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Announcing The Phyllis McV. Robinson Teachers Fund

"We wanted to give something back to St. Andrew’s because of everything everyone there had done for Phyllis. That’s what inspired us, and I’d do it again in a minute," said Betsy Robinson, the mother of longtime Biology Teacher Phyllis Robinson.
Phyllis Robinson spent close to four decades teaching at St. Andrew’s. During that time, her parents, John and Betsy Robinson, were also members of the extended community. They watched with joy as Phyllis grew as a teacher, supporting and supported by her fellow faculty members. John died in 2021, during Phyllis’ final year at St. Andrew’s, but Betsy continued to watch Phyllis’ growth right up until the day she retired.

John and Betsy shared a lifelong standing interest in education - first their own, and then their children’s and their grandchildren’s, setting aside money to ensure they could support them all through college. Now that their grandchildren are completing their degrees, John and Betsy asked themselves who they could support next. The answer would be St. Andrew’s.

John and Betsy knew, even before John’s passing, that they wanted to give back to St. Andrew’s in honor of their daughter and what the school and her colleagues had done for her. With that in mind, they have established The Phyllis McV. Robinson Teachers Fund, an endowed fund to benefit faculty professional development at St. Andrew’s.

Named for their daughter, The Phyllis McV. Robinson Teachers Fund will award grants to St. Andrew’s teachers who wish to attend conferences, helping to cover expenses like registration, transportation, lodging, and meals. The gift totals $125,000.

“We wanted to give something back to St. Andrew’s because of everything everyone there had done for Phyllis,” Betsy Robinson said. “That’s what inspired us, and I’d do it again in a minute.”

Teachers who have already benefitted from the fund include Lower School Design Science Teacher Josiane Tchongouang, who is receiving support to complete her National Board Certification; Assistant Head of Middle School Deidra Henderson, who will use a grant from the fund to attend the Stanley H. King Counseling Institute this summer; and Biology teacher, CTTL leader and New Employee Program Co-Leader Eva Shultis, who is receiving support to become a certified instructional/professional coach.

“I have had so many positive, enlightening, and deeply thoughtful experiences at various conferences and workshops through the years. These not only allowed me to improve my craft as an educator, but renewed my passions and forged connections with counterparts around the country,” Phyllis Robinson said. “I’m thrilled that this fund will enable my colleagues - current and future - to have similar experiences that will renew their energy and enhance their teaching.”
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St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.