Fowler Unified students return to campus with major upgrades

FOWLER, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's back to school for the students at "red cat country" or Fowler High School, and for many, it's a day filled with firsts.

"We have about 200 new freshmen coming in, class of 2027, very excited to have them here with us," said Rick Perez Jr., Principal of Fowler High School

New and returning students will get to experience new features on campus, including a new maintenance building and state-of-the-art ag center where the learning is hands-on.

"The farm looked way different. It didn't have all this nice equipment, so when I joined, I had the ability and opportunity to get this new facility," explained Victoria Lopez, Junior at Fowler High School

Lopez is an ag ambassador at Fowler High. She's raising a goat named "Pepper Jack," but students will get a feel for all different types of animals and their stages of life, including piglets that were born in May and are growing fast.

"They will raise those animals, feed them daily, learn inside and outside the classroom what it takes to learn the industry," added Perez.

"Agriculture is all around us. We have grapes and all the fruits. My dad worked for Fowler packing, so I grew up in that environment, so I do think it's important," explained Lopez.

The recent upgrades were made possible thanks to measure J, a bond for school repairs that voters approved in 2016.

Administrators say this year they're also beefing up security.

"We do have a partnership this year with Fowler Police Department, so we have a student resource officer," said Perez.

Resource officers are not a new concept for school districts in the Central Valley, but this will be the first year Fowler Unified will have a shared officer on its campuses.

"We want parents to be able to trust that when they drop their students off that we are provided the safest environment possible for learning," added Perez.

Fowler High is not done with its upgrades just yet.

Coming next year, a new multi-media center will break ground on campus.

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