About The Principal
Welcome to my webpage!
My name is Daren Lowery; I am forty-eight years old and was born and raised in Central Illinois. I attended Peoria High School, where I played baseball and golf. After high school I spent the next two years at Illinois Central College before graduating from Illinois State University. I am the father of two wonderful children, Victoria (twenty one, a junior nursing student at OSF) and Braden (eighteen, a senior at East Peoria Community High School). I am married to Elizabeth, who has two children Alex and Abigail. All four of our children grew up in East Peoria and attended Armstrong, Bolin, CJHS and EPCHS. My wife, Elizabeth was born and raised in East Peoria, while I moved to East Peoria in 1998.
Throughout my life I have enjoyed playing, watching and coaching multiple sports. I played competetive men's fastpitch softball for 23 years, traveling all over the United States, before retiring to dedicate more time to coach my childrens' basketball and softball teams. I now enjoy hitting the golf ball when time permits and taking weekend trips whenever Elizabeth and I can sneak away.
My teaching career began shortly after graduating from ISU when I received an opportunity to teach seventh grade math and boys’ physical education in Downer’s Grove, IL. Downer’s Grove was a great community, and I loved my position, school, colleagues and students, however, it just wasn’t home. After one year of teaching at Downer’s Grove, I returned to Central Illinois and began teaching and coaching at Georgetowne Middle School in Marquette Heights. During my three years at Georgetowne, I taught boys’ physical education, eighth grade algebra and computers. I served as the athletic director and coached boys’ baseball and basketball. Near the end of my third year at Georgetowne I had the opportunity to join District 86 by teaching at Central Junior High School, where I spent the next seven years. During my first two years at Central, I taught seventh grade math before opening a state-of-the-art modular technology lab, which I taught for five years. During my time at CJHS, I coached girls’ and boys’ basketball, boys’ baseball, served as the chess club sponsor and the athletic director.
Quincy University bound!
While teaching at CJHS I earned an Administrator's Degree in Education from ISU in 2002 and was named the Principal at Bolin School in 2003, where I have spent the past fifteen years. Bolin School has a great group of students and families and the most dedicated staff I have had the fortune of working with.
In 2015, I received an Educational Specialist Degree (Superintendent Endorsement) from Eastern Illinois and am currently finishing the requirements for a Chief School Business Officials Endorsement from the University of Illinois at Springfield.
Every day is a great day to be a Bolin Brave!
OSF here I come!
Cubbie & Blizzard
Shyeanne