Amy Deffenbacher responds to social media post, sets standards

Deffenbacher opened by complimenting the janitors who set up the tables early for the students to sit at. She moved into talking about last year’s advisory. She clarified student’s speculation of her implementing new rules and told the students that she aimed to enforce rules that are already in place.

She spoke on how funny it was to her bother that she was going to become a principal. Her brother thought that Deffenbacher was too nice for the position.

The topic was then directed towards detention and academic lab. Detention is for students who have been late to class three times or more. Students who receive detention must sit in a row down the hallway all lunch not being able to talk or do homework.

Superintendent Jeremy Brown introduced academic lab to FC last year. It is a way to help students who have a D or F in a class to raise their grade before it gets too far into the semester to recover. 

Deffenbacher shared why detention is beneficial to the campus students and emphasized students taking responsibility for their actions.

“Detention will help students be on time to class because it teaches students accountability,” Deffenbacher said. “Its not fun being in detention. Detention is also both boring and embarrassing. It takes you away from a social part of your day, which is eating lunch with your friends. Hopefully next time students are tempted not to be there on time, to class, like the rest of us. The goal is that you remember that there is a consequence for not showing up on time.”

Deffenbacher then transitioned to speaking on the agreement Fresno Christian has with Peoples Church as it relates to the building lease agreements. Refraining from gum chewing while on campus is one of the agreements Fresno Christian has with Peoples Church along with parking lot traffic patterns. She added how well of a job everyone at the campus was doing abiding by traffic pattern regulations.

Dress code was her next point. Deffenbacher said dress codes either operates in the extremes or not at all, uniforms being the extreme.

Roman Endicott, ’18, has been at the campus since kindergarten, and is looking forward to teachers connecting to students on a personal level. Endicott agreed with what was said at the meeting.

He has seen a better balance in the enforcement of FCS regulations since Deffenbacher became prinicipal.

“I thought Mrs. Deffenbacher’s speech was a good reminder to help us get out of summer mode and switch gears back into school,” Endicott, ’18, said. “I agreed with everything she said. She made a good point about being modest and being mindful of the people working behind the scenes. Ever since Mrs. Deffenbacher became principal, the school has gotten a better balance of enforcing the rules and her connecting with you on a personal level.”

Deffenbacher ended the informational meeting by stating that she does not have any intentions of being unnecessarily strict with the student body. She said that she would like to be able to trust the students to make good choices.

Another lifer so far since kindergarten, Reece Trevino, ’19, is excited to rise through the ranks of high school and along the way raise his GPA. He says Deffenbacher’s speech was both a strong and had a valid message.

“I had no quarrel with what Mrs. Deffenbacher was saying,” Trevino, ’19, said. “Everything she said made sense. I like that she stands with her word and when she makes a promise, she keeps it. She doesn’t say things she wouldn’t do. Mrs. Deffenbacher’s speech made me think that Mr. (Superintendent Jeremy) Brown and her are both settled in. They are starting to get to know the students better and are beginning to enforce the rules more.”

Vanessa Shubin, ’16, is looking forward to graduating this year. Shubin has been at FC since she was a freshman. Shubin agreed with most of the ideas Deffenbacher addressed.

“I really like how Mrs. Deffenbacher is so friendly to the students and how much she cares about all of us,” Shubin, ’16, said. “Her speech made sense to me and I agreed with what she had to say. Although I didn’t like the idea of having to wear uniforms to school.”

In an effort to live her life as Christian, Claire Kollenkark, ’16, is trying to set an example of Christ to others. Kollenkark says that students should obey the rules purposed by the administration regardless of personal opinion.

“I am glad that Mrs. Deffenbacher is going through the rules,” Kollenkark, ’16, said. “There were some rules I didn’t really agree with, but if she enforces the rules I think we should follow all of them even if we don’t agree with some. I like that Mrs. Deffenbacher is very real and fair with everyone. I think that since the rules have gotten stricter, the students have been respecting the staff more.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter @_Samuel_Cross_ and via email: Samuel Cross.

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