by Itay Akad, NHS Member

Mr. Cory Robinson is a very interesting man. Unlike most faculty members in the school, Mr. Robinson, as the athletic director, does not teach in a classroom, but rather oversees all of the sporting events that take place within the high school. In his 16 years as the athletic director, the school has seen immense success in its various sports, winning several league and some state championships. However, Mr. Robinson was not only new to Fair Lawn, but also new to New Jersey.

Mr. Robinson grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and played various sports growing up, but grew to love hockey and baseball, which remain his two favorite sports today. Following high school and college, Mr. Robinson began coaching the Hudson Catholic Hockey Team in Jersey City. There, the team enjoyed several league championships, and even won the state championship in 2000. Due to his success as a coach, he was offered an athletic director position in Newark, which he accepted. After a few years of managing the high school sports teams in Newark, Mr. Robinson accepted the hockey coach position at Fair Lawn High School. He coached, and taught history, for three years until the former athletic director left the school, which is when Mr. Robinson took over as the Fair Lawn High School athletic director.

Over the years, Mr. Robinson mentioned how his philosophy towards the profession changed. His favorite aspect of the job, other than winning league and state championships, is seeing the kids mature.

“The big thing is seeing kids come in as freshmen, and seeing them mature, go through experiences, interact with their coaches and teammates. To see that everyday at 4, it’s a gift I have,” stated Mr. Robinson. “It’s a gift to know you’re part of it.”

Despite being the athletic director, Mr. Robinson cares for more than just the sports aspect of the school. He has seen how the students in the school have changed over the years.

“The innocence of going to a sporting event has sort of been negated,” he says, attributing the emergence of social media as a key factor in ruining the sense of unity within the school. He mentions how students now can simply text their friends about the game and thus do not need to be at the game to experience the game, which he believes can sometimes affect team morale and unity as fewer fans are in the stands. He also mentions, “Kids, 15 years ago, would be talking in the hall. Now you’ll see kids with earphones.” He insists that those few minutes of human interaction were essential to the well-being of the students, and fears that social media could create a distant student body.

As an athlete, I highly respect Mr. Robinson for everything that he has done for the school’s athletics. I am proud to call myself a Fair Lawn Cutter, and the positive image that comes with being one can be largely attributed to Mr. Robinson’s hard work. However, I am also a student, and as one who walks through the halls everyday, I can see what Mr. Robinson is referring to. It is refreshing to know that there are members in the faculty, like Mr. Robinson, who provide more to the community than simply what their job description entails. As both a student and an athlete, it is nice to know that Mr. Robinson is looking out for us.