Roseann Bonino knows she has tough shoes to fill — taking over for long-time principal Charles Rudnick at High School South.
But the former vice principal has worked under Rudnick for the past three years and has his support. Before that, she served as both a teacher and an administrator in the district.
“Having taught at South and being a ‘Pirate’ has really given me an appreciation and true understanding of the culture and spirit at High School South,” she said.
Bonino was appointed to the principal position at the school board’s meeting on August 24 at a salary of $149,080. Her appointment was effective August 25. David Aderhold, the assistant superintendent for planning and pupil services, has been serving as the acting principal since June, when Rudnick retired.
Education has always been a familiar field for Bonino, whose mother was an elementary school teacher for 30 years and whose father was a real estate broker. She grew up in Glassboro and earned her bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Intercultural Communication from Rutgers University.
Upon graduating, she entered the corporate world, worked more than four years as a human resources manager for Macy’s and then G.E. She took time off to have two children — a son and daughter, both of whom are in college — and then decided to go back to school.
“I really felt I needed to do something more meaningful,” she said. She used her background in Spanish to land a job as a teacher in the Rancocas Valley school district.
Her family relocated to Mercer County, and she became a teacher at High School South. During this time, she was working toward her master’s degree in English as a Second Language at the College of New Jersey, where she also later earned her administration degree. After South, she became an ESL teacher at Community Middle, where she worked for six years.
In 2007, the assistant principal position opened up at South, and Bonino was appointed to the position, where she has since worked under Rudnick.
Her experience in WW-P so far has been helpful in Bonino’s ability to relate to her students. From teaching ESL at the middle school level, she says she has developed a “true empathy for the struggles of students who come to this country and try to learn a new culture.”
One of her goals is to focus on one of the district-wide initiatives known as 21st Century Competencies, which focuses on the creative talents of students.
“The goal is to see them more locally aware and active citizens of the world and using their talents and gifts to make the world a better place,” she said.
From her experience, she says she has already seen many examples of students who “excel not only academically, but in the special talents they have.” She said students in the district are very productive and use their talents to better themselves and better the lives of others. in their free time — when most kids would rather be playing video games.
As assistant principal, she has also focused on co-curricular activities, which are very important to her, she said.
As the new school year approaches, Bonino said she is grateful for the support from everyone at South. “There’s just an incredible staff at South, and I am so genuinely appreciative of the support I’ve gotten from them,” she said. “It truly meant the world to me.”
She also values the support Rudnick gave her. “It’s meant a lot to me that Mr. Rudnick really wanted this for me,” she said. “There are certainly going to be new initiatives within the district, but I hope to always continue his legacy of ‘Pirate Pride.’”
Bonino is the most recent administrator to be hired by the district. Over the summer, WW-P also hired Robin Harden-Daniels as the new principal at Millstone River and Gerard Dalton as the new principal at Community Middle as well as Rick Charwin as the district’s new director of guidance.
