Teacher Feature: Ms. Tzanides | Welcoming a New Addition to the Fontbonne Family

Jaylyn Osbourne '29

This school year, Fontbonne welcomes a new teacher in the science department: Ms. Lilly Tzanides, who teaches biology, AP biology, and anatomy and physiology. Before she taught at Fontbonne, she was a substitute teacher at Xaverian for nearly a year. Her commute to school is a brief seven minutes on her scooter, which she cherishes deeply.

She attended CCNY for a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and shares a snippet of how she chose this path: “As I got older, I fell in love with astronomy. I loved space. I was obsessed with it. I was convinced that I was going to be an astrophysicist. And then I started my physics major in college and realized I hated it. So I kind of switched gears and realized that I really liked biology. And then I took my first organic chemistry class and totally fell in love with chemistry all over again, and then decided to do biochemistry, and the rest is history.”

Aside from biochemistry and teaching, her interests include camping, hiking, and plants as a whole. She also mentions having a strong connection with her Greek heritage, as well as speaking the language. Her family is a long lineage of teachers—her mother, sister, and paternal great grandparents included.

When asked about her experience so far here at Fontbonne, she replied, “The student body and faculty that I have met here have made me feel very welcomed. Shout out to Mr. Loftus.”

Ms. Tzanides has been a great addition to Fontbonne and has made science fun for those who aren’t as fond of the subject. Her way of teaching is very engaging and she always ensures that every student has a complete grasp of the topic at hand.