• Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices
    • Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices

Franklin County Times
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries
  • Records
  • Subscribe
  • Services
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Policies
  • Terms of use
  • Submit a news tip
  • Submit a photo
  • Birth Announcement
  • Birthday announcement
  • Engagement announcement
  • Wedding announcement
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Classifieds
  • Public Notices
    Franklin County Times
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
    News
     By  Kellie Singleton Published 
    10:28 pm Friday, November 11, 2011

    Townsend looks to build bright future

    Editor’s Note: Franklin’s Future is a regular feature spotlighting a high school senior in Franklin County and what they have planned for life after graduation.

     

    Blake Townsend has attended Vina High School since kindergarten and he said that he’s glad he had a “small school experience.”

    The 17-year-old senior said he’s made many friends and memories and is thankful for the time he spent as a Vina Red Devil.

    “When you go to a small school like Vina, you just know everybody and everybody knows you,” he said. “I don’t think I would have wanted to go to a bigger school where there wasn’t such a friendly atmosphere.”

    Since entering high school, Townsend has been involved in several organizations including Students Against Destructive Decisions, Future Business Leaders of America and Leo Club. He has also been involved with sports as part of the basketball and football teams.

    “The best memories I have from high school are probably of playing sports with my friends,” he said. “I just like everybody coming together and working as a team to get things accomplished. It’s something I’ll miss once I graduate.”

    Townsend also said he would miss the small school atmosphere he’s used to because he knows college will be a completely different experience.

    “There’s no way I’ll know everyone there so that will be a little strange to not walk into class and recognize everybody there.”

    Even though there are things about high school he’ll miss, Townsend said he’s still looking forward to college and getting started on the next chapter of his life.

    “I’m hoping to go to Mississippi State because they have a great architecture program, which is what I want to study,” he said. “The college decision was hard for me because I’m a really big Alabama fan, but they don’t have architecture there. In the end, I just had to pick a school that offered what I wanted to study.”

    Townsend said the decision to study architecture wasn’t as hard as choosing where to go to college since he’s loved building things since he was young.

    “When I was a little kid I was always playing with Leggos – building things and being creative,” he said. “I had pretty much always planned to be an architect, but for a short time, I thought about doing accounting because that was something they offered at Alabama but I knew I wouldn’t like it as well. My brother told me he thought my creativity would go far as an architect and I finally made up my mind that was what I wanted to do.”

    After he graduates from college, Townsend said he’d like to work for an architecture firm in a city like Florence, Huntsville or Birmingham.

    “I’d like to live in a bigger city after college because it will be easier to find work, but I don’t want to get too far away from home and from my family.”

    Townsend said he also wants to live close enough to visit his hometown because he’s enjoyed living in Franklin County and giving back to the community through his church, Burnout Missionary Baptist Church.

    “When the tornadoes came through this April, I went with the church to help with the clean-up and to help serve food,” he said. “I’m glad I was able to help in any way I could.”

    Now that his last semester of high school is approaching, Townsend said his advice to underclassmen would be to work hard.

    “Take as many advanced and college classes as you can now because it will pay off in the long run,” he said. “If you work hard, you won’t be sorry you did. It’s something you won’t have any regrets about doing.”

