Principal flexibility
Clear Creek ISD’s Robinson Elementary has a new leader, and the coming school year will be an especially challenging prospect
Travishia Hewitt has had a hectic couple of weeks.
She found out on July 20 that she was going to be the new principal at Clear Creek ISD’s G.W. Robinson Elementary in Seabrook. Since then, her days have been a whirlwind of activity as she gets ready for the start of school in a few weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I had a couple of virtual meetings with teachers; so that was interesting,” Hewitt said. “I’m really big on relationships and I really wanted to meet people face-toface, but we couldn’t do that (because of the pandemic.)”
There were grade-level team meetings, too. Then walkarounds to get a feeling for the campus at 451 Kirby Road.
Hewitt is confident the Robinson community will persevere during a school year that will be unlike any before.
“During this very different school year, it will be important for parents and staff to remember to stop, breathe and remain positive and flexible,” Hewitt said.
“We have to practice patience and love for each other and ourselves. Remembering and modeling our core values will be crucial. We also have to set examples of positivity, unity, flexibility and mindfulness for our children who watch our every move. We are CCISD strong, and we will get through this.”
There are two groups of people Hewitt would especially like to meet.
“I’m very excited” about the coming school year, she said. “I haven’t met any parents, of course, but I have gotten messages from a lot of them.
“I’m very big on having a family environment, and that’s the feeling I have gotten here.”
She hasn’t met any students either, but she has seen several. Hewitt and Assistant Principal Jaclyn Rhee have driven around some of the neighborhoods in the Robinson attendance zone where she observed many of her future students playing outside.
“It was wonderful to see that,” she said.
Hewitt succeeds former Principal Yolanda Jones, who retired this summer after a 22-year career with Clear Creek schools.
She comes to Robinson after a four-year stint as the assistant principal at Clear Lake City’s John F. Ward Elementary.
“Before that, I was at Spring ISD and I was there for seven years before transitioning over to Clear Creek,” she said.
Her time at Spring was spent in the classroom, she said.
“I was a classroom teacher in an elementary school for five years, then I became a math and science instructional coach for pre-K through grade 5,” she said.
Despite having invested seven years in Spring, Hewitt started to look elsewhere for the next step in her career.
“I knew I wanted to be an assistant principal, that was my goal at the time; so I started looking at school districts,” she said. “I wasn’t opposed to changing school districts, either.
“I have some friends that live in the (Clear Creek) school district and they said, ‘You should really check out our district.’ I looked at everything and I was just amazed. I was sold then. I loved everything the district stood for, so it’s become my home.”
And Robinson Elementary is that home now.
“Robinson Elementary is very passionate about student growth and success, celebrating student individuality and creativity, and coming together as one family,” said Hewitt. “Some of my goals are to learn and grow with the Robinson staff, meeting individual needs, and create authentic and engaging learning experiences and lasting relationships with staff and students.”