by Luis Hernandez, Managing Editor

After over 30 years of service to the St. John Bosco High School community, Mr. Ernie Antonelli now has the opportunity to be the man in charge as the school’s new Principal. 

Mr. Antonelli has been a part of every aspect of the Bosco experience. From a teacher and coach to Math Department Chair and Summer School Principal, he has loved every second of it. 

“All of my positions have allowed me to meet students in ways other than the classroom, which Bosco is all about.” Mr. Antonelli said.

Mr. Antonelli feels that Bosco has always felt like a second home to him – always open and accepting. The connection that is built between him and stakeholders around campus is strong.

“I’ve never felt like I’ve been a stranger on this campus,” said Mr. Antonelli. “I feel like I can talk to any student here on campus and I’m happy to do that. I feel like we are all a part of the same family.”

Mr. Antonelli believes that the “brotherhood” here at Bosco is tremendous, and anybody who has ever stepped foot on the campus, either as a student or staff member, is a Brave for life.

“At the first football game, I met around twenty students who I taught in the 90s who still feel connected to the campus, and that exemplifies what the Brotherhood is about. Once people are a part of our campus, they feel like that forever,” he said

Mr. Antonelli has spent a good majority of his time here at Bosco in the math department and has built special relationships with the other staff members in the department and accredits a lot of his accomplishments to them. Ms. Kelly Blakeman, who is the new Math Department Chair, has worked with Mr. Antonelli for eight years.

“Mr. Antonelli is a problem solver at his core, and this is one of the reasons why he has such a strong work ethic,” Ms. Blakeman said. “He is never looking for a quick fix to an issue but instead tackles any problem at the root.”

Mr. Antonelli believes that the reason why Bosco is so successful is because of everybody involved. He views the school as a team, and in order for a team to achieve, all the staff and students must be working together.

“Bosco is successful because there are so many people that do so many different jobs, but they do them so well and as long as they are supported this school year will be great,” Mr. Antonelli said,

One of Mr. Antonelli’s major goals for the upcoming year is to get students involved in all aspects of Bosco.  Bosco is a home, school, church and playground, and it is important to him that the students are putting equal effort into each to be well-rounded young men.

“I’d like to see us grow in our Christian service opportunities,” said Mr. Antonelli. “As young people in today’s world, it is necessary to give back to the community.”

Opportunities at Bosco have never been greater. Given the school’s Pathway Programs, AP and honors classes and top level athletics, the Braves are given a chance to succeed in whichever endeavors they choose, and they have not disappointed, as every year new heights are reached.

“The amount of AP coursework students are taking is crazy. There’s a lot of students challenging themselves academically” Mr. Antonelli said.

The students this year are especially happy about Mr. Antonelli becoming the new Principal, as many have had him as a teacher and know how much he loves the time on campus with the students.

“Mr. Antonelli is a great mentor and was a great teacher,” said senior Thor Abro. “[He is] someone within the community to look toward for positivity and happiness, always sporting a smile and a good attitude. He gives students the much needed boost of energy to get through the day.”

Obviously, there has been a lot of Principals here at Bosco, but Mr. Antonelli wants to do things a little differently this year. He knows that this job is very busy and requires a lot of time in the office, but he believes that interacting with the students every day is the key to building a stronger school community.

“He is an amazing Salesian educator and has a gift of connecting with all students whether they were in his classes or not. This will help him in his new role as Principal by staying connected to all Bosco students and continuing to advocate for their needs,” Ms. Blakeman said.

He is looking forward to the rest of the school year and cannot wait to interact with the students and see what the future holds for the Bosco Braves.

“I want students to know that I am here for them and my door is always open,” Mr. Antonelli said

Now at the helm, Mr. Antonelli looks to build on the legacy of his predecessors and help Bosco in continuing the great traditions and standards that have made the school great in the past and will continue to make it great in the future.