Scott Carol, Principal of Sespe Elementary, presents Sespe Cafeteria Supervisor Lou Hoover, also known as Grandma Lou, the Classified Employee of the Year.

Migrant Parent of the Year Maria Ramirez, Ramirez was ill, but her daughter accepted the plaque in her honor.

Migrant Student of the Year for FHS Senior Eduardo Gomez.

Tuesday's Fillmore Unified School District (FUSD) Board Meeting was ceremonious with awards handed out to staff and students. Awards included: Migrant Student of the Year, Migrant Parent of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Classified Employee of the Year, Student of the Year, Student Representative Recognition and Celebration of Migrant Speech and Debate Students and Coaches.

FUSD Board Member David Wilde presented Migrant Student of the Year to Fillmore High School (FHS) Senior Eduardo Gomez for his community involvement and exceptional leadership. Gomez, who participates in numerous sports including football, soccer, basketball, track and swimming, is also a member of the Police Explorers. He volunteers during events such as the Speech and Debate Tournament along with participating in activities like Family Conference, Engineering, Science and Technology Conference and State College Day. He is active in his church and does all this while maintaining a high grade point average. He plans to enter college and study Criminology after he graduates.

Migrant Parent of the Year honors went to Maria Ramirez. Ramirez is a member of the Migrant Parent Advisory Committee and Vice President of EIAC along with being a member of the Sespe School Site Council. Ramirez volunteers in her daughter's classroom helping organize supplies and this year she was a judge for the Migrant Speech & Spelling Tournament. Ramirez was ill and could not be there to accept the award. Her daughter accepted the plaque for her.

Administrator of the Year honors went to District Office Director Carol Barringer. Barringer has worked with FUSD for over 33 years starting as a teacher at Piru Elementary for 20 years, then Piru Principal for six years and Principal at Mountain Vista Elementary for three years; and finally District Director for the last six years. Barringer who lives in Santa Paula also has a daughter who also works for FUSD.

Scott Carol, Principal of Sespe Elementary, presented Sespe Cafeteria Supervisor Lou Hoover, also known as Grandma Lou, the Classified Employee of the Year. Each school day Hoover prepares the meals for 550 students and was honored for her ability to get things done.

The outgoing Student Representative Mary Ortiz was recognized for her contribution and hard work organizing and planning student activities. Ortiz will be leaving for Maine later this summer to attend Thomas College where she will be playing softball.

Next year’s Associated Student Body (ASB) President was elected on Friday along with the Vice President. Jordyn Vassaur is 2013-2014 President and Tyler Esquivel is Vice President. Both will be sworn in on the last day of school. Keona Hope is the new Speaker of the House/Student Representative.

Fillmore High School Principal Russom Mesfun presented Sammy Martinez with Student of the Year. Martinez is very active in both civic and school activities and was Student Representative/Speaker of the House during his junior year.

The FUSD Board has approved the recommendation of Superintendent Alan Nishino to appoint Victor Torres as Principal of Rio Vista Elementary, Fillmore's newest school.

The Tenth Annual Regional Migrant Speech and Debate Tournament winners were honored on Tuesday as Diana Vides Principal of Piru Elementary along with Assistant Superintendent Michael Johnson presented the awards. Fillmore Middle School winners were sixth grader Erik Magana who won Third Place and was coached by Jenny Bortins and Jennifer Beal. Also participating were Roberto Magana, Gabriel Quesada, Ivette Garcia, Rosa Ortiz Magana, Jose Mejia, Mirella Magana and Janet Ramos.

FHS winners for English Prepared Speech were eleventh grader Banely Arevalo, First Place, who has won this five times. This is the third win for ninth grader Yulissa Fregoso who also came in First Place for Extemporaneous Speech and in State competition won First Place English Prepared Speech and Third Place Extemporaneous Speech. Eleventh grader Jessica Cortes won Third Place in English Prepared Speech and Third Place for Extemporaneous Speech. Eleventh grader Daniel Valdovinos won Third Place in Spanish Prepared Speech. Eleventh grader Jesus Mendoza won Second Place for English Prepared Speech along with winning First Place for English Extemporaneous Speech and in State competition he won First Place for English Prepared Speech and Third Place for English Extemporaneous Speech.

Sespe Elementary fifth graders Aiesabella Ramirez, Jasmin Hinojosa and Sandra Murillo were honored with winning the Spelling Bee Competition held on January 31, 2013. The students said they studied every day and worked hard to win. This is the second such award won by Rodriguez. The students were coached by Sheila DeMerrit. Coming in Second Place were Anahi Pascual, Miguel Hernandez and Lorena Izarraraz.

Piru Elementary fifth grader Yobany Figueroa took first place in the District Speech & Spelling Tournament. Also in Second Place was Aimee Ramos, and Third Place was Luis Quintana with a Prepared Speech. The students were coached by Mary Schroepfer. Others who participated were Alejandra Ayala who received Third Place for Prepared and Extemporaneous Speech, and Monica Ramos.

San Cayetano Elementary fourth grader student Diego Ruiz finished First Place for Prepared and Extemporaneous Speech and was coached by Tammy Ferguson. Also participating was Agustin Lua and coming in Third Place in the Spelling Tournament were Vivian Ruiz, Giselle Perez and Araceli Guzman.

Mountain Vista Elementary student Ramon Martinez, who was coached by Mari Meza, received Second Place in the Prepared and Extemporaneous Speech.

During Public Comments Charles Richardson spoke to the Board regarding a FHS English teacher, Jennifer Fitzpatrick, who threw an American flag on the floor and stomped on it in front of her students stating it was just a symbol. Fitzpatrick had been in the audience through all the awards being given out, but left just before the Public Comments, which did not allow Richardson or another speaker with comments directed toward Fitzpatrick's actions, Pastor Leslie R. Lanier, to address her directly. Richardson stated that Fitzpatrick may have the First Amendment right to free speech to do what she did but not according to the US Flag Code adding she did it on school property. Richardson told the Board he sent a letter to FHS Principal Russom Mesfun but did not receive a response. He asked that she be suspended or at the very least reprimanded. Lanier also asked why nothing was done to Fitzpatrick adding that what she had done had no curricular value and that it was a simple act of disrespect. "There was no redeeming value to it....it was offensive to our community...if an apology is not forth coming she should be fired," Lanier told the Board.