On Monday, April 8, FCPS welcomed a new friendly face to lead its oldest and most prominent high school. Dr. David Ferguson is officially the new principal at FHS, starting on July 1, 2024. Administrator Jim Raines stepped up as principal following the devastating loss of Kelican, and will retire at the end of this school year. FHS students are excited about the new journey to come with Ferguson.
Born and raised in central Pennsylvania in a small coal town, Ferguson is familiar with the small-town environment. After attending a high school that was a little smaller than FHS, Ferguson graduated from Misericordia University and got his master’s at the University of Scranton, ending his education at Virginia Tech, where he received his doctorate. In college, Ferguson had always planned to be a part of the education field. After formally becoming a director and teacher of special education for some time, he decided he was ready for a further step into administration. Ferguson said, “I have always been a service leader.” He has served as the principal at Rappahannock High School in Richmond County for nine years. Ferguson has also been an administrator at the Spotsylvania Career and Technical Center and Regional Technical Center.
One of Ferguson’s main priorities is his family. While deciding if FHS was the right fit for him, he kept in mind the location. “This whole process has been a family decision… I wanted to be closer to Pennsylvania and it keeps me in Virginia.” Ferguson states he has two children; a daughter who is going to be a senior and a son who is going to be in eighth grade. The two will stay at RHS for the next year, feeling out where they want to go as time goes on. Ferguson also stated that his wife is a teacher in the 3a division. The eventual plan for Ferguson and his family is to move closer to Fauquier County. “It is going to be a family decision… It’s just respecting everyone and working as a family to decide what is best for everyone,” said Ferguson. He and his family currently live in the northern neck of Virginia, which is about an hour and a half from Warrenton.
Although change can be hard, Ferguson knew it was the right choice. He stated that even though it’s tough to leave his current school, a big factor in accepting the position was the numerous referrals he got from others. “Sometimes change is good… It’s always about growing and sometimes we have to be uncomfortable to grow,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson isn’t necessarily a total stranger to Fauquier County. Ferguson shared that he attended organizations involving officials from around the area, including FHS’ own Mr Kelican. “I heard how he spoke about this building and how he had done things [for FHS],” said Ferguson. The game changer for Ferguson when deciding on taking the position was the student involvement. Ferguson said, “As I looked at other opportunities, having the students here and the student involvement and the whole thing… That’s the place I want to be.” He states he could “feel the sense of family here [at FHS].” He loves being able to walk into the main office at FHS and see the friendliness of students and staff.
When it comes to upcoming plans Dr. Ferguson has in store for FHS, it is still not fully decided. “Anytime there is a change [in leadership], you don’t want to come in and make a lot of changes. You want to observe and see what’s going on and start to adapt,” said Ferguson. He isn’t fully aware of some of the unique intricacies of FHS, so he doesn’t want to dive right in with changes for our school, instead becoming even more familiar with the school’s environment. Although he still needs to feel what FHS already has in store, he does have some ideas. “I want to have a [student] principal advisory committee. I want students to represent from each grade level and have that voice to continue,” said Ferguson. He added a few upcoming seniors have already vocalized a few ideas to better FHS.
Ferguson’s biggest idea is to see what’s in place at FHS. He is focusing on what traditions should stay but also what can be improved on. He wants to be the best change for the students and staff. Ferguson said, “The change is getting you guys across the stage with the ability to go out into the world.” Ferguson’s goal is to help students become best-level citizens. He also wants to carry on traditions that former principals provided for FHS.
