In room 207, students can expect to find groups of desks with highlighters and red pens laid out on top of them, a lamp dimly lighting the room and various posters along the walls, maybe even a corny “dad joke of the day” or a list of grammar rules written on the board, and English teacher and gymnastics coach Mrs. Robin Lusk-Stancil teaching her class or sitting at her desk grading assignments.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” said Lusk-Stancil. “I decided to be a teacher because I didn’t want to miss my kids’ whole life, and I loved this age group. [Being a teacher] fit everything in my lifestyle. The only thing that changed was the subject. I switched from teaching sports to teaching English.”
She’s been teaching for two decades now in the area. She graduated from First Colonial High School in 1990 and has spent her entire teaching career at Salem.
“This is my twentieth year here,” said Lusk-Stancil. “I loved the kids, and the academy’s here. It was just my people. It’s the only school I’ve ever taught at. Probably the only school I’ll ever teach in.”
The students that Lusk-Stancil teaches seem to have just as much of a love for her as she does for them, with some pointing to her positive nature as a highlight of her classes.
“Mrs. Stancil is a very upbeat, enthusiastic teacher, which makes it very easy to stay engaged in her class,” said junior Emma Lewis. “Her passion for teaching and writing is very contagious, which is what I think fuels the class. Personally, I really enjoy the subject matter overall and Mrs. Stancil has a special way of making it extra fun.”
However, her work around the school doesn’t stop in the English Department. She’s also the coach for gymnastics, a sport she’s been fond of for most of her life.
“I’ve loved gymnastics [since I was] a small child,” said Lusk-Stancil. “I was a terrible gymnast, but I loved it. I was bad enough, so I knew how to teach it well because I had to have things explained to me so many times.”
Lusk-Stancil has a few more interests outside of sports and gymnastics. She’s well-known by her students for her thrill-seeking nature and love of adventure.
“She does a lot of crazy things,” said junior Micah Graves. “Like, she’ll [say], ‘would you rather go bungee jumping or jump off of a cliff? I’ve done both.’”
Students’ perception of Lusk-Stancil as a thrill-seeker isn’t for no reason. She’s gone on quite a few travels and adventures in a vast array of different places over the years, especially within South America.
“The shark dive and scuba diving is way up there [for my favorite experiences]. I did a cave dive and a wreck dive while scuba diving. Those were fun,” said Lusk-Stancil. “I did a zip line across the Mexican gorge. Lots of traveling because my husband was a travel agent. And cruises. I love going on cruises. I’ve been on thirty, or at least twenty-five, if not thirty. I went to Belize. [My husband and I] liked St. Thomas. We loved Aruba. And I’ve never had a bad time in Mexico.”
However, between all the sightseeing and thrill-seeking, Lusk-Stancil still comes back to her favorite thing to do outside of traveling and adventure: teaching, something she sees herself doing for many more years to come.
“I would say teaching in general is my ideal job,” said Lusk-Stancil. “I would always be a teacher. I think even when I retire, I’ll probably still volunteer.”
So if you ever happen to run into her, feel free to stop and say hello. She may have a few new stories to share about her latest adventure.
