Message from Assistant Principal Jeannette Ruley
Ms. Jeannette Ruley grew up next door in Santa Paula, CA with a love for reading and writing. At a young age, she knew she wanted to be a teacher. Ms. Ruley obtained her Bachelor of Arts in American Literature and Cultures with a minor in Chicana/o Studies, as well as her Master of Education from the University of California Los Angeles. She also has a Master of Educational Leadership from Cal Lutheran.

Ms. Ruley began her career as a Language Arts teacher almost 15 years ago. She has been a school administrator for 6 years. Ms. Ruley is known for her calm demeanor and thoughtful approach to situations. She is adept at building rapport with the school community to help students overcome hurdles and bring about high student success. Mr. Ruley strongly believes that students are more apt to behave well and focus on their academics when they know that their school is mindful of their overall needs and circumstances.

Ms. Ruley is extremely excited to work alongside the entire team at Fillmore Middle School and the surrounding community and make it a great school year for all.

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Message from Assistant Principal Jan-Erik Sand
I am honored to join the Fillmore Unified School District beginning in the 2022-23 school year. As a Ventura County native, and resident of the City of Fillmore for the past 10 years now, I am thrilled at the opportunity to now serve the very community I call home.

Prior to commencing a career in education, I proudly served in the United States Marine Corps reserves from 2003-2009. In 2006 I earned the distinguished honor of Marine of the Year for 3rd ANGLICO. That same year, I completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management, from California Lutheran University.

In February of 2007, I was called to serve in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom; an order that led to almost immediate deployment to the Middle East, where I became a combat-action veteran at the age of 23.

Upon return, I rejoined the private sector, working as a Project Manager and later, the Director of Finance & Forward Planning, for a Ventura-county based land and real estate development and engineering firm.

Selfless service, community-based stewardship, and several incredible role models, together led to the decision to pursue a career in education. By 2014 I accepted a long-term substitute teaching position focusing full-time on 7th grade mathematics. Immediately I found that serving in the classroom and empowering students to reach their highest potentials was undoubtedly the environment where I belonged.

For the 2015-16 school year, I accepted a full-time 6th grade Math & Science position at Isbell Middle School in Santa Paula. With teaching credentials in Multiple Subjects, as well as Career Technical Education (CTE) with Designated Subjects of Architecture & Engineering and Business & Finance, I have had the pleasure of teaching all four core subject areas including math, science, English language arts, and history/social studies, as well as the elective subjects including STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Math). Over the course of the time spent in Santa Paula, the inclusion of girls entering the Engineering Pathway at SPHS increased more than 400%. In addition to this breakthrough, the inclusivity of students in special education that truly thrived within the STEAM programs at Isbell served as further testament of how beneficial the project-based, high-quality instruction met the needs of today’s diverse students.

Inspired to follow in my father’s footsteps, and after earning several distinguished awards including: Ventura County Pathfinder’s Award, Teacher of the Year (2019), National Engineer’s Week, and Project Lead the Way National Teacher of Year (2020), I believed it was possible to expand my support for students beyond the classroom, and ultimately sought to lead a school.

In 2020 I was accepted to the School Leadership Academy with the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California (USC). The exemplary 15-month program culminated in the earning of an Administrative Credential in the Spring of 2021, allowing me to lead a TK-8 school, Thurgood Marshall, within the Oxnard School District. As the only Assistant Principal, my experiences were vast and comprehensive. The skills that I obtained throughout the 2021-22 school year have undoubtedly prepared me to now serve at Fillmore Middle School; an opportunity that once again, I am thrilled and honored to partake in.