Who would you consider the face of Robinson? While some would first bring a popular teacher, the principal or the SGA president to mind, to me it’s the person who acts like the “glue” of the school, sometimes without recognition. The person who decorates the front office, answers calls from the concerned parents, makes sure passes are getting run and will gladly offer to help you anyway they can. The first smiling face you see when you walk into the office. For Robinson, this person is Ms.Sallis.
Lily Sallis has served as a secretary at Robinson for over thirteen years, originally joining as the secretary for the IB program.
“When I got here [Robinson] I felt like it was meant to be, you know, and on a personal level it was one of those things where I was just looking forward to working here,” Sallis said. “I’ve seen so many students grow up, get married and move on in their lives. I’ve even had students come back, look for me, and it’s like ‘Oh my gosh, you’re still here.’ So staying around is a benefit because then you get to see them when they come back and see how much they’ve grown and have accomplished in their lives.”
While currently she serves as the secretary for student services, Sallis often dons several hats considering the shifts in her position over time. During her time in the IB program, she could be found organizing pinning ceremonies and booking IB exam locations. Today, her position is more general, extending to all students and staff, allowing her to foster the school community alongside her other secretarial duties.
When asked to describe her role, Sallis’s coworkers didn’t hesitate to highlight her impact on school culture.
“She’s always smiling. She greets everyone with a very friendly and welcoming attitude and is really a team player. She also likes to engage in activities that promote cohesiveness and togetherness, with our students, she always plans Halloween and Thanksgiving gift bags for her TAs. She’s always a part of planning for birthdays, retirements or special occasions for people. She just likes to bring people together and create that family working environment,” Robinson Social Worker Lori Stewart said.
Sallis’s ability to serve as the face of Robinson can be derived by what she calls “the gift of gab.” The simple ability of talking to someone and making them feel heard and understood is something Sallis excels at, attributing to why her role as secretary is incredibly fitting.
“I’m a person that is very communicative, and I think I say things that make people feel safe. When I get on the phone with a parent, they tend to want to tell their life story. They want to pour their hearts out, and so I’m on the phone with them for quite a while, and it’s touching because I think I make them feel comfortable enough to want to share their life story,” Sallis said. “They’re calling because they’re having some issue with someone, and they’re frustrated. So then I become the problem solver, and I try to do it gently because sometimes we don’t know the role we can play in someone’s life.”
Although we may not always know the role we play in the lives of others, Sallis takes measures to play a definitively positive role in the lives of those around her. While supporting parents and encouraging her coworkers, Sallis attempts to create a connection with every student she encounters, no matter their grade, program or popularity.
“She has a very good relationship with the students in this school. She cares about them, and she lets them know that. She’s genuinely interested in them, without becoming overly personal with them. She doesn’t want to invade their privacy, but she’s always open and willing to be a listening ear, should they ever need something,” Stewart said. “She decorates the office to make it a friendly environment for them. She keeps snacks, candy and stickers, which naturally draws the kids to her desk. She chats with them. She’ll ask them about their homecoming pictures. It shows a genuine interest in their activities in and out of school. She’s just a friendly and welcoming person that I think students can connect to. I think a lot of them connect with her as a mom figure.”
Sallis agrees with this sentiment, echoing it herself, viewing students as not simply a part of her job but a part of her.
“I’m a mom, so the kids here are an extension of me in some sense. You could say I’m a mom from another mother,” Sallis said.
Sallis serves as another mother to the students, a source of encouragement to her coworkers and an object of support for parents. Most importantly, she serves as the face of Robinson and a symbol of the community we can create.
