Dear Sugar Land Middle School Parents and Community,

 

It is with honor and great pleasure that I bring you greetings as the principal of Sugar Land Middle School. Having recently completed its 41st year of serving the community, Sugar Land MS has enjoyed tremendous success in preparing young people for their futures. This success is the result of focused, sustained, and collaborative efforts between school staff, parents, community members, and the students themselves. It is my goal to ensure that these collaborative efforts continue and that they yield even greater student success moving forward. 

  

This is my 27th year in education, and it has been my privilege to serve in Fort Bend ISD for 21 of those years. For the first 12 years, I was a teacher (band director) at Lake Olympia Middle School, Quail Valley Middle School, and Baines Middle School. For the last 8 years I have been an Assistant Principal and Associate Principal at Baines Middle School, and most recently an Assistant Principal at Willowridge High School. I also served as a middle school band director in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD for three years. Although my work experiences are nearly all at the middle level, my year at the high school level reaffirmed to me just how critical the middle years are for our children. Our responsibility is to take our young people from where they are when they arrive in middle school and ensure that they are fully prepared in all ways—academically, socially, and emotionally--to take their next step when they walk through the doors of high school three years later.

  

Together with my wife, Anne, we have one daughter, Laura, who graduated from Clements High School in 2017. She attended FBISD schools throughout her entire schooling career. Laura currently attends the University of Houston, and is studying music education and bassoon performance. Because my wife and I have completed the parent journey through elementary, middle, and high school, we understand in the fullest way possible the tremendous responsibility of ensuring your children have the best experience while they are in middle school.

  

It is through the lenses of my experiences, both professional and personal, that I view this new challenge. While I have significant experience in the field of education and as a parent, I do not possess all of the answers. However, I know that as members of the Sugar Land MS learning community we will work collaboratively for the best possible outcomes for everyone. In that regard, I look forward to developing strong relationships with families, students, staff, and the community to ensure these objectives are met. My door will be open to you, and I welcome your input. Please feel free to contact me via email at keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com. I am open to any idea or suggestion that would enable the Sugar Land MS community to better serve its stakeholders.

  

I look forward to working with the entire Sugar Land MS community again this year, and I look forward to working with you and your children.

  

Kindest regards,

  

Keith Fickel, Principal

Sugar Land Middle School