Christopher Vasquez Appointed Assistant Principal, Fillmore Middle School

Christopher Vasquez

Mr. Christopher Vasquez is pleased to join the Fillmore Middle School administrative team as an assistant principal commencing this 2024-25 school year. At the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, Mr. Vasquez, an experienced educator and leader in the field of secondary education, began his time as an English Teacher and coach at Fillmore High School. With a career spanning nearly a decade, Mr. Vasquez has consistently demonstrated a commitment to student success as he quickly embraced the community of Fillmore.

Prior to his career in education, Mr. Vasquez spent thirteen years working as an emergency medical technician within the hospital setting. Mr. Vasquez brings a diverse skill set to his educational roles, stemming from his background as an Emergency Room Technician at Los Robles Hospital and UCLA Medical Center. His experience in emergency medicine has equipped him with invaluable skills in de-escalation, trauma management, and prioritization, which he seamlessly integrates into his educational practice.

Collaborative, creative, and caring are just a few words that one would use to describe Mr. Vasquez’ approach to working with diverse student populations. He began his career in the Moorpark Unified School District, where he worked as a seventh grade ELA and ELD teacher at Chaparral Middle School. After his time in Moorpark, Mr. Vasquez sought to expand his experience with the new challenges in working at the high school level. Mr. Vasquez took a position at Architecture Construction and Engineering Charter High School in 2015-16, where he honed his craft as one of two English Teachers on the campus. Having such a small department allowed Mr. Vasquez the opportunity to teach various courses; and over the course of six years, Mr. Vasquez helped to establish the International

Baccalaureate program where he taught: Language and Literature and coordinated the Service-Learning Projects IB career pathway students. Post the Covid pandemic, his professional journey took him to North Valley Military Institute, where, as an English/Social Studies Teacher and Dean of Students, he laid the foundation for Professional Learning Community (PLC) within the English Department and implemented restorative justice practices amongst high-risk students.

Educationally, Mr. Vasquez holds a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from California Lutheran University, where he also earned his teaching credential in English. Throughout his career, Mr. Christopher Vasquez has exemplified a passion for student learning, a collaborative approach to team building, and a commitment to educational excellence. His multifaceted background in healthcare and education uniquely positions him to inspire and empower students and educators alike, and that is what he seeks to do as he begins a new chapter as an Assistant Principal at Fillmore Middle School.

Megan Hernandez Appointed Assistant Principal, Fillmore Middle School

Megan Hernandez

I am very excited to have the opportunity to return to Fillmore Unified School District for the 2024-2025 school year. My name is Megan Hernandez and I have been given the privilege of joining the Fillmore Middle School team as an Assistant Principal. I am a lifelong Ventura County resident and currently reside in Fillmore with my husband Eli and our two children Brynn (11) and Brock (6).

My husband and I are proud alumnus of Fillmore High where we met and attending school together. Our family loves to attend Fillmore Flashes football games during the fall season. Our family is also active in community activities. Brynn is a dedicated dancer at a local dance studio and Brock is beginning his athletic career by participating in Fillmore Little League.

I started my career in education as an Early Childhood Educator before becoming an Elementary Educator teaching grades 1st, 3rd,5th and 6th. I went on to become a Teacher on Special Assignment where I lead teachers of grades PK-3rd grade to develop and implement thematic units of study with as a part of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model.

I have served as a Consulting Teacher overseeing the Induction program and have enjoyed on-boarding our next generation of educators. As a Special Populations Coordinator, I supported district level coordination of Multilingual Learner programs and services including identification, monitoring and reclassification. My most recent position was Elementary Assistant Principal where I supported two elementary sites within Oxnard School District. This opportunity provided me with a chance to return to a school site setting and directly support students and teachers.

I am looking forward to serving in my new role of Assistant Principal at Fillmore Middle School and rejoining the Fillmore Unified family. As an experienced educator, I am passionate about fostering a safe, positive, and inclusive learning environment for our students. As a part of the Fillmore Middle School team, I am eager to work with students, staff and families to ensure that the upcoming school year is a great one. Go bulldogs!

Jenny Plugge Appointed Principal, Fillmore Middle School

On Tuesday, June 18, the FUSD Governing Board appointed Jenny Plugge as the Principal of Fillmore Middle School. Mrs. Plugge comes to Fillmore having served as a leader in a variety of diverse educational settings. Mrs. Plugge’s professional background includes experience in the business sector where she worked as a CPA for Deloitte & Touche in the Los Angeles office. She served as a manager for the firm where she gained extensive experience in staffing, recruiting, training, career development and human resources during her tenure with the firm. Through a non-profit educational opportunity Mrs. Plugge found her passion for education and began her career as a math teacher twenty years ago. Mrs. Plugge earned her Single Subject Math Credential and taught mathematics at both the Junior High and High School levels. After earning her Administrative Credential Mrs. Plugge has served in a variety of leadership positions including Dean of Students, Dean of Instruction, Assistant Principal, Business Director and Principal. Her responsibilities have spanned a depth of areas including oversight of all school operations, Title I compliance monitoring, master scheduling, staffing, site budgets, teacher evaluations, community relations, professional development, accreditation, supervision of personnel and oversight of alternative programs.

Mrs. Plugge served as a principal in the Bakersfield City School District where she led a school that was designated as a focus school with the objective to increase academic outcomes and positively impact the culture of the campus. She is most proud of the collaborative work done with the staff and community to break down cultural and socioeconomic barriers at a school that had been labeled as underperforming. Mrs. Plugge believes the collaboration amongst teachers, staff, parents and school leaders will lead to increased student outcomes and a positive school community.

Since June of 2022 Mrs. Plugge has been serving as an assistant principal after the need to relocate to Southern California following a promotion for her husband. She and her husband have been married for 24 years and have two college aged children. Mrs. Plugge’s daughter currently attends Sacramento State University where she plays collegiate volleyball and is a biology/pre-med major. Mrs. Plugge’s son currently attends the University of San Diego where he plays collegiate football and is an engineering major.

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Plugge to the district and know the versatility she has demonstrated throughout her career in diverse leadership positions will be an asset to Fillmore Middle School.