He has traveled the world, from places like the Mojave Desert to the Suez Canal. He has coached several sports, from football to track. He has been an assistant principal. A Marine. A Father. And now, Jeremy Fry is an assistant principal here at Cedar Park High School.
“I like being able to take things that I’ve learned [in different places] and be able to come here and bring my experiences, whether it’s the Marine Corps or whether it’s working at Vandegrift,” Fry said.
Although he is the new guy, Fry said he can use his experiences in all of his past jobs to help the high school as the transition into the new year is happening. There are many changes being made to the school, including the addition of portable classrooms, located in the student parking lot. As students are getting used to going to and from the portables, Fry is playing a major role in helping them stay safe.
“Mr. Rogers and I are just an additional pair of eyes out there that can respond quickly,” Fry said. “We’ve been available to open doors and make sure that doors stay locked and closed, and try to make sure that our kids and our staff feel safe out there.”
But working with the portables isn’t the only thing Fry does. There are many things that he does for the school. He works in safety and security, oversees students C-G and helps support the band, student council and the math department.
“I love my job,” Fry said. “ I love being able to interact with students and teachers. I love being able to challenge students. I love being able to support teachers, too. I’m a people person, and so if I have the opportunity to help, that’s what I want to do.”
Fry has also had experience outside of the school environment in regards to working with people. In the Marines, he traveled the world and was able to be around people from many different places and cultures. Fry uses these experiences in his job today to help him communicate with co-workers and students.
“Getting to work with amazing people that don’t look like you, that don’t act like you, that aren’t from the same town as you, and really building those relationships was amazing,” Fry said. “I think maybe that’s what’s helped me in this job; being able to work with different people and build relationships to support each other.”
Fry was a Radio Operator in the United States Marine Corps, but being a Marine was not something that Fry grew up wanting to do.
“My brother in law was a Marine and my grandpa was a Marine, but I never had that aspiration,” Fry said. “It was right after 9/11 when I decided I needed to do something with my life.”
Coincidentally, being a Marine wasn’t the only thing he didn’t originally want to be. Fry had never even considered being an assistant principal until the idea was suggested to him by another AP.
“When I was first approached to be an assistant principal, I laughed,” Fry said. “It was my former assistant principal at Leander High School who asked me if I wanted to be an AP. I thought, well, that means I have to go back to school. And that’s not me. I’m a coach. But then he came up to me again several times, and some other assistant principals that were there spoke value and said that I would be a good AP.”
Although he didn’t originally plan to be an AP, Fry said that he loves his job. He uses his time and experiences as a coach and a Marine to help him be a good AP and to support other teachers and students.
“The end goal is always supporting whoever’s next to you,” Fry said. “That’s the important thing, right? So we get here in school, and it’s the people that are next to us – It’s our kids, it’s our teachers. And so a lot of experiences that shaped and mold who I am now allow me to serve in this role.”
