Bonsall High School offers many opportunities

When I first attended Bonsall High, I was coming in as junior transfer student with a dream of graduating a year early. The first month at Bonsall High was when my dream started to become a reality.

I was gifted a one-on-one meeting with the principal at the time, Lee Fleming, who along with the supportive staff, created a schedule consisting of Palomar College credits and a high school workload, which allowed me to gain all of the required credits to graduate with the class of 2018.

Although stress of high expectations quickly set in, I was lucky to be surrounded by a staff who not only put my student needs first, but also, genuinely cared about my mental well-being. I was repeatedly checked in on for signs of struggle that might interfere with my workload. This is a special kind of compassion no teenager would receive at any other high school.

Bonsall High is special. This establishment values education firstly, but is also centered around teaching students to be responsible for themselves and for others. With group centered learning, your education no longer depends solely on your efforts, but those of your teammates, as well.

Working together to solve a difficult problems taught me how to handle sharing a workload, but also made me genuinely care about my classmate’s success. Personally, I believe these are ideals that challenge the stigma that teenagers, at the high school level, are too young to learn compassion.

Bonsall High School guided me towards where I am today. I am studying on a majority scholarship at the University of San Francisco as a biology major. I graduated, with honors, as a junior. My younger sister is currently attending Bonsall High School, as a freshman.

I hope, with the school’s future just beginning, she will be able to graduate with even more opportunities than the many I was given at Bonsall High School.

Savanna Giles

2018 Bonsall High Graduate