Saugus High School Principal Bill Bolde will be stepping down from his position within the William S. Hart Union High School District.
Bolde announced his impending retirement to Hart District staff through an email sent Thursday morning, according to Dave Caldwell, public information officer with the Hart District.
“He sent out an email this morning,” Caldwell said. “He is going to be retiring.”
After 14 years as Saugus High School’s principal, Bolde said he is choosing to step down to “throttle back” from the 12- to 14-hour days and weekends he has devoted to the school and campus.
“You start thinking ‘I’m not sure I can continue to do what I’ve been doing at the rate that I’ve been doing it… I’ve been here [in the Hart District] for 31 years and I’m going to throttle back a little bit to do some things with other entities,” Bolde said. “I’m excited about a new chapter. It’s always a little sad when you do something like this because this has been my home.”
Bolde began working with the district in 1975 as a 19-year-old equipment manager at Canyon High School before he took on positions as a coach, athletic director, teacher, assistant principal and principal.
“The reason I came to this profession was to invest in the lives of others,” he said.
Throughout his storied career, Bolde said it is the relationships he’s built with friends, students, parents, colleagues, business partners and community leaders that he values most.
“The thing that I’m going to be most happy with is the ability to build relationships with people,” Bolde said. “It’s the people I’m going to miss and the people that I care most about.”
With a daughter in ninth grade at Saugus High School, Bolde said he will still be involved in the school as a father most likely working on the school’s PTO Board and Centurion Foundation Board.
As of now, Bolde is unsure of when his last month with the high school will be.
“I will have a better understanding at the end of April,” he said. “It won’t be any longer than winter break and won’t be any shorter than July 1.”
He plans on “stepping away gradually” and staying available for the school’s new leader if he or she has questions or is looking for information about the history of the school and the district.
As his time at Saugus High School comes to a close, Bolde expressed his gratitude to those he partnered with over the years and the community that propelled the school in a positive direction.
“I’ve always valued the partnership we’ve had… I’m grateful for the media, grateful for the community and the business partners that continue to believe in what we do in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Bolde said. “The public education in the Santa Clarita Valley is some of the best in the state of California.”
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