BUSD approves graduation activity schedule and timeline

The Bonsall Unified School District has approved the schedule and timeline for the initial Bonsall High School graduation activities.

A 5-0 BUSD board vote Jan. 11 approved the schedule and timeline while also adopting some related graduation policies.

"We're really excited to have our first graduating class," said Bonsall High School principal Lee Fleming. "That's something unique."

Bonsall High School opened in August 2014 with ninth-graders only and expanded by a grade each year, so the 2017-18 school year is the first with seniors and thus the first with a graduation ceremony.

"It's our first time through this," said BUSD superintendent David Jones.

The first Bonsall High School graduation will take place Friday, June 8, with a 6 p.m. starting time. Bonsall High School is currently on the Sullivan Middle School campus, and the graduation ceremony will be on the lower field. Coordination of Sullivan Middle School facilities and rental equipment for the graduation ceremony is under way, since Sullivan will have its own ceremony for eighth-graders.

The policies cover regalia guidelines, valedictorian and salutatorian selection, and graduation credit requirement waivers. The draft policies included input derived from meetings with students, parents, and school district staff, and a first reading including the proposed June 8 date was presented at the July 13 BUSD board meeting.

Students will be provided with 10 invitations per family. The use of "per family" rather than "per student" indicates that twins or other siblings graduating in the same ceremony will be provided with 10 rather than 20 invitations, but families who desire additional invitations may contact the Bonsall High School office to request additional seats. All requests for additional invitations must be made by May 1, and contacting the school office will also allow for special seating for the disabled or for those with other physical needs.

Students will have an opportunity to purchase their graduation regalia consisting of a royal blue robe, a silver stole, a blue cap, and a blue and white tassel. The package will cost approximately $35, although families may request a district-provided loaner set which would be returned the week following the graduation ceremony.

Because some students will be borrowing items from the school and those items can not be altered or decorated, no decorations will be permitted so that a difference cannot be detected between purchased and borrowed regalia. If a student arrives at the graduation ceremony with an altered or decorated cap or gown they will be provided with a loaner for the ceremony and the altered or decorated item will be returned to the student following the ceremony. The school will provide a white cord for students graduating in the top 10 percent of their class and medallions for the valedictorian and salutatorian. Cap modifications based on Native American or other heritage may be requested to the graduation committee; the deadline for such requests is March 1.

Orders for graduation announcements and graduation memorabilia are due February 15.

The rankings for valedictorian and salutatorian will be based on total grade point average points for a student's first seven high school semesters, although if the potential valedictorian fails to achieve A grades in all classes during his or her final semester the valedictorian position will be given to another student. The student must have attended Bonsall High School for at least three years including the first semester of tenth grade. The valedictorian and salutatorian honors are also contingent upon a discipline record in which the student has no significant discipline issues occurring in eleventh or twelfth grade. Transcripts were due for grade point average calculation on Jan. 15.

A discussion for a potential waiver of the graduation requirements can occur as early as the second semester of tenth grade. The criteria to grant the waiver will include a plan for the future which identifies a career of interest, plans for post-secondary education or training with a list of requirements or field-specific recommendations, active involvement or a plan to participate in an internship or job shadow within the student's field of interest, and substitution of the waived required classes with other courses potentially including college courses or other classes within the student's field of interest. A waiver may also be considered if a student transfers from another high school with less stringent graduation or course credit requirements which would create difficulty for a student to accomplish the Bonsall High School requirements within a compressed time period.

The BUSD board or a designee of the school board must approve all waivers no later than one month prior to the student's scheduled graduation. The application for a waiver must be signed by the student's parent or guardian who must meet with the student's study team which includes a school administrator, although an adult student may sign the application. If a student has an individualized education program (IEP), the waiver must be recorded in an IEP annual or amendment meeting.

Twelfth-graders must complete a senior project by April 26.

Auditions for student speakers and musical performers at the graduation ceremony will be held Feb. 8. A committee consisting of parents, students, and a teacher will select the speakers and performers.

Bonsall High School's first Grad Night will take place May 30 – actually May 30 from 8 a.m. to midnight and May 31 from midnight to 2 a.m. – at Disneyland's California Adventure Park, although if not enough donations are received to cover the costs of all students who want to attend, the trip will be cancelled. Admission to Disneyland's California Adventure is $79.00, and including bus transportation and other expenses, the approximate cost is $140.00. Students and chaperons can participate on rides and other activities at Disneyland's California Adventure beginning at 8:00 a.m. and a Grad Night party will begin at 9:00 p.m. and last until 2:00 a.m. The students and chaperons will stop for breakfast on the way back and are expected to return to Bonsall at approximately 5:00 a.m. May 31.

The senior awards banquet will be held June 5 on campus.