    Townsend is the son of Richard and Deborah Townsend and he has two older brothers, Brent and Bradley.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Also on Franklin County Times
    Check out this week’s Franklin County Times! – May 7, 2025
    Franklin County, News, Z - News Main
    Check out this week’s Franklin County Times! – May 7, 2025
    María Camp, Managing Editor 
    May 7, 2025
    Check out this week's Franklin County Times! May 7, 2025 Available online and in black newspaper boxes around the county.
    {"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Red Bay passes alcohol ordinance
    Main, News, Red Bay
    Red Bay passes alcohol ordinance
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    May 6, 2025
    RED BAY – The city now has an alcohol ordinance in effect and interested parties may apply for an alcohol license. The move to adopt an ordinance is a...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Unified purpose marks National Day of Prayer
    Main, News, Red Bay, ...
    Unified purpose marks National Day of Prayer
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    May 6, 2025
    RED BAY -- Red Bay community members came together at the gazebo in Bay Tree Park to offer united voices of faith on the annual National Day of Prayer...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Sheriff willing to work with ICE
    Franklin County, Main, News
    Sheriff willing to work with ICE
    By Russ Corey For the FCT 
    May 6, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver praised his county’s Hispanic community and said his involvement with the U.S. Immigration and C...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    VFW, other volunteers take part in day of service
    Franklin County, Main, News, ...
    VFW, other volunteers take part in day of service
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    May 6, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE – Volunteers from the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars members and others spent time Saturday cleaning up monuments in Russe...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    FFA student receives $1,000 grant
    News, Red Bay
    FFA student receives $1,000 grant
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    May 6, 2025
    RED BAY -- FFA student Cayson Johnston has received a $1,000 grant for his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). FFA advisor Jarod Massey said Joh...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Franklin Living: Marathon runner, love never dims, and more
    Franklin Living, News, Z - News Main, ...
    We Say
    Franklin Living: Marathon runner, love never dims, and more
    Staff Reports 
    May 6, 2025
    There’s a lot of interesting folks in Franklin County, and we’re pleased to highlight them in our magazine, Franklin Living. The May/June issue is now...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Vina 7th grader finishes 2nd in state 3200M race
    News, Sports
    Vina 7th grader finishes 2nd in state 3200M race
    Bart Moss For the FCT 
    May 6, 2025
    Vina seventh grader Lindie Easterling finished second in the Class 1A state 3200 meter run (2-mile). Easterling finished a distant second to Kaylie Ke...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    ❮ ❯
    Latest Local News
    Check out this week’s Franklin County Times! – May 7, 2025
    Check out this week’s Franklin County Times! – May 7, 2025
    Check out this week's Franklin County Times! May 7, 2025 Available online and in black newspaper boxes around the county.
    May 7, 2025
    Red Bay passes alcohol ordinance
    Red Bay passes alcohol ordinance
    RED BAY – The city now has an alcohol ordinance in effect and interested parties may apply for an alcohol license. The move to adopt an ordinance is a...
    May 6, 2025
    Unified purpose marks National Day of Prayer
    Unified purpose marks National Day of Prayer
    RED BAY -- Red Bay community members came together at the gazebo in Bay Tree Park to offer united voices of faith on the annual National Day of Prayer...
    May 6, 2025
    Sheriff willing to work with ICE
    Sheriff willing to work with ICE
    RUSSELLVILLE — Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver praised his county’s Hispanic community and said his involvement with the U.S. Immigration and C...
    May 6, 2025
    VFW, other volunteers take part in day of service
    VFW, other volunteers take part in day of service
    RUSSELLVILLE – Volunteers from the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars members and others spent time Saturday cleaning up monuments in Russe...
    May 6, 2025

    More Local News

    Latest Stories
    Franklin County Health Scores
    43 Grill – 15110 Hwy 43, Russellville – Score 95, 4-2-- 2025 Bay City Nutrition – 910 4th St., Red Bay – Score 99, 4-14-2025 Big Star #345 – Deli – 40...
    May 6, 2025
    Obituaries
    Justin Alexander Jewell May 1, 2025 Justin Alexander Jewell, 21, of Phil Campbell, passed away May 1. Visitation was held May 5 from 2-5 p.m. at Pleas...
    May 6, 2025
    Marriages
    Apr. 22 • Orlando Martel Gates to Cassidy Renae Stone Apr. 23 • Jose Antonio Galvan Chavez to Carmen Leonor Romo Velazquez • Oscar Molina Sandoval to ...
    May 6, 2025
    Land Transactions
    Apr.22 • Tony and Tonya Welch to Justin and Alanis Epperson, survivorship • Federal National Mortgage Association and Fannie Mae to Derek and Damita H...
    May 6, 2025
    Belgreen, Tharptown advance
    Despite falling short in their area championship games, both the Belgreen Bulldogs and the Tharptown Wildcats secured their spots in the Class 2A Nort...
    May 6, 2025
    Latest Sports
    Vina 7th grader finishes 2nd in state 3200M race
    Vina 7th grader finishes 2nd in state 3200M race
    Vina seventh grader Lindie Easterling finished second in the Class 1A state 3200 meter run (2-mile). Easterling finished a distant second to Kaylie Ke...
    May 6, 2025
    Belgreen, Tharptown advance
    Despite falling short in their area championship games, both the Belgreen Bulldogs and the Tharptown Wildcats secured their spots in the Class 2A Nort...
    May 6, 2025
    ‘Everyone belongs, every achievement is celebrated’
    ‘Everyone belongs, every achievement is celebrated’
    RUSSELLVILLE -- More than 70 students from across the county took part in the third annual Special Olympics at Tharptown Elementary School. Activities...
    May 6, 2025
    Red Bay playoff hopes halted by Mars Hill
    Red Bay playoff hopes halted by Mars Hill
    The Red Bay Tigers’ impressive baseball season came to a heartbreaking conclusion over the weekend as they were edged out by the Mars Hill Panthers in...
    May 6, 2025
    NWSCC names new head cross country coach
    NWSCC names new head cross country coach
    PHIL CAMPBELL - Heath White is the new head coach of the cross country program at Northwest Shoals Community College. A former NWSCC cross country ath...
    May 6, 2025

    More Sports Stories

    x

    Sections

    • Home
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyles
    • Obits
    • Special Sections
    • Sponsored Content
      • Home
      • News
      • Sports
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyles
      • Obits
      • Special Sections
      • Sponsored Content

    Services

    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise With Us
    • Policies
    • Terms of use
    • Submit a news tip
    • Submit a photo
    • Birth announcement
    • Birthday announcement
    • Engagement announcement
    • Wedding announcement
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Advertise With Us
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter

    Follow Us

    Copyright

    © , Franklin County Times