I recently had the pleasure of taking a very special group of visitors on a tour of the new middle school building.
The trio included Bill Collins and his wife Katie Robinson Collins and Elizabeth Robinson. This was the first time they were able to be in the new space, after following our years’ long progress throughout the planning, fundraising, and construction. Why is this trio so special?
Katie is the daughter of Hamlin and Mary Helen Robinson, and Elizabeth was their daughter-in-law. The Robinson family is the founding family of Hamlin Robinson School. If it had not been for Hamlin and Mary Helen; our school would not exist today. Katie’s brother Alan Robinson is a current member of our Board of Trustees and has actively served on our board for years. His institutional knowledge and dedication to this community is remarkable. Along with Katie and other members of the extended family, he is a passionate advocate and longtime supporter of our school.
As we toured the building, Katie talked about her mom and how much she would have been amazed and delighted by the growth of the school, especially the innovative resources and learning spaces this building provides to students.
It was very emotional. Even though the school carries her father’s name, it was her mom, Mary Helen who was deeply passionate about working with and teaching students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. She was the spark that ignited HRS into existence.
As we were touring the classrooms, I took the opportunity to introduce this group to some of our students. After sharing their connection to one class, a student said to their friend, “Is Hamlin Robinson a person?” And then after learning he was indeed a person and this was his daughter and other family members, watching their response was priceless. They were clearly impressed and honored.
A bit of history: Mary Helen was born in Yakima and attended the University of Washington in the 1930s, where she developed a life-long passion for helping others learn to read. While living in New York, she literally knocked on the door of Dr. Samuel Orton, a pioneer in the study of learning disabilities, to meet him. This led to the opportunity for Mary Helen to learn the Orton method of teaching. Dr. Orton later teamed with Anna Gillingham to create the Orton-Gillingham method of instruction. This method is still widely used for individual instruction.
In 1949, Mary Helen helped found The Orton Society, now known as the International Dyslexia Association. Through the society, she and Hamlin met and became friends with Beth Slingerland. They were actively involved with the Slingerland® Institute, where Hamlin served on the board. The Slingerland® Institute adapted the individual focus of Orton-Gillingham into a classroom-based model for multisensory learning.
After Hamlin passed away in 1982, the Robinson family received enough donations to spur Mary Helen, along with Beth Slingerland and others, to open a school dedicated to serving children with language learning challenges.
While Hamlin Robinson School bears the name of her strongly supportive husband, its founding is Mary Helen’s legacy.
Since my tenure as Head of School began, I’ve heard many tales of our early pioneers. Their stories speak of an unwavering conviction in the importance of our mission to ignite the academic and creative potential of students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. There have been many individuals over the years who picked up and carried the torch to move our school forward. It is because of so many, our school continues to innovate, influence, and inspire.
I know I stand on the shoulder of many people who served our community before me. It is the imagination, hard work, and energy of these leaders, benefactors, educators, and so many friends that have ensured the sustainability of our school, and to whom I aspire to honor through our program and service to the community.
Stacy Turner
Head of School
