I was born and raised in Suwannee County. My mom is Margaret Townsend and my dad is the late Phil Townsend Jr. My parents were 3rd generation farmers.
I have been married to Chris Fry for 34 years and we have two sons, John and Jack Fry.
Currently, I am a success coach for Goodwill Industries of North Florida managing their Take Stock in Children program and a wellness ambassador for Madison County Memorial Hospital.
I have taught Kindergarten, second, third, fifth, and sixth grades for the Suwannee County School system for 30 years.
I taught as an adjunct professor for North Florida College for eight years.
I am a National Board-Certified Teacher, which means I am certified to teach in all 50 states!
I hold a Master’s Degree in Vocational Education.
I am a Clinical Educator Trainer. This means I host intern teachers.
I have taught at ALL 9 schools in this district! I have worked alongside or under EVERY principal in this district.
In 2001, I was Teacher of the Year.
In 2001, I was named People Making a Difference in Our Community by the Suwannee Democrat.
In 2004, I was Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers.
In 2008, I was Outstanding Alumni for North Florida College.
I am a breast cancer survivor and activist.
I am a member of First Baptist Church Live Oak.
I co wrote, twice, the 21st Century Learning Community grant for all 4 Suwannee Elementary Schools. This is a $4 million dollar grant that provides morning and after school care for 560 students daily! I was Director of this grant for 8 years.
I am a business owner. I started Accelerated Learning of Live Oak, a tutoring company, in 2008. My company provided free tutoring services to the students of the Suwannee County School System.
In October, I hold my Pink Flag Drive in Live Oak to raise $2500 for Shand’s Pediatric Oncology patients.
For 10 years my classroom held a food drive and wrapped presents at the old Kmart for the Humane Society of Live Oak.
I am first and foremost an advocate for students and a voice for teachers!
I am passionate and persistent about after school care for students, a vocational initiative to expand our CTE (Career Technical Education), and mental health services for our students.
I have proven my commitment to the Suwannee County School District for over 30 years. Running for School Board is just a continuation of my commitment to serve students.
Last year, and my first year in my new position at Goodwill, and now this year again, I received a perfect score of 100 on my Balance Scorecard, which gave my program Luminary status!
I will be the only member on the Board that has ever been in a classroom!
So when ideas are presented to the Board as new “Best Practices”, I will be able to justify my decisions, from my experience in the classroom, for the past 35 years!
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Lesley Fry, NP, for Suwannee County School Board District 1.