Aug. 30, 2026
Dr. Lisa Fletcher
Superintendent, Transylvania County Schools
I was asked by BrevardBeagle.com to write an article about Dolly Parton’s influence on me and education. That is both easy and hard for me to do.
Easy, because Dolly’s influence has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Hard, because it is almost impossible to put into a few words what she has meant to so many people.
I became a Dolly fan before I even knew I was a fan. When I was 2 years old, my aunt taught me “Two Doors Down,” and I have been told I sang it everywhere. From that point on, Dolly was just part of my life.
As I got older, though, I began to understand that Dolly was much more than a singer, songwriter, and entertainer. During the 1991–1992 school year when I was a senior in high school, I first learned about her Buddy Program. I remember thinking, “I wish I could get $500 for graduating.” But more than that, I remember realizing Dolly was using her success to help children and families.
That stayed with me.
Years later, as a school principal, a teacher gave me a life-size standup of Dolly Parton. I placed it in the foyer of the high school, and I did the same at another school where I served as principal. We added “Dollyisms” so students could start their day with a smile and an encouraging word.
But I also made sure students understood why Dolly stood in our school. It was because of the Imagination Library.
I wanted students to know that one of the most loved and successful women in the world had made reading one of the most important parts of her life’s work. That matters. Dolly could have chosen many causes, but she chose to put books in the hands of children. She chose reading, imagination, and opportunity.
As superintendent of Transylvania County Schools, that same Dolly cutout stands in my office.
It is still a conversation piece, but it has become something more. It gives me a chance to talk about Dolly not just as an entertainer, but as a champion for children, a champion for education, and a champion for reading.
Dolly understood something every educator knows: reading opens doors. It builds confidence. It gives children words for their dreams and a path toward something bigger than what they may see right in front of them. Through the Imagination Library, she made sure children had books in their homes before they ever stepped into a classroom. That is not a small thing. It is life-changing work.
We lost a champion. There is no other way to say it. But if Dolly taught us anything, it is that one person can make a difference when they choose to use their voice, their gifts, and their heart for something bigger than themselves.
Now it is our turn.
Our community supports our schools, and we all must continue to be champions for education, for our schools, and for reading. Our students thrive when parents, grandparents, teachers, churches, businesses, and neighbors encourage them, read with them, support them, and remind them that books still matter.
So, to our students: turn more pages than you swipe screens, read, dream big, and never underestimate where a book can take you.
Dr. Lisa Fletcher is superintendent of Transylvania County Schools. She earned a Master’s in Education and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Carolina University and is a member of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators. She can be reached at lfletcher@tcsnc.org.