Bonnewell announces he will retire as Albion superintendent in June 2021
Photos by Tom Rivers: Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent, speaks during commencement on June 28, 2019.
ALBION – Michael Bonnewell has announced he will retire as Albion Central School superintendent in June 2021.
He shared the news today in a letter to parents in the school district.
Bonnewell is in his 10th year as Albion superintendent of schools. He said he reached a mutual decision with the Board of Education last week. The timing gives the district plenty of time to find his successor and also to help with the transition.
“It has truly, truly been my privilege to serve the students and, by extension, the community of Albion Central for nearly ten years already – and I know that I will enjoy the year and a half I will continue to serve,” Bonnewell wrote in the letter to the community.
Bonnewell came to Albion after working as superintendent of the Schroon Lake school district in the Adirondacks. That district only has about 200 students. Bonnewell was the district’s superintendent, K-12 principal and also served as the business administrator.
Before Schroon Lake, he was principal of Honeoye Middle-High School. He said he is thankful for a 35-year career in education.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to interact with students daily, as a teacher, coach, advisor, director and administrator for more than thirty-five years and believe that I am one of those lucky to have found the career that they love,” Bonnewell said. That has been most obvious here at Albion Central.”
Bonnewell was highly visible at the district, attending numerous events after school. He was a chaperone with the high school chorus to New York City last year.
He shared during commencement last June 28, that a woman stopped him in New York City on that trip to ask him if a group of students were his kids. He answered affirmatively, which surprised the woman.
“Yes, these are all my kids,” Bonnewell shared in his speech. “You are all my kids.”
Bonnewell stepped in as interim high school principal last year for three months, and said he welcomed the chance to get to know students better.
In his letter to parents today, Bonnewell reflected on a song at the district-wide choral concert at school last week. In one selection, students sang, “Put a little love in your heart and the world will be a better place.”
Bonnewell said the lyric should have a revision: “Put a little love in your heart, and these children in your life, and the world will be a better place.”
“My life is a better place because our children are in it,” Bonnewell wrote. “The world is a better place because our children are in it.”
Michael Bonnewell served as interim high school principal for three months last school year in addition to being superintendent.
