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Story by YESENIA ROSARIO, NEWS & FEATURES EDITOR Photos by CECILIA CHENG, PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

After two years of construction and portables, many students and faculty are beginning to feel the excitement of a new school as the new year approaches. Students are looking forward to many different things the new campus has to offer. While the layout has largely remained the same, the facilities which the new buildings have to offer, allow for an environment more conducive towards academic and athletic success. From new classrooms optimized for air conditions to a new turfed field, students look forward to their new campus.

The official Robinson High School Sign at the front of the main building. The main building will contain the main office, Knight Tavern Restaurant, business labs and the Robinson journalism classroom.

Ayres stands proudly in front of his offical supterintendent headshot. “The main goals really revolve around our strategic plan, which number one is positive culture, school culture; two is around academic excellence; three is [centered] around recruiting and retaining exceptional talent in the school district,” Ayres said. Photo by V. Sambasivan offering more test-taking strategies classes as an elective or before/ after school club and providing students with practice tests,” she said. “Additionally, schools can provide students with more resources such as tutoring, online tools, and the right practice books to help them succeed.”

Another large issue facing the district is the issue of teacher pay, which has been a point of contention between the district and the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA).

Since many modern schools allow teachers more freedom in their methods of teaching and grading, students may be receiving a more holistic education, but perhaps are not as well prepared for standardized exams.

“A lot of students don’t know,” Ayres said. “They don’t realize that when they get to be seniors and they haven’t made that score, it hasn’t really hit them that ‘I might graduate in May, but if haven’t made my score, I’m not going to get my diploma.”

One of the solutions to this issue, which the district feels may work, is to simply help students practice more for these standardized tests.

“A lot of it is making them [students] aware and bringing it to their attention early so that they practice,” said Ayres, whom as former Chief of Strategic Planning and Partnerships helped implement the Academic Excellence piece, among others, of the district’s 5-year strategic plan. “[We have to] create those opportunities for students to get better at those particular skills.”

Sanjna Madabushanam (‘24), a member of Robinson’s Political Science Club shares a similar sentiment.

“I believe that schools can increase state exam pass rates by

CEP Fuels Students with Free Meals

All students at Robinson will receive free lunch for the upcoming school year.

By CECILIA CHENG, PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Hillsborough County Public Schools recently announced that they will be offering the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2023-2024 school year. This allows every student at Robinson to join the breakfast and lunch program free of charge, without the need for a meal benefits application.

Alongside the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), the CEP was created through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Schools across the US with at least 40 percent of students recieving benefits from programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TNAP) and Medicaid qualify for this program. There are currently 174 schools in Hillsborough County that are eligible for the provision.

"Our students spend a lot of time at school working on rigorous classes or they spend over 12 hours here at school through athletics and extracurriculars ... so they shouldn't have to worry about bringing money and updating their lunch accounts," said David Brown, Principal of Robinson High School.

Approximately 48 percent of Robinson's students received free or reduced lunch during the 2022-2023 academic year.

48% of students recieved free lunch (2022-23).

Interestingly, this number was lower than the average percentages observed in previous years.

"The year prior, everyone received free lunch due to

COVID. So last school year, some families just forgot or didn't reapply for free/reduced lunch," Brown added.

The provision not only emphasizes the issue of food security, but also provides nutritious food options to all students, ensuring that individuals will have the energy necessary for optimal learning.

"Children need healthy meals to learn," said Van Ayres, Hillsborough County Public Schools Interim Superintendent, in a statement letter, which will be coming home with students on the first day of school. "Hillsborough County Student Nutrition Services offers nutritious, well-balanced meals for students of all ages and backgrounds. Please encourage your child(ren) to participate in the school meal program."

Long-time consumers of school lunch, such as Sabrina Gonzalez ('24), are eager to learn about this new provision.

"In my opinion, school lunch is important because it allows those who don’t have much time or even the resources to make lunch for themselves at home to be able to get nourishment throughout the school day," said Gonzalez who has been purchasing school lunches for the past three years. "Even if you did bring your own lunch, school lunch provides a great alternative and balanced meal. They also have allergy accommodations and there are many different meals to choose from daily, even if you're picky."

However, even with the program, many students, such as Katie Angular ('25), prefer to bring lunch from home.

