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.

Written by Carina Monica Montoya
Of all the things we’ve seen around Fillmore from giant dogs carrying a Chihuahua in a saddle bag to a Jack Russell surfing on the back of a convertible Mercedes, you’d think that we’ve seen it all, then comes Gabriel “Gabe” Arroyo walking his pet pig around town. This is one animal that lives high on the hog. His name is Azulito de los Cielos, but is also called “Little blue”, affectionately called “Azulito”, and fondly called “Buddy”. Buddy is a 3 ½ year old pot belly mix, weighs 265 pounds and as one would correctly guess, loves to eat.

Gabe is a native of Fillmore and has long generation family roots in Fillmore. A semi-retired mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry, Gabe spends most of his days tending to Buddy – daily walks, play, feeding, mud baths, and grooming. Gabe acquired Buddy from a breeder in Florida and personally transported Buddy across country to Fillmore by car. The two are inseparable, which leaves Gabe a bit anxious to return home when work takes him away for more than a few days. We all know the special bonding between man and dog, but few of us know that the bonding of man and pig can be just as special. Pigs communicate both with sounds and body language. They make at least 20 different calls, including barks, squeals, grunts, and screams. They like to use trees or fences for rubbing, relax to music, are very curious animals and like different enrichment toys, all of which Gabe makes available to Buddy.

Most people around town are happy to see Buddy and children are fascinated to see and pet him. He is well behaved and is very social. There’s a lot about pigs that most people don’t know. Although they generally have poor eyesight, they have a great sense of smell. With 1,113 olfactory receptor genes, they can sniff and snort out odors. Pigs are also very clean animals and do their business away from where they sleep and eat. They also learn their names by the time they reach two to three weeks of age whereas it may take a human up to a year to make the connection. Pigs also have long memories and can remember things years later whereas humans often forget the name of someone they just met.

Next time you see Gabe and Buddy on an early morning or evening walk, say “hello” and marvel at how well-behaved Buddy follows without a leash.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Beginning Thursday, September 1st, 2022, the Fillmore Police Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office will be holding a 12-week Public Safety Academy for the community. Designed to provide community members with an inside look at law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and other public safety agencies, the program will allow participants to meet with members of the Fillmore Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Fillmore Fire Department, Ventura County Superior Court, District Attorney’s Office, and Probation Agency. Classes will be held Thursday nights, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, at the Fillmore Police Station, 524 Sespe Ave.

In 2023 we plan to have another Public Safety Academy which will be held in Spanish. For an application, requirements, and additional information, contact the Fillmore Police Department.

Community: Fillmore Public Safety Academy
Nature of Incident: Fillmore Public Safety Academy
Report Number:
Location: City of Fillmore
Date & Time: Begins 09-01-22 at 6:00 PM
Unit(s) Responsible: Fillmore Police Department
Prepared by: Deputy Eric Tumbleson
Approved by: Captain Garo Kuredjian

Fillmore Little League Baseball posted the following on their Facebook page, dated Monday, July 18th, 2022. “Unfortunately, our Fillmore Little League snack bar was broken into this weekend. We are deeply saddened that this has occurred. We are still investigating the damages and loss and will be making repairs as soon as possible. The costs to repair these damages will ultimately mean we have less money to put into our 2023 season. The individual(s) who are responsible for this have taken not just from the FLL, but from our community and our kids. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact
the Sheriffs Department.” On Tuesday, July 19th, 2022, they posted the following, “And as quick as it was broken… it was fixed!!! The Fillmore Little League would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to Rob Lemons of Lemon Tree Embroidery, Juan
Sanchez of @electricremedy and Mr. Sandoval of Sandoval Handyman for their quick response to help our league!! They covered all
costs and repairs to get our snack bar fixed today!! Thank you for everything you do!!!! BIG round of applause for these upstanding community members!!!!”

Hi, my name is Mary, and I’m a close family friend of the Cassidy’s. I’m raising money for Larry Cassidy and his family. Larry passed away in a fatal car crash on 7/12/2022. We all remember Larry as one of the sweetest, kindest, most giving people on this planet. Let’s come together and help support Larry’s family as they plan, grieve and celebrate his life. Anything helps and is much appreciated. Use this link to donate: https://www.gofund.me/e2918991

Randy Garcia, an educator for 15 years, happily returns to the Fillmore Unified School District. Mr. Garcia most recently served as an Assistant Principal in Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD) for the past 4 years. He has previously served as a middle-school Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, a middle school teacher, and elementary teacher.

Mr. Garcia began his career in education with the Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) as a middle school teacher and spent years teaching at both Piru and Mountain Vista Elementary Schools. He also spent a handful of years serving as an assistant coach with the FHS Varsity football and JV baseball programs. In 2012, Mr. Garcia left FUSD to seek an administrative position with the Pleasant Valley School District (PVSD). After six years in PVSD, Mr. Garcia accepted a position as an Assistant Principal with OUHSD, where he served in this role at both Pacifica High School and lastly at Hueneme High School.

Mr. Garcia is a proud resident of Fillmore and product of the Fillmore Unified School District. He is married to Mary-Allyn Garcia, also an employee of FUSD. They have four children, two that are FHS Alumni, and two daughters, who are currently attending FHS.

Mr. Garcia believes in enjoying life by being of service to others. He lives by the quote, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth." – Muhammad Ali