inclusion is very personal and can generate strong emotions,” the letter said. The Episcopal School of Jacksonville, another private institution that was the subject of social media criticism by former students, said it has since launched a number of initiatives to address the issue. Ad“The tragedies of this past year reinforced our need as a nation – as a school – to respect the dignity of every human being.,” Rev.

San Jose Boulevard near Bolles closed by crash

David Benfield/News4JaxJACKSONVILLE, Fla. - San Jose Boulevard in front of The Bolles School is closed to traffic after an SUV left the road and struck a telephone pole just after 1 p.m. Wednesday. News4Jax was told wires are down across the road and traffic will be diverted until JEA can make repairs. Southbound lanes reopened just before 3 p.m. and northbound lanes about 30 minutes later. Live, interactive map of Jacksonville traffic. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

Bolles, Episcopal & Kenny to start randomly drug testing students

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Three prominent private schools in Jacksonville will randomly test their students for drug and alcohol use beginning in September 2020. News4Jax obtained an email sent to parents, announcing that the trustees for both The Bolles School and Episcopal School of Jacksonville voted unanimously to launch the random drug and alcohol testing program next year for their high school students. A separate notice, which mirrors those sent to Bolles and Episcopal parents, was sent to Bishop Kenny parents Wednesday afternoon. "The primary purpose of this is to help somebody that has a need," The Bolles School's President and Head of School Tyler Hodges told News4Jax. According to the emails to Bolles, Episcopal and Kenny parents, the schools already had policies for drug testing based on suspicion, but the new program will expand to randomly test all students in ninth to 12th grades.

6 teams, 3 games, 21,204 fans for first ever Bold City Showcase

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – From late morning through late night, thousands of people were packed into The Bolles School campus in San Jose to watch some of the best high school football on the First Coast. It was the inaugural Bold City Showcase. News4Jax meteorologist estimated the high temperature at Bolles was 91 degrees -- in the shade. "We're all, like, sweating and, like, it's really hard, but a lot of water has helped with the heat," Bartram Trail cheerleader Lily McMullan said. Despite the heat, Bartram Trail left tackle Jacob Otts said he's happy with how well the inaugural event went.

Bold City Showcase: Nothing private about success at Bolles, University Christian

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - We finish our look at the six schools in Saturday's Publix Bold City Showcase with trips to Bolles and University Christian. The private schools are longtime rivals on the field but share a similar mission off the field: a focus on success and service. WATCH: News4Jax's Scott Johnson takes you to Bolles and University ChristianDazzling 'DogsThe host of the six-school Bold City Showcase is The Bolles School. Christian kindnessRight where University Boulevard meets Interstate 95 you'll find one of Jacksonville's most historic private schools: University Christian. Student Joseph Carter said they recently had an event with foster parents where the University Christian students babysat so parents could take the night off.

Bold City Showcase: Nothing private about success at Bolles, University Christian

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We finish our look at the six schools in Saturday's Publix Bold City Showcase with trips to Bolles and University Christian. The private schools are longtime rivals on the field but share a similar mission off the field: a focus on success and service. WATCH: News4Jax's Scott Johnson takes you to Bolles and University ChristianDazzling 'DogsThe host of the six-school Bold City Showcase is The Bolles School. Christian kindnessRight where University Boulevard meets Interstate 95 you'll find one of Jacksonville's most historic private schools: University Christian. Student Joseph Carter said they recently had an event with foster parents where the University Christian students babysat so parents could take the night off.