The three main original buildings contained only 42 classrooms. The football stadium was just a field of grass; some didn’t even call it a stadium as there were no track, no seats, only dirt. However, buildings that were once just concrete and cement have become what many people from the South of Gandy would call a second home.
After two full years of construction comes to an end, Robinson hosted its rededication ceremony on Saturday, March 23. Many alumni, Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) School Board Members, State Officials and current staff and students gathered in the auditorium to celebrate. Today, Robinson High School stands to have over 100 classrooms, including a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant for the culinary arts program, numerous computer labs and much more.
“The high school has been around for 65 years. It’s pretty big especially now as we start to look at Hillsborough County and that they are starting to close a few schools. It’s important, you know, every once in a while to give a history lesson and let people understand that Robinson’s been here for a long time. A lot of people know that because they’ve been around for a while but there’s also new people that move into the area so it’s important that they understand that Robinson’s deep in traditions,” Principal David Brown said.
The ceremony began as all were welcomed with music from the Robinson band. Assistant Principal for Curriculum, Christopher Pettit, then made the official introduction to the dedication. Following that, IB Senior Aurora Stukey performed the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. Principal Brown then made his speech, where he highlighted the whole construction process and how he felt proud and honored to be Robinson’s principal today.
“For me, I am born and raised here, my parents are born and raised here, so when my parents went to school, there were two high schools: Hillsborough and Plant. That was it, those are your choices. Then when I went to high school there were only 10 high schools,” Brown said. “Now we have 28 and next year they’re gonna open a 29th high school.”
After, a keynote address was delivered by Dr. Sylvia Albritton. Albritton was Principal at Robinson from 1990-1996 and when it came to selecting a keynote speaker, all knew that she was the right choice. Not only was she the first graduate of Robinson to serve as principal but she was the first female principal of the school. As a long-time resident in South Tampa, she has seen firsthand how Robinson has developed and flourished over the years and that it has deserved the remodeling it has received.
“The buildings, when it was under reconstruction, it looked like a war zone out here. Kind of broke my heart in a way because I missed the catwalks, I miss all the memories. But I know better than most because I’ve been here for so many years, that the building was not insulated, it was the same concrete block wall on the outside or the inside. It needed the reconstruction,” Albritton said. “Now as a past principal, there are more opportunities I can see that all these programs and these buildings can provide students currently and in the future. And Robinson deserves that. And the community deserves that. So I’m very, very happy to see good things happening here.”
Over her years as principal, Albritton has made a significant impact on the Robinson community, fostering an environment where all students can flourish. History teacher Melissa Mousseau, who was a student under Albritton’s term, agrees and acknowledges how her strong curriculum background helped set the bar for high-achieving students at Robinson.
“I think Sylvia Albritton was always present as a principal. We talk about it till this day, how she would march in every Gasparilla parade with the Band and Starlets with high heels on. I think she was a very giving woman and committed to making Robinson a better place. She brought a lot of higher-end classes that benefitted the students and helped Robinson’s overall reputation,” Mousseau said.
Many other past principals also attended including Johnny Bush, who was principal at Robinson from 2012-2016. During his term, he helped bring accreditation of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Program at Robinson as well as brought the program to a 100% pass rate, the only school then in the state of Florida and one of 36 in the nation. As a retired HCPS principal, Bush is proud of the impact the school has had on him.
“I was the first African American principal of this school. And it meant a lot to me that they trusted me with this amazing school. I give a lot of credit to Mary Ellen Elia, who was the superintendent at the time, and took this chance, gave me a lot of direction and a lot of support to be here when this school achieved its first “A” rating,” Bush said. “Robinson to me is the exact type of school that you want all across America. There’s a great mix of diversity. There are a lot of achievements that are here academically, athletically and socially. I think Robinson has the best blend of kids of any school I’ve ever worked in in my 35 years of education.”
As one of the many attendees of the celebration, Bush also highlighted how important the rededication was for the knight pride held by many in the Robinson and South of Gandy community.
“The rededication is very important to show the growth of this school and to show the tight-knit that was there in 1959 that’s still here now,” Bush said. “We had football games here. There were times when we would have to stand on the track. They couldn’t sit in the bleachers, we didn’t have the space for them. We had to get our bleachers redone to accommodate the volume of people that came out because this was the only show in town on a Friday night with a great football game and then you start to see it with band and orchestra and drama and you know all the other clubs and things that are getting involved. You see a lot of togetherness and a lot of pride in this community.
In addition, a video presentation created by Journalism teacher Joanie Webster was shown, showing a montage of Robinson throughout the decades. Many were in awe, as they saw familiar faces and even their own on the big screen. School Board Members made their addresses as well and the rededication was put in place by HCPS Chief of Staff Dr. Marie Whelan, in substitute for HCPS Superintendent Van Ayres. The ceremony concluded with a performance of “Camelot” by Thespian Troupe 2660, followed by the crowd singing the Robinson Alma Mater.
“My former student Dewey Mitchell was recently quoted as saying everything that good happened to him happened to him here. Same thing for me. I met my husband here, my children were born while I was teaching here I got my first administrative job here and I will fortunately be able to give back to the community here,” Albritton said.
The rededication ceremony was both a celebration of the school’s achievements and a tribute to Robinson’s values, bringing together past and future generations to honor the school it has become today.
“I am proud to be a Robinson student because of the amazing environment the school has provided me with. Throughout my four years at the school, I have been taught how to become a good leader and balance my life with academics, sports and extracurricular activities. The main thing about Robinson that I love is the opportunity to be included and create change in our community. I have been allowed to make a great change through SGA and through Band which has opened up many doors for me to communicate with students and work with students on both sides of the school (Traditional and IB) and make this school something we are proud of,” Senior Class President Tara Kuklen said.
