With the new Spanish building added to the campus, the once Spanish hallway is now the new math hallway and is full of new math teachers, one of which is Kara Powell who resides in room 113.

Powell teaches Math Analysis, Trigonometry, and Algebra 1A. She’s also Robinson’s first Teacher Talent Developer, meaning she’s also a coach and mentor for the math department. Her hobbies include sailing, crafting, and watching movies.

As a student she said she was studious, helpful, and overall active in the community.

”I did my homework, I did what I was supposed to. But I also got distracted. I was a student athlete [as well],” Powell said.

She played sports such as water polo, swimming, and tumbling, and also was an active club member in numerous clubs mostly focused on service hours.

”It [helping the community] did play role [In choosing to be a teacher]. My major in college was Public Health. So I wanted to do something that helped the community I lived in,” Powell said. “I was originally a substitute teacher when I was trying to get my grounds when I came out of college. I saw how in need the public school system is, so I just kind of stuck to it.”

In her class room Powell uses everything to teach students effectively, and tries to make math fun for everyone.

”I do different things to try to break up what we’re doing,” She said. “I give them notes, we take notes, I put pictures, I do doodles [on the notes]. I try to do different things to get their attention. We play games, we do competition.

Powell used to teach at Adams Middle School for about seven years and this is her first year at Robinson. She came to Robinson because of things she heard about the school from her colleagues’ at graduate school. AVID teacher, Caroline Hand,  and former teacher Gabriel Flores raved about Robinson which made Powell choose this school.

She has taught a wide variety of grades, from 6th to 8th grade at Adams and teaching ninth to 12th grade at Robinson.

Her teaching goal is to be an administrator and she finished her master’s degree in educational leadership.

”I was ready to move from middle school,” Powell said. “Change of pace, new experiences, and I had the opportunity to be in the position I am, to be a Teacher Talent Developer which is closer to what I want to be doing.”

Students agree Powell is a good addition to the school.

“She’s trying to make learning in class as easy as possible for students … She tries to make every student understand everything they need to even if it means going slower or faster,” TJ Montero (’21) said. “She is a model teacher and is a perfect example of what a teacher should be.”