"Personally, think the portions are small and I also feel the

On Wednesday, April 5, the Hillsborough County School Board voted to award teachers and staff with a salary increase, or as seen by many teachers, some of the “pay steps” that they’ve earned. Despite this agreement, according to the HCPS job listings website, as of July 26, there are still 1,240 unfilled positions within the school system, 600 of them being instructional.

Starting the school year with so many instructional vacancies poses a large issue in instructing students. However, those who have worked with Ayres in the past believe that he has the experience to help deal with these issues.

“That [teacher vacancies] is a huge obstacle for Mr. Ayres to climb,” said Jennifer Orjuela, a Teacher Mentor and former Social Studies Teacher under Ayres while he was Principal at Thomas Jefferson High School. “But, because he has made so many connections in this county, he has a core of teachers and people in different positions that he trusts, and maybe together as a community of Hillsborough County Educators, we can bring back and elevate our [district] to where it should be.”

At the beginning of his first term, Ayres leaves a message for students approaching the upcoming school year.

“We’re excited to have all students back on the first day of school. All of our principals and teachers are excited, and there’s nothing like the first day of school,” Ayres said.

THE JOURNALISM ROOM "I'm really excited for the journalism room because I've heard that we're going to be having some extra spaces for things like lounging and a TV room. Also, just extra space in general; last year, we

THE NEW FOOTBALL FIELD "[I'm looking forward to] the turf field because now I won't be covered in dirt after soccer or lacrosse practice. This should help make soccer easier and less annoying because there won't be random bounces from the soccer ball," Leyton Perkey ('24) said.

AN EMPTY CLASSROOM "[I'm looking forward to] the classrooms. A nice environment I feel would be easier to pay attention in. The portables were really small and got hot and sometimes it got hard to pay attention because I hear everyone's conversations next to me. [It's] better AC and more room, not just desks in lines where you can barely walk down," Ava Booker ('25) said.

This balanced and delicious meal came with mash potato and gravy, chicken bites, a bread roll, apple slices and served with a juice box. Photo by C. Cheng food that is given to the school isn’t fresh," Angular said. "When I pack my own lunch, I always look at the nutrition in it so I can have energy and stay focused for school. Having a healthy lunch can make going through the rest of the day bearable."

The benefit will continue to be offered at Robinson until the 2026-2027 school year, as it is renewed on a four-year cycle.

"The only drawback to students not having to complete a Free or Reduced lunch application is that students [already] on Free or Reduced lunch get other benefits. They get a free SAT and ACT test paid for, athletes also get the insurance paid for or reduced based on their meal status," Brown said. "However, we will have a different form for these students and their families to complete in order for the student to qualify for these benefits.”

THE LOCKER ROOM "I don't really know anything about how they're gonna look or be, but hope they [locker room and weight room] will have nice equipment that every athlete can benefit from and airconditioning because the one we had [didn't] have air, once the building is finished," Yani Or ('25).

Expanding the Robinson Family

By

GRAYES, A&E

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

QUINTEN NAGLE, World History & Critical Think

"I’m ready for something different. I was at [Stewart] middle school for four years and I’m ready to try something new and decided it was time for a change," Nagle said. “I heard about the culture here and I like the IB program so I eventually want to teach that. Hopefully, I get to coach athletics and leave a footprint here.”

JASON KOCHALKA

Spanish 1 & Spanish 2

“It [Spanish] is important but it’s also such a tool that can open so many doors for you that you don’t even know that are there," Kochalka said. “We live in Florida... so Spanish is such a useful language in everyday life.”

JESSIE

DORSEY,

American Sign Language

“There are a myriad of reasons why someone would be interested in taking ASL. Anybody has the ability to lose one of their physical abilities including their sense of sight, sound, anything,” Dorsey said. “But the desire [to learn ASL] has to come from within you.”

Say goodbye to summer and hello to the 2023-2024 school year with this Back to School Bingo.

By CECILIA CHENG, PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

New backpacks, new clothes and new pencils, it’s finally that time of the year again. Whether you are a new or returning knight, all of us feel those first-day jitters and butterflies in our stomachs. Luckily, the beginning of school is filled with introductions and games, allowing teachers to get to know you before the learning begins.