As the end of the year closes in, it is time to look back on Fauquier High School’s (FHS) first year with principal Dr. David Ferguson. Ferguson has done his best this past year to give our school the best opportunities, staff and environment possible.
Ferguson has worked in school systems for 22 years and has been a high school principal for ten years. He has worked in a variety of schools, but he particularly enjoys the community of FHS. “I think that the awesome part is that at both schools, there were great students and there was great faculty. I have those same opportunities here,” Ferguson commented. FHS is a larger school compared to his last job, which Ferguson thinks gives students broader privileges. “Now, the big differences obviously is the size. The opportunities our students have here and what and how our students are involved.” Ferguson believes that FHS’s size is a benefit, saying, “I think just because of this whole area and the offerings of this area, it provides our students with the chance to be more involved, and our students here have done a great job.”
Ferguson loves seeing the pride the students and staff bring every day to FHS. He hopes to try and keep school pride developing and growing. “For example, the Zoo [helps to] build [school] culture and [I’d like to continue growing that,]” commented Ferguson. On top of expanding school pride, Ferguson also hopes to grow the students’ experience at school. “There’s always been a great standard here, but now we can take the next steps forward to grow. How do we improve different pieces based on student feedback and faculty and staff and then our community feedback,” asked Ferguson.
Stepping into the principal position at FHS was a big responsibility. “I knew it was a big challenge. I mean, you’re coming into a very established community in the school and just trying to show your authenticity as you come in. It’s a lot of observing and just trying to find out the why behind things and to get an understanding for some things,” Ferguson said. Ferguson also commented on developing new relationships, saying, “[the people at my old school] understood where [I was] coming from and now it’s trying to build those relationships so people can see who [I am]… the fact students are comfortable [with coming to me] now has been a big win for me.”
Ferguson has used his first year as principal at FHS to get to know the students and faculty and observe what needs to be changed. He plans to work closely with the faculty this summer to try and give students the best high school experience starting in the 2025-26 school year. Ferguson enjoys the community at FHS and hopes to see it grow in the upcoming years.
