There’s a new Mrs. Robinson in Chief town!
Mrs. S. Robinson is the new assistant principal and AP/AICE Coordinator at Santaluces. Before coming here, she was an educator at Royal Palm for 13 years. Her hobbies include chauffering her kids to and from cheerleading and football practice, and what she calls “cheer-stalking,” brought on by her love of the sport.
After graduating from high school, she attended the University of Central Florida.
“I received my undergrad from UCF and my Masters degree online through Capella University,” said Mrs.Robinson.
However, she didn’t always plan on becoming an educator.
“When I graduated from college, my major was psychology, and I originally wanted to be a psychiatrist,” she said.
During her second semester of college, she had an internship at a halfway house, where many of the patients were suffering from mental disabilities, such as bipolar disorder.
“I encountered one girl, she was 17, and she was bipolar and had abused drugs. I was 21 at the time and when I was talking to her, I didn’t know what advice I could offer her, since I hadn’t really experienced life,” said Mrs. Robinson. “After I left that day, it was so depressing and I didn’t know if I wanted to listen to people’s problems for the rest of my life.”
She had realized that at only 17 years of age, it was already too late for the young girl. She was already lost and her problems had become a habit.
“So moving into education, I wanted to be in a position where I could be proactive instead of reactive,” said Mrs. Robinson.
Her step-father, who had been an assistant principal at Suncoast for many years, encouraged her to apply for a teaching job.
“My first job was at Royal Palm as an Algebra 1 teacher. I started out teaching Algebra 1 and coaching cheerleading,” she said.
Mrs. Robinson admits that it was hard for her to leave Royal Palm; she had worked there for many years and had seen her students grow from freshman to high school graduates. She also felt that her time at Royal Palm had helped mold her into who she is today.
Moving to Santaluces was an experience for her. Unlike Royal Palm, Santaluces is a one-story school with a remodeled cafeteria that now operates on a 7 period schedule.
However, Mrs. Robinson said she has found the entire Chief family to be very receptive, making her feel welcome.
She said that Mr. Krupa and the staff were kind to her, and helped her out on her first day.
“She’s an outstanding addition to the school,” said Mr. Krupa. “We’re so lucky to have her and she’s a tireless worker. She’s going to be a principal one day.”
Mrs. Robinson said everyone at Santalcues has been warm and receptive.
“They made the transition very, very easy,” she said.
Her only complaint is that the Dunkin Donuts’ sweet tea in the area isn’t nearly as good as the one in Royal Palm.
Mrs. Robinson loves working with AICE and accelerated academies, and even credits our school’s website as a factor in her decision to join the Chief family.
During her time here, Mrs. Robinson hopes to familiarize herself with Santaluces and to begin implementing changes to make Santaluces even greater.
“I want students to know that I’m here for them to help them,” said Mrs. Robinson. “My goal is to see each and every student succeed, to get a diploma, and to accomplish any goal they set for themselves.”
