Sara-Kay Bonti, `88 & MEd `07
After spending more than two decades serving in the classroom as an English teacher, USF alumna Sara-Kay Bonti moved into a school leadership role to help support other educators in the field. To recognize her ongoing collaborations with the university in her role with Hillsborough County Public Schools, Bonti was recognized as the USF College of Education’s 2020 recipient of the Spirit of Partnership Alumni Award.
After 23 years of teaching English at both Pasco High School and Freedom High School, Sara-Kay Bonti made an extraordinary decision.
Driven by her desire to support teachers and students on a larger scale, Bonti applied to become a peer mentor for Hillsborough County Public Schools through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant―a position that quickly transitioned to her current one as the Human Resources (HR) Supervisor of Teacher Recruitment for the school district.
When Bonti first began her teaching career, she was certain that she would never leave the role that provided her such joy. However, the work she does today has given her an equal sense of fulfillment that is quite similar to what she felt as an educator, she says, specifically because her focus continues to be on student success.
“We all know that the most important factor in education is the adult that’s standing in front of children every day,” Bonti said. “I’m very honored to have a position where I can influence who those teachers are and how they are supported.”
In 1988, when she graduated USF with her bachelor’s degree in English Education, Bonti began her teaching journey with a level of confidence that she believes all first-time educators should have.
During her undergraduate studies, Bonti was an active member in the SunCoast Area Teacher Training and Educational Research (SCATTER) program and it was in this experience where she was able to fully understand the strategies she’ll need to be effective in her practice.
“The most powerful tool that I took away from (SCATTER) was how to have a student-centered classroom,” Bonti said. “In my first three years of teaching, I was always going back to those concrete communication skills and best teaching practices that help build positive relationships with students.”
Along with the knowledge she acquired through the SCATTER program, Bonti’s experience as a teaching intern at Hillsborough High School was what ultimately equipped her to lead her own classroom. With the mentoring of her collaborating teacher Ann Turner Cook, MA `69—a fellow USF graduate who is also known for her appearance as the original Gerber baby—Bonti received a perfect illustration on how necessary it is to build relationships with those you teach.
“At the end of the year, Ms. Cook would write a note to each student, telling them what made them so special and how grateful she was to have had them in her classroom. I also saw former students come back and share with her how much those notes meant to them,” Bonti said. “This really demonstrated for me how one could make a difference in the lives of children.”
Looking back, Bonti says that her great beginning was a direct result of the diverse preparation she received from USF’s College of Education.
In her current role, which entails placing College of Education interns in productive classroom environments and guiding them towards their transition from student to educator, Bonti uses her learning experience at USF as a motivating factor.
“I have taken it as such a personal mission because I had an internship that spring boarded me into a very successful career in the classroom, and I know that not everybody has that,” Bonti said. “I never want any developing educator to be deprive of the opportunity to have a rich, engaging clinical experience.”
Through the ongoing partnership between USF and Hillsborough Schools, Bonti works closely with program coordinators and the College of Education’s Director of Field and Clinical Education, Laura Sabella, PhD, to strengthen aspects of their collaboration to better suit the needs of students on both ends.
In doing this, Bonti has managed to co-create a feedback process that involves all stakeholders, such as field supervisors, principals, area superintendents, school district staff and more. She has also collaborated with Dr. Sabella to deliver professional development for university supervisors on topics like the Danielson Framework, so that a “cohesive voice” is maintained among intern evaluations.
On campus, even with her busy schedule, Bonti has continued her involvement with the SCATTER program by serving on guest speaker panels, coordinating presentations and attending the SCATTER Success Summit, a week-long training session that rising seniors in the program participate in.
To support the job searches of graduating seniors in the College, Bonti dedicates her time to organize hiring events and support workshops, mainly because she wants students to have a seamless transition into the classrooms they will soon lead.
“(These students) are literally our future,” Bonti said. “I know that for every teacher that I’m able to help at USF, it means that I am then helping children in our classrooms.”
This year, Bonti will continue her duties for Hillsborough Schools, but not without a special recognition. She is the 2020 recipient of the College of Education’s Spirit of Partnership Alumni Award, an award presented to a graduate who has sustained partnerships within the community and the College to promote transformative education.
For Bonti, this achievement holds a unique significance, particularly because USF has been a huge part of her success.
“The success I have had as an educator in improving the lives of children is a direct result of my studies and partnership with USF,” Bonti said. “I am humbled and honored to be recognized―it is a great deal to me.”