Back-to-School at BHS celebrates first senior class, innovative 'C' Days

BONSALL – Bonsall High School held Back-to-School night on Aug. 24 with all four grade levels, freshman to senior, officially in place. Since the unification of the Bonsall district in 2012, the high school has added one class per year starting with ninth grade in 2014. The 2017-2018 school year celebrates its first senior class and a complete K-12 program for BUSD.

As a newly forming school, change is the one true constant at BHS. Faculty and students recognize the reality that some change is to be celebrated, some to endure, and that all change creates growth. The class of 2021 brings 120 fresh faces to high-tech learning and is twice the enrollment of the charter class of 2018, bringing the total BHS population to over 350.

Principal Lee Fleming said, “At Bonsall High School, we think that every class should provide access to career development, hands-on learning and real-world application. We think that every class should care about student passion and interest. We think that every teacher has an obligation to engage students with the outside world and reveal the possibilities of post-secondary training and education.”

New to Bonsall High School this year is “C Day: College and Career Ready,” which has already gained momentum with staff and students. Bonsall High School’s core purpose is to graduate students who are distinguished candidates for college and career along their own personalized pathways. Being “prepared for college” is no longer enough for students. Students need to be aware, eligible, and prepared for careers beyond college and other post-secondary training.

Recent research indicates that only about 13 percent of high school students nationally are prepared for their college majors or other postsecondary training. The primary reasons for this shortcoming are:

• Students are unaware about the steps they need to take to be prepared for their professional fields.
• Students are unsure how to finance their education.
• Students are not educated about non-traditional pathways that are appropriate for their fields of interest.
• Students do not have a social network to overcome barriers to postsecondary training and education.

BHS proposes to address the challenges of traditional high school education through a rigorous and enriching C-day curriculum focusing on the needs of students preparing for an increasingly complex world.

The four areas that C-day will address are: personal portfolio, college discovery, and career exploration as well as physical, mental, and emotional health. Each grade level will experience these topics according to their developmental needs and appropriate college and career readiness opportunities.

The Bonsall High School senior class of 2018 will forever be defined by a willingness to jump into the unknown to build a community high school from the ground up. The leadership of this group is palpable; strong, and collaborative, and each subsequent grade has benefited by their vision, kindness, and support.

BHS looks forward to a year of learning together as this first graduating class enters the world distinguished in their preparedness for college, work, and onto jobs that haven't even been invented yet.