New Staff Profile: Robert Grinnell

Daniel O'Toole November 20, 2020

Photo of Robert Grinnell. Photo submitted by Grinnell.

The‌ ‌start‌ ‌of‌ ‌another‌ ‌school‌ ‌year‌ ‌always‌ ‌comes‌ ‌and‌ ‌goes.‌ ‌With‌ ‌that‌ ‌comes‌ ‌new‌ ‌students‌ ‌and‌ ‌staff‌ ‌members.‌ ‌This‌ ‌year’s‌ ‌group‌ ‌of‌ ‌new‌ ‌teachers‌ ‌includes‌ ‌Robert‌ ‌Grinnell,‌ ‌a‌ ‌first‌ ‌year‌ ‌Spanish‌ ‌teacher,‌ ‌who‌ ‌is‌ ‌ready‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌job.‌ ‌

Grinnell‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌middle‌ ‌child‌ ‌of‌ ‌his‌ ‌family‌ ‌and‌ ‌grew‌ ‌up‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌North‌ ‌Shore‌ ‌in‌ ‌Massachusetts.‌ ‌Grinnell’s‌ ‌hobbies‌ ‌include‌ ‌running,‌ ‌hiking,‌ ‌learning‌ ‌new‌ ‌languages,‌ ‌eating‌ ‌good‌ ‌food‌ ‌and‌ ‌being‌ ‌around‌ ‌friends‌ ‌and‌ ‌family.‌ ‌ ‌

Photo of Robert Grinnell. Photo submitted by Grinnell.

After‌ ‌high‌ ‌school,‌ ‌he‌ ‌attended‌ ‌Gordon‌ ‌College‌ ‌where‌ ‌he‌ ‌received‌ ‌a‌ ‌degree‌ ‌in‌ ‌secondary‌ ‌education‌ ‌for‌ ‌Spanish‌ ‌and‌ ‌English‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌Second‌ ‌Language.‌ ‌Grinnell‌ ‌believes‌ ‌that‌ ‌“with‌ ‌the‌ ‌help‌ ‌of‌ ‌education.‌ ‌.‌ ‌.‌ ‌people‌ become‌ ‌better‌ ‌members‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌world.”‌ ‌He‌ ‌finished‌ ‌college‌ ‌with‌ ‌student‌ ‌teaching‌ ‌at‌ ‌Beverly‌ ‌High‌ ‌School‌ ‌and‌ ‌eventually‌ ‌went‌ ‌to‌ ‌Spain‌ ‌to‌ ‌continue‌ ‌his‌ ‌studies.‌ ‌ ‌

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Grinnell‌ ‌lived‌ ‌in‌ ‌Seville,‌ ‌Spain‌ ‌while‌ ‌attending‌ ‌the‌ ‌University‌ ‌of‌ ‌Seville.‌ ‌A‌ ‌fond‌ ‌memory‌ ‌he‌ ‌made‌ ‌while‌ ‌in‌ ‌Spain‌ ‌was‌ ‌when‌ ‌he‌ ‌and‌ ‌his‌ ‌friends‌ ‌built‌ ‌a‌ ‌chicken‌ ‌coop‌ ‌that‌ ‌raised‌ ‌five‌ ‌chickens‌ ‌and‌ ‌is‌ ‌still‌ ‌there‌ ‌to‌ ‌this‌ ‌day.‌ ‌ ‌

During‌ ‌his‌ ‌freshman‌ ‌year‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌University‌ ‌of‌ ‌Seville,‌ ‌Grinell‌ ‌traveled‌ ‌to‌ ‌Tijuana,‌ ‌Mexico‌ ‌to‌ ‌work‌ ‌in‌ ‌an‌ ‌orphanage‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌the‌ ‌children‌ ‌there‌ ‌and‌ ‌teach‌ ‌them‌ ‌English.‌ ‌“Despite‌ ‌the‌ ‌kids‌ ‌not‌ ‌having‌ ‌a‌ ‌biological‌ ‌bond‌ ‌to‌ ‌each‌ ‌other,‌ ‌[they‌ ‌have]‌ ‌formed‌ ‌a‌ ‌family‌ ‌amongst‌ ‌one‌ ‌another”‌ ‌said‌ ‌Grinnell.‌ ‌Normally‌ ‌he‌ ‌would‌ ‌fly‌ ‌out‌ ‌to‌ ‌San‌ ‌Diego‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌on‌ ‌a‌ ‌bus‌ ‌or‌ ‌van‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌group‌ ‌or‌ ‌by‌ ‌himself‌ ‌and‌ ‌travel‌ ‌to‌ ‌Tijuana.‌ ‌Due‌ ‌to‌ ‌COVID-19,‌ ‌this‌ ‌was‌ ‌the‌ ‌first‌ ‌time‌ ‌in‌ ‌five‌ ‌years‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌not‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌go.‌ ‌

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Previously,‌ ‌Grinnell‌ ‌worked‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌ESL‌ ‌program‌ ‌in‌ ‌Lynn‌ ‌and‌ ‌has‌ ‌recently‌ ‌arrived‌ ‌in‌ ‌Malden,‌‌moving‌ ‌here‌ ‌in‌ ‌September.‌ ‌He‌ ‌hopes‌ ‌that‌ ‌his‌ ‌impact‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌school‌ ‌and‌ ‌students‌ ‌here‌ ‌at‌ ‌MHS‌ ‌will‌ ‌let‌ ‌him‌ ‌become‌ ‌“more‌ ‌than‌ ‌a‌ ‌teacher”‌ ‌and‌ ‌build‌ ‌bonds‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌students‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌them‌ ‌become ‌‌better‌ ‌people.‌‌

Daniel O'Toole

Contributor

Daniel O’Toole is a senior at Malden High School and is he’s heading into his fourth year as a member of The Blue and Gold as the Co-Editor in Chief. O’Toole joined the newspaper with the goal to gain reporting skills that he can take into college as he aims to be a member of the sports media in the future. Alongside keeping up with sports news, O’Toole is a captain of the field hockey and crew teams at MHS and is one of the hosts of The Blue and Gold’s sports podcast. In his free time, O’Toole enjoys listening to a mix of hip-hop and rap including artists like Post Malone, Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Kanye West.

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