It's not surprising Dr. Jason Holt, Aiken High School's new principal, went into education.
He comes from a long line of educators. It's a family tradition.
“My brother, my sister-in-law, my wife, my mom, Jan, and my dad, Joe, all have some form of education in their careers or service,” said Holt, adding that his mom, who taught at Hammond Hill Elementary in North Augusta, where he grew up, was his kindergarten teacher.
His roots in the Aiken County Public School District run deep, too.
In addition to Hammond Hill, Holt attended North Augusta Middle and Paul Knox Middle, where he was the principal for the last two years, and graduated from North Augusta High.
During his 15 years as an educator, Holt, 36, taught at Jackson Middle School and South Aiken High before becoming an assistant principal at South Aiken.
Before becoming the principal at Paul Knox, which became a science-themed school under his leadership, Holt was the principal at Jackson STEM Middle, helping the school transition from a traditional middle school to a nationally STEM-accredited school.
Now as Aiken High's principal – which Holt called “the greatest honor of my career – he will oversee the Cambridge International program, an inclusive program that allows students to earn college credits for advanced coursework while giving them a global perspective. Aiken High is the first and only school in South Carolina to receive the Cambridge accreditation.
And for college, Holt graduated from USC Aiken, where he met his wife, Stephanie, who teaches 5K at Chukker Creek Elementary.
“I went to USC Aiken and absolutely fell in love with it,” Holt said. “I'm a product all the way through of all that Aiken County has to offer in education. I'm proud to be a product of Aiken County. I've really been blessed with nothing by great experiences.”
Outside work, Holt, his wife, and their children, Natalie and Coleman, are active at Aiken's First Baptist Church, volunteer with the Aiken Downtown Development Association and participate in 5K races. He also works out with F3 Aiken, a men's fitness and fellowship group, and reads historical nonfiction and education research.
Read the full Aiken Standard article here.