On Thursday Sept. 1, Bonita Vista High (BVH) Principal Roman Del Rosario, Ed.D. announced to BVH staff members that he was resigning from his position to become an Instructional Support Officer for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). The email, whose subject line read “Thank you for everything,” explained that Del Rosario’s final day as BVH’s principal is Sept. 16th; he will begin working at SDUSD on Oct. 1.  

Retired Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) principal and BVH alumni Lee Romero will temporarily take his place while the SUHSD “works very diligently” to find a permanent replacement. Del Rosario predicts that a permanent principal will be in place by winter break. 

“I would also say to parents and students that the school is in good hands because of the steadfast stewardship of the staff,” Del Rosario said. “No matter who comes in, I’m very confident that the school is just gonna continue to grow and thrive.”

As an Instructional Support Officer, Del Rosario will be working with students on their post secondary educational plans. Furthermore, he will work with counselors and administrators at SDUSD high schools to help students set up support plans including how to maintain their grades and navigate financial aid for college. 

“It’s been consistent with my beliefs since the beginning of my career [that it is] important to really think about what comes next for students. Not just what we’re teaching them at that moment, but what we’re preparing for them in the future,” Del Rosario said. 

According to Del Rosario, the main incentive for his decision to take up a new position is for professional growth. He explains that he had an opportunity to grow as BVH’s principal and sees the SDUSD position as another open door in his career. 

“I often think that the time that we have in our careers and even in life is fleeting. At some point it’s just gonna end. It seemed like this is an opportunity for a new adventure,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario has worked for the SUHSD district for over 15 years and served as BVH’s principal for the last five years. His close relationship with his staff made his goodbyes “bittersweet,” as Assistant Principal (AP) and 12 year friend of Del Rosario, Jason Josafat explains.

“Dr. Del Rosario has always put students as his priority. So bittersweet is probably the best word [to describe my reaction] because I’m happy for him, personally, but I’m sad that we’re gonna be losing such a dynamic leader,” Josafat said.  

Despite the melancholic news, Josafat explains how this is a natural process. He expresses gratitude toward Del Rosario for bringing him to the AP position he is in now and wishes him the best.

“Change is inevitable and change is one of the only constants in our lives. So no, I don’t think [the reason for Del Rosario’s resignation is] a lack of love for Bonita,” Josafat said. “Once [Del Rosario] started here, he created an environment and culture of learning and success for our kids.” 

For staff members and administrators, Assistant Principal of Student Activities Patricia Perez believes the transition between principals is customary. Teachers working at a school for a long period should be accustomed to the change that comes with a principal leaving. 

“I think that staff members are used to change because once we move from our teacher status into our administrative status, the district will rotate us every few years. I know that staff members who stay at a site and have been at a site for a long time are used to having the transition of new principals every so often, so they become accustomed to it,” Perez explained. 

After teaching at BVH for 11 years, biology and forensics teacher Joseph Szakovits has experienced a change in principal before. Going forward, Szakovits anticipates the transition to a new principal will be smooth. 

“We’ll keep moving. We still have the same students that we had before, we still have the same teachers that we have before and Bonita isn’t about any one person. So I think we’ll be fine,” Szakovits said. 

Attendance Coordinator Antonio Guiterrez shares a similar sentiment to Szakovits. He believes a strength of BVH is the skilled teachers and administrators who specialize in a specific section of the school—he attributes this to Del Rosario. 

“One of the strengths of Dr. Del Rosario is that he puts people in charge of different parts of BVH, from the AVID program, to robotics program, to the IB and AP [programs], and to sports. Because he has already found strong leaders in all of those areas, I don’t think we’re going to suffer much,” Gutierrez said. 

One of the areas includes the BVH Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA). After working closely with Del Rosario to develop PTSA, President and BVH parent Kathleen Yetter was surprised and saddened by Del Rosario’s announcement. 

“Right before Del Rosario became principal, the PTSA went dark. I was initially impressed with the way Dr. Del Rosario listened, made plans and followed through with action. When he asked me to restart our PTSA, I felt supported and excited to be part of a winning team,” Yetter said.  

Del Rosario’s talents are an attribute that many schools and school districts value. The ability to lead a team is why Gutierrez anticipated Del Rosario would eventually find a new position beyond BVH principal. 

“Dr. Del Rosario is a talented as well as caring person who truly fights for all students at all levels. I knew it wasn’t if he was going to leave our school to do bigger things, it was a matter of when,” Gutierrez said. “I was very, very happy and hopeful when the school year started because I know that when you have a talented leader they’re going to be picked up.”

While some staff members saw this change coming, International Baccalaureate (IB) English Higher Level (HL) 1 and Theory of Knowledge teacher Jason Good took the situation with humor. His initial reaction was not of surprise, but of something different. 

“[I thought] ‘oh no, no I have to text my friends?!’ Legitimately, and then I texted my friends,” Good explains. “I said, ‘everyone see Dr. Del Rosario’s email?’ and [IB Coordinator Jared] Phelps said, ‘WOW,’ and [IB English HL 2 and English 9 Accelerated teacher Raymond] Chhan said ‘Woah!!’”

Good states that when Del Rosario first moved to BVH as a principal, he was relatively new to the campus as well. While he went through a period of adaptation to teaching at BVH, the school underwent a transition as well. 

“We got to see the new principal’s vision and there’s this adaptation period of hearing what the new principal wants to do, and then wondering how the school will change,” Good said. 

The question of what comes next is at the forefront of the School Site Council student representative and senior Christian Gomez’s mind. After recently being elected student representative, Gomez has shared some expectations for the new principal. 

“It’s going to be a very big change not only to the school but to the student site council because the principal is part of the student site council,” Gomez said.  “I hope we get a flexible principal that can hear the students’ concerns or else we may be in a situation of gridlock.”

Gomez explains that Del Rosario has created meaningful changes with the School Site Council in the past. The Council, with the leadership of Del Rosario was able to implement a new E-hall pass system and implement a new block schedule for the 2022-2023 school year and so on. He also adds his feelings of thankfulness towards Del Rosario for listening to student concerns. 

“I was very disappointed [to find out Del Rosario was leaving] but I understand that he wants to go to a new chapter in his life,” Gomez said. “Never forget us and we will never forget the good things you have done for our BVH community.”  

Appreciation for BVH and SUHSD did not come in short from Del Rosario’s perspective. He thanks the BVH community for welcoming him at the beginning of his principalship and feels honored to be a part of BVH’s history.

“As sad and nervous as I get about leaving this district where I went to school, the overwhelming emotion is excitement to be able to do some special work,” Del Rosario said. “Life at the end of the day is finite and you only have so many experiences. This is an opportunity to gain experiences that will be part of my journey in trying to open doors for students.”