After over six decades of its establishment, Robinson High School is at the cusp of a makeover.

Starting as an air conditioning replacement project, the school’s old-age has become sort of an issue. Established in 1959, the majority of Robinson’s campus was built before modern air conditioning was common in the state of Florida. The windows, walls and tiles of the school aren’t quite rated for air conditioning.

As a way of guaranteeing a 21st-century learning space, Principal Robert Bhoolai has been advocating for the school to be rebuilt since he first joined the staff six years ago.

“I am of the mantra that if you’re going to do something, you should do it right the first time. And finally, I convinced someone to listen to me,” Bhoolai said.

When students return to school in January, the school day is going to look a little different. Five buildings on campus will be rebuilt: the English building, the math building, the Main Office, Student Affairs and IB Office building, the CTE building, everything below that as well as journalism. Other areas on campus will see renovations.

Construction will take about 18 months.

As a substitute for the missing classrooms when those buildings get torn down over winter break, students can expect some of their classes moved into the portables. Approximately 40 portables will be placed on campus in the current student parking lot and the football practice field, with each portable serving as its own individual classroom. Student parking will likely be moved to a vacated Rembrandt, though discussion of vacating the street with the city is still ongoing. 

There will likely be an adjustment period for students to get used to switching classes between the portables and the center of campus may be closed off from walking through.

“We are a school that performs really well academically. My vision has always been to provide a space that matches that for y’all,” Bhoolai said.

The buildings themselves will be exterior-oriented. All students will enter the class from the exterior of the building, similar to the entrance to the main office, so there won’t be that middle hallway that everyone’s used to. Ergo, the classrooms will be bigger and there’ll be a smaller courtyard.

Since classrooms will expand as a result of the new design, the beloved catwalk above the patio outside of the cafeteria will not be returning. The design of the campus must take into account hurricanes and high winds, adjusting the stairwells for safety measures. The catwalk, however, does not.

There’ll no longer be a separation of the offices and guidance and they’ll be on the same floor as each other, making room for more classrooms upstairs. The college and career counseling, CUBE, will join that building and have its own lab and office. Some of Robinson’s elective programs will also be seeing upgrades.

The Knights’ Tavern will have a state-of-the-art culinary cafe that also has a restaurant attached to it. The goal is to allow students to serve restaurant-style food to their fellow classmates and the community.

“I’m most excited about seeing how it looks like how big it can be and how much space we’re going to have. I’m looking forward to maybe baking like a really big cake,” Khysharah Haynes (’25) said. As a freshman, it’s her first year in culinary and she’ll be among the underclassmen in the program to experience the new kitchen.

Journalism will be moving upstairs with an upgraded TV Productions facility.

Once the buildings are done, the sports facilities will be upgraded, and with it, a new football field.

“I’m a huge advocate of this not being something that’s happening to you as far as your learning experience, but something that you’re a part of. I want students to feel a sense of pride and ownership in their school so that they can proudly say that they’re a Robinson Knight,” Bhoolai said.

Gallery • 9 Photos

This image is a rendering of the new Robinson.