Hume-Fogg closed the 2025–26 school year by saying thank you to two administrators who shaped a generation of Blue Knights: Dr. Kelly Hargis, who gave seventeen years to Hume-Fogg — three as a teacher and fourteen as executive principal — and Dr. Lisa Bonelli, who served the school for thirteen years.
The Hume-Fogg Association hosted a year-end luncheon in their honor for teachers and administrators on the last day of school. Dr. Hargis was presented with a bench, which she has already put on her property. Dr. Bonelli received a gift certificate for a fire pit and chairs, along with gifts from the teachers and the Association — and a music award recognizing all the music she played for students as they walked into school each morning.
There were cakes commemorating the retirements, and Mr. Russell closed the luncheon by leading everyone in “Rainbow Connection.”
The tributes started before the luncheon. SRO Officer Corkins and Mrs. Corkins surprised both principals with a “Happy Retirement” yard sign on the front lawn — a small gesture that said a lot about how closely the two officers have been woven into the Hume-Fogg community.
A culture that stays
Dr. Hargis’s tenure spanned what HFA President Rhonda Bingham called Hume-Fogg’s glory years, as the school was repeatedly named at or near the top of state and national rankings. Dr. Bonelli’s final report to the PTO was characteristically forward-looking: she walked members through the work teachers and students did this year to live-stream Fine Arts performances, assemblies, and sporting events, and confirmed that the effort will continue thanks to Dr. Brown, Coach Fleming, and Ms. Murray.
“They will definitely be missed,” Bingham wrote, “but the culture they have created will continue to thrive with our amazing teachers and students.”