by Andrew Fierro, Managing Editor

From student to teacher to principal, alumnus Dr. Kris Anderson has gone through a long journey of being educated as well as educating, which has led him back home to become the new principal of St. John Bosco.

Dr. Anderson has filled the spot of Dr. Christian DeLarkin as the new principal of the school and could not be more thankful for the responsibility he now holds. Before coming to school at Bosco, Dr. Anderson already knew that it was the school he would attend. Dr. Anderson made up his mind pretty quickly on Bosco after seeing a role model of his enroll.

Though this role model is what got him initially interested in Bosco, it was Dr. Anderson’s continued research into the school that really solidified his enrollment. Since his enrollment, Dr. Anderson has had countless great memories of the school, though one of the standout memories was going undefeated in Serra league football his junior year.

“It was the best league in California, if not the whole country, and there was no way whatsoever any team would be able to go through this league undefeated, and in its first year of its existence we went undefeated in that league,” said Dr. Anderson.

Though he graduated from Bosco, Dr. Anderson knew that he would eventually be back, as he spent his student-teaching time back at St. John Bosco, and then inevitably returned to become the principal.

“It never really felt like a goodbye, more like until next time,” said Dr. Anderson.

As a student Dr. Anderson was able to build relationships with many of his teachers with one of the more prominent being current counselor Mr. Basil Totah. During Dr. Anderson’s time, Mr. Totah was his position coach for football, which led to a strong bond being formed between the two of them.

“When he first came to Bosco, you could tell he didn’t have a whole lot of experience playing tackle football, though what I noticed was how diligent he was about learning and how hardworking he was,” said Mr. Totah.

As a player, a student and as a faculty member, Dr. Anderson followed Mr. Totah’s example, always being a very diligent and hard worker, and it has not gone unnoticed by his coaches, teachers and now peers.

“Coach [Joe] Griffin and I had a nickname for him when he was a member of the football team. We called him “the sleeper” because he came in under the radar, but he worked and worked and worked and next thing you know he was the man on varsity, and that has not changed,” said Mr. Totah.

Dr. Anderson has proven to be extremely dedicated to his work, whether during his time as a student-athlete or in his career in education, and he will always strive to be the best that he can possibly be.

After graduating from college, Dr. Anderson needed to spend time as a student-teacher in order to get his teaching credentials and decided to spend this time at St. John Bosco. During this time, he was mentored by faculty member Coach Joe Griffin.

Coach Griffin coached Dr. Anderson with Mr. Totah, so there already was a relationship between the two. However, working alongside each other allowed for Dr. Anderson to have guidance as a new teacher. 

“[Dr. Anderson is the] same guy – humble, hardworking, intelligent and a guy you could believe in,” said Mr. Griffin.

Dr. Anderson believes in this school, and is working hard to make sure that it lives up to its capabilities. Through hard work and dedication from the students and faculty, he believes that St. John Bosco could be one of the best schools for young men across the state.

“My goal for this school is for it to be the number one Catholic school for young men in California,” said Dr. Anderson.

St. John Bosco provides students with an excellent opportunity to make more connections with their education and the paths in which they are interested. Dr. Anderson believes that the school’s Academic Pathways are what makes the school better than most schools around the state.

“There is so much opportunity for students to make connections, which is why I love our Academic Pathway program. The opportunity to have educational experiences that expand beyond just the classroom – the more frequently we are able to do that as an institution, the better of a school we are,” said Dr. Anderson.

Though Dr. Anderson is the new principal and does his best to bring in fresh new ideas for the students and the school as a whole, he also understands that every principal from the past has left their mark on the school.

“Every single principal, or administrator, leaves a little bit of imprint, going all the way back to one of my first memories of an administrator, Bill Goodman. You could tell that he was the leader of the school without having to scream at the students because of his steadiness,” said Dr. Anderson.

With Dr. Anderson now at the helm, the school wishes to remember the past while looking forward to the future. While the principals that came before all helped Bosco into becoming the best school it could be, the school now looks toward its future with Dr. Anderson, as he leads the way to continued and greater excellence for St. John Bosco.