Following the departure of interim Principal Donna Guzman, who briefly stepped in after former Principal Dr. Ferguson, Fauquier High School (FHS) found itself at a crossroads, trying to determine who takes lead. In April, one assistant principal came to the rescue. That man was Nick Brousse, who joined FHS as an assistant principal just last August, and was announced as the school’s new principal. The reaction from students and faculty was overwhelmingly positive.
“There was a big standing ovation at the faculty meeting when he got announced,” World History teacher Aaron Sova shared.
Since arriving at FHS, Brousse has transformed the space with his approachable personality and kindness.
“People are very comfortable with him,” senior Joel Williams noted.
Before becoming principal, Brousse focused on growing as a leader by being a “team player” with the administrative staff and contributing his strengths to improve the school environment. However, his promotion came sooner than he expected.
“I was surprised by the timeline of everything. But… I’m equal parts excited and nervous,” Brousse confessed. “I’m excited because the opportunities are fantastic. We have amazing staff. We’ve got wonderful students. We do really impressive things here. And to be a part of that is exciting…I also feel a ton of responsibility to not only maintain what we do here, but also elevate everything.”
As a new FHS principal, all of the spotlight is on Brousse, but he’s not about to hide from it. He’s ready to lead the school into the future and support the school’s backbone.
“My number one priority is taking care of our faculty and staff. If our faculty and staff are at their best, then our students are best taken care of.”
Brousse believes leadership means uplifting others.
“I know I’m an effective leader if our teachers feel empowered to lead, to take risks,” he said. “I don’t have to be the center of attention. I don’t have to make all the decisions. I don’t have to micromanage… My job is to build more leaders and pull out the strengths of every single faculty member here.”
English teacher Cathleen Beachboard compared his leadership style to that of Nelson Mandela.
“He would listen to everyone else and be the last one to speak…and Mr. Brousse emanates that.”
FHS students can always come to Brousse and voice everything that’s on their minds, as he has become a safe space for many. Despite the busy schedule, Brousse wants to maintain the relationship with the students. As he said, “I have been able to develop relationships pretty quickly here in my first year. Just because I’m now principal instead of assistant principal, I am still going to prioritize my visibility and my accessibility.”
One of his biggest goals is to give students a greater voice in school decisions. To do that, he is creating a Principal Student Advisory Committee composed of several students from each grade level.
“The end goal is to have a group of students who accurately reflect the FHS student body,” Brousse explained.
Ever since Brousse was announced as the principal, there seemed to be a shift in the school atmosphere: “The school environment has been a lot better,” Williams said. “I think it’s a lot more communicative, and people are actually involved and hanging out in places like the courtyard.”
Students like freshman Ryder Cupka have noticed several differences between how the school operated under Dr. Ferguson’s leadership and how it operates now under Brousse.
“Our former principal was more worried about his outlook to other schools and higher-ups… more than really just making an impact on the school environment and kids wanting to come to school.”
Teachers have noticed the shift as well: “We didn’t have a lot of guidance under the last admin,” Sova said. “It was really loosey-goosey, and certain rules that we thought were supposed to be enforced weren’t being enforced.”
For the foreseeable future, students and faculty hope Brousse continues to lead with the same authenticity and care that have defined his first year at FHS.
“The only thing I would want him to do is somehow find a way to clone himself and put three more of him as our APs… that man is perfect,” Sova emphasized.
Brousse plans to put down roots at FHS with one clear mission: “I want students to know that every morning on their way to school, they’re coming to a place where a lot is expected of them. There’s a tradition here that everyone is responsible for carrying forward. I also want students to feel, when they come here every single morning, that if they need it, there are people who will support them along the way and that they will be taken care of. There will always be challenges, but at this school, you will always have a team behind you to support you in meeting the high standard that we set.”
