While Robin Groskurth has been teaching for 23 years, 16 at DHS, a decision has been made. 

She is retiring.

“I’ve had a plan to retire this school year for the last three years,” she said. “When it actually came down to turning in the paperwork, it was pretty stressful. I didn’t want to regret the decision later. 

“I ultimately made the decision in order to have more free time to visit my kids and their families, who all now live out of state. I also want to spend more time with my elderly parents, who both turned 80 this year. I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll pursue something else career-wise. We’ll see.”

Groskurth teaches Language Arts and ACT Prep. 

But teaching wasn’t always her plan.

“I didn’t decide to become a teacher until I was 25,” she said. “My undergraduate degree is in journalism/advertising, which was relatively useless in the small towns we lived in when we were first out of college. When I had the opportunity to go back to school, I decided that teaching was a pretty ideal match for my skills, interests, and family life.

“My favorite part of teaching is seeing kids learn new things that will enrich their lives forever — especially when a student gets turned on to reading when they previously thought they didn’t like to read. Because I personally know how much reading has positively influenced my life, I want others to experience this same satisfaction. Finally, I have very fond memories of lunches and work trips with my fellow teaching friends, especially Jenny Graham, Alison Strecker and Natalie Kerr. We had so many fun times.”

Groskurth is also the National Honor Society sponsor.

“My favorite part of being a National Honor Society faculty sponsor is seeing students give back to our community through volunteerism,” she said. “I’ve had many students through the years comment on how much they benefited from various volunteer opportunities. Having previous students personally contact me to let me know that I made a positive difference in their lives — many times, these seemed to arrive just when I needed some good news (professionally). Working with students in Chick-fil-A Leader Academy and National Honor Society also provided many memorable moments.

“When we give to others, we get more back in return.”