Bonsall's new school opens in fall

On August 29, when principal Tom Pellegrino throws open the gates to Bonsall West Elementary, a stampede of Colts will thunder through to find their quarters amid Bison, Coyotes, Diamondbacks and Fire Ants. It’s not the opening of a new zoo but the first day of school for preschoolers through fifth-graders at the Bonsall Union School District’s new state-of-the art facility at 5050 El Mirlo Drive in Oceanside.

Technically the school’s mascot is a Colt, but the colorfully named buildings that house the classrooms evoke images of the creatures that inhabit California and will remind all who atte...