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Photograph by George Sakkestad

Joe Bosco, the new assistant principal at Saratoga High School, said he can relate to students who don't think school is important because he once had that attitude. Bosco is in charge of discipline, attendance, facilities and athletics at Saratoga.

Joe Bosco finally learned value of education

By Michele Tjin

Saratoga High School, touted for its high academic expectations, welcomes a new assistant principal who once did not consider education to be a priority.

Joe Bosco, most recently an assistant principal at Sunnyvale Middle School, joined Saratoga's administration on Dec. 18. He replaces Markus Autrey, who left to be part of the staff at Los Gatos High School. Bosco is in charge of discipline and attendance, and he'll be able to relate to students who don't take education seriously because once he was one of them, he said.

"I didn't see the value of education," Bosco said.

His first stab at college, during which he took "random" classes, ended when he dropped out and worked at Mervyn's in the shipping and receiving department. College was a waste of time, he said. But he also saw that his life was going nowhere.

"I wanted something more out of my life," Bosco, 35, said. "I wanted to make a difference."

Bosco, the son of an education professor, returned to college at 23 and got an education degree at Western Michigan University. The decision to build a career in education was like an illuminating light bulb inside his head, said the Kalamazoo, Mich., native.

"Every class meant something," he said.

Studying abroad and teaching kindergarten in Australia, Indonesia, Fiji and New Zealand soon followed. He later got his administration credential from San José State University.

"I've learned the pitfalls," he said.

At Saratoga, Bosco will also be in charge of facilities and athletics. He says being able to have a say in shaping after-school sports appeals to him.

"I love athletics," he said. "We can go from good to great. Our strong suit is academics, but we can build on our athletic program. It's a big part of Saratoga High School."

Bosco hasn't had the chance to unpack boxes yet and make his office his, but there are already signs of personal touches. There's a picture of his former students from Sunnyvale hanging on the wall.

"It was very sad for me and bittersweet," he said of his decision to leave mid-year. While he felt connected to the school community, he said, "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work at Saratoga. I'm trying to expand my horizons and learn a lot. Someday I'd like to become a superintendent or a principal."

Those who have worked with Bosco highlight how he interacts with young people.

"He loves students," said Joe Rudnicki, the superintendent of Sunnyvale School District and Bosco's occasional golf partner. "He is someone who is very cordial and has a good sense of humor."

Julie Kilpatrick, a parent volunteer at Sunnyvale, said she was touched by how much he talked to and mingled with students.

"Something that impressed me was Joe's philosophy to make sure that he goes outside and interacts with the kids because his goal is to see them on good terms rather than to have their first impression being in his office for some problem," Kilpatrick said.

Bosco may be new to Saratoga, but as a Michigan escapee, he has fully immersed himself in the Golden State, which he has called home for the past six years. Michigan may have the seasonal color changes in the foliage, but it's not worth the ice and snow, he said.

He credits his great-grandfather's 80-year-old cabin in Boulder Creek as a big reason why he moved to California. He spent many childhood summers in that mountain cabin, where there was no television but plenty of family and books.

"That's how I got my passion for reading," Bosco said.

To unwind these days, he picks up a Michael Crichton, John Grisham or James Patterson thriller.

When he was not soaking up the California sun as a child, he was at home in Michigan on the receiving end of clarinet, saxophone, piano and singing lessons, including opera. It's not too surprising that Bosco, whose parents sing in choirs, himself performed with a choral group for five years around the time he was in middle school. He tackled such heavyweights as Puccini's Tosca.

Those who are interested in hearing Bosco belt it out now may be disappointed. He reserves his singing for the car or the shower, he said.

There will be plenty more opportunities for the community to find out other intriguing tidbits about Bosco. He is pleased to be working in the district and hopes to be able to learn just as much about Saratoga as he did about his previous school.

"This is a top-notch school," he said. "I'm happy to be here. I'm learning every day. I'm learning about the community. It keeps me fresh."