By Mandy Haggerson
For the Clemmons Courier

Lynette Fox grew up in York, New York right outside of Rochester.
“It was a smaller town and had the perks of that too. My dad was my teacher not once but twice, which was neat,” Fox said. Having exceptional teachers like her dad, helped influence Fox to become a teacher from a young age herself. “I knew pretty early on that I wanted to be a history teacher. I loved the subject matter, and although I loathed public speaking, I knew if you put me in a room with kids it would be a different story,”Fox said.

After spending her childhood outside mostly riding bikes in the neighborhood with friends and her younger brother, Fox didn’t want to go far to attend college. “Since I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, there was a great fit just five miles from my house. I chose the State University of New York College at Geneseo,” Fox said.
The focused student was able to graduate one year early from college in 1999 because she had taken so many advanced classes her senior year of high school. “When I got out of college it was tough to get a teaching job in New York. You really had to specialize in the subject matter that you taught. I began teaching at a small school close to where I grew up. I started with middle school aged children in history. I really wanted to teach high school aged kids because I knew they would get my sarcasm,” Fox said with a laugh. “It was ironic because I then moved on to a bigger school in Rochester and I was just 21 years old and teaching seniors that were just three years younger than me. They were very respectful though, and I got some good experience teaching economics and government which was new to me.”
Fox expanded her subject matter to AP psychology and world history. “I stayed in the Rochester high school for about eight years. During that time, I met my now husband, David, through mutual friends. He had gotten a job offer in 2007 right after we had gotten engaged that was in North Carolina. I had loved living near my family in New York, so it was definitely an unexpected change,” Fox said.

David and Lynette quickly realized they had found a community that would become like home in Clemmons. “I taught philosophy and world history for one year at Grimsley High School before taking a break from teaching. We had our first child, Ethan, 14, and with what the cost of childcare would be, it didn’t make sense to go back,” Fox said.
Ethan then became a big brother to Noah, 12, and Hunter, 6. “Being a stay-at-home mom made me want to get involved with the kids’ schools,” Fox said.
“I was on the PTA at Morgan Elementary and held all the various roles possible there. I have so much respect for the teachers. They work so hard, and I wanted to do my part to support them as much as possible. That seemed like the best way to do that. I also loved helping plan parties and events, and I felt like I could offer my background in education with those activities too.”

Fox’s enthusiasm and creativity was noticed by the Morgan community, and also outside of it. “I was asked to become the events coordinator for the Village of Clemmons. Initially it was going to be a seasonal position, but it has evolved into more. I worked with Shannon Ford, who was in charge of marketing and communications, to help bring family-oriented events to our area. It’s so much fun getting to be creative with her. I feel like I’ve been able to take my hobbies and make them this position. When we brainstorm it’s a blast to see what we can come up with and what’s actually feasible. We just finished Pedal and Metal fest this past weekend which had a great turnout. We are now getting ready to start back up our Farmers Markets on April 29 from 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Jerry Long YMCA,” Fox said.

“As a transplant to Clemmons, it’s been so nice and welcoming to be in an area where there are so many great things to do. I love that I get to help plan and think of new ideas for neighbors and friends to meet,” Fox said. If you would like to learn more about activities in the area that Fox and Ford are planning, you can find them at https://www.clemmons.org/361/Clemmons-Wonderland.