FABENS, Texas (KTSM) – Fabens High School offers three programs for its students to further their education beyond high school. The programs include the Early College, PTEP and TSTEM.

Out of 57 early college students, 27 of them graduated with their associate degree in the 2022-23 school year.

Principal Edgar Rincon wants his students to take advantage of the Early College Program for both the school and their families.

“When they finish high school and go on to college, they have a lot of credits under their belts on what they want to do, it benefits everyone. It also financially benefits parents and of course our students. We’re ready to prepare them for that when they come here to Fabens High School,” said Rincon.

Kaitlyn Dettman, a junior at Fabens, knew she wanted to join the program before she was enrolled. Dettman plans to become a pediatrician after high school and has used the program to get a head start.

Dettman credits her teachers for being hands on and creating an environment for other students to thrive.

“You’re able to talk to your teachers if you need help, especially because we’re so close and so small in our size we’re able to be close to one another. So, if you ever need help you can go to your friends or your teachers,” Dettman said.

In the TSTEM program, a rocket class is offered to students who want to go into engineering. In the class, they learn how to build a rocket from beginning to end, how it works and to launch it in competition.

Students like Erik Ortiz also learned about team building and programming that will help them get real world experience before stepping foot on a college campus.

“It’s really good that a small school like Fabens has these types of programs because being out here is small in the community out in the city so you really don’t have much. It’s really fun being in this program and it really helps us explore the world,” said Oritz.

Even though Fabens is a small district compared to others in the Borderland, they are a tight knit community celebrating their big accomplishments.

“We are close-knit as in any small community out there. Our hashtag is small town tough, and we conquer any obstacle that comes our way,” The Superintendent of Fabens ISD Veronica Veijil said.

For local and breaking news, sports, weather alerts, video and more, download the FREE KTSM 9 News App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store