The ending of Robinson’s first quarter brings new beginnings for the guidance office with the arrival of Stacey Ledgerwood. Although she is new to Robinson, she has been in education for 28 years with 16 of them spent in guidance.

Born in N.H., Ledgerwood moved to Fla. when she was in the second grade but has been living in Tampa for the past 27 years. Ledgerwood attended the University of Florida where she got her bachelor’s in Health Science Education, she then went on to attend the University of West Alabama where she earned her master’s in School Counseling.

She did not always want to be a guidance counselor; her main interest was health sciences. She liked educating students on real-world problems and how to solve them as well as preparing them for life.

“I originally found my way into education through health, I was really interested in that and spent my first 3 years teaching health sciences, and then just regular science for another 3 years,” Ledgerwood said. “I want you guys [students] to be able to do things for yourselves, instead of having to ask your parents for everything, teach independence.”

Even though she loved science, Ledgerwood felt that she could offer more to students if she could teach them one-on-one. But that’s a little difficult to do when you have a classroom of up to 25 students.

“The helping part, at least for me, comes from helping students figure out what they want to do with their lives. I like to help students find answers on their own and come to a conclusion together,” Ledgerwood said.

As for adjusting to Robinson, fellow counselor Kathryn Ferriero shares how much of an asset Ledgerwood will be to RHS.

“Mrs. Ledgerwood is an expert school counselor with a wealth of experience at several schools in Hillsborough County. We are happy to have her here and are looking forward to her helping many students at Robinson with their college and career goals,” Ferriero said.

Outside of school, Ledgerwood likes to relax by going to the beach, traveling or keeping up to date with her favorite sports: hockey and football. She enjoys watching the Bucs play every Sunday and is a huge fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

She looks forward to what new and exciting things Robinson will bring for her. Only having been here for a short amount of time, she already feels at home.

“It’s been very welcoming, everybody’s been really friendly, and the students are really nice. I’ve just been feeling my way around, trying to figure out where everything is, but everyone’s been very helpful, ” Ledgerwood said. “It definitely feels like people are sincere and warm and friendly.”