Since its founding in 1958, Robinson has been the center of its community. After all, high school is where many have some of the best times of their lives. So, with a fully renovated school, and very little of the original buildings remaining, Robinson opened its doors to its community on Friday, Sept. 8.
“The purpose of this event was for the community that has been watching our school go through remodeling for the past 18 months to two years to come in and see what the construction was all about,” Principal David Brown said. “I invited the community, the people who live around here even if they don’t necessarily have kids here, but also to the alumni because I think it’s important for them to see ‘hey, how’s my school changed and what are some of the things that they’ve done?’”
Alumni, community members and parents flocked to the school to see the product of the 18 months of construction.
“It’s fascinating to see the growth and the expansion of opportunities for the children who’ve come aboard now. I love it,” said Frank Deier (’63), a retired marine and postman, while taking an SGA-led tour of the school.
Many alumni, like Deier, enjoyed seeing the new school and saw many improvements, however, not everyone saw the changes Robinson has undergone as a good thing.
“I’ve been back a few times, and I was upset when they tore the old one [school] down and they didn’t preserve a lot of stuff,” said Randy Barrett (’75), while touring the main office. “It’s like the senior seal. For one, they’re misrepresenting what they’ve gotten written on it; it says ‘restored by the class of ’94’ where it’s actually replaced with theirs [the class of ’94 seal].”
In addition to more superficial and nostalgic changes like the senior seal or the removal of the catwalk, Barrett also expressed concerns regarding the lack of vocational training.
“I understand they’ve got a culinary school now, but that’s only helping one specific group,” he said. “What if your interests are elsewhere?”
Even though there was some dissatisfaction in the improvements to the school, parents of current students seem to be very satisfied with the changes.
“It’s [the new school] excellent. My son, Leyton, he’s a senior, so he’ll get to experience this [the new school], and what’s even more exciting is for all the students to come,” said Shane Perkey, a proud Robinson parent. “My daughter is in eighth grade and we hope that she’s going to come to Robinson next year, and this is one of those things that is going to be very attractive when she makes her decision about where she goes to school.”
Even though the Open House was mainly targeted towards the community, many students realized the importance of such an event.
“Robinson is such an important part of the South Tampa community and it’s important that we share its milestones,” said Maddy Berg (’24), Executive President of SGA, who volunteered as a tour guide for alumni during the Open House. “I feel like the event really served to connect the Robinson community, whether you’re an alumni, student, or parent.”
