SAFFORD — Safford Unified School District is asking the public to join in celebrating a dedication for a long-time educator.
The district is renaming the high school’s main classroom building the John Bonefas Academic Building, in honor of the school’s former teacher and principal.
The dedication will take place Monday, Sept. 28, at 4 p.m., on the east side of the high school, on what would have been his 88th birthday.
Bonefas, who died Feb. 22, 2026, worked in the Safford School District for 29 years, as a teacher and high school principal.
He also served as an athletic coach, leading Bulldogs basketball teams to multiple region and state titles, and earning Coach of the Year honors in 1972.
Bonefas was a founding member of the SHS Scholarship Foundation, which raises funds to provide scholarships to college and university for Safford High School graduates.
