Lottery Winner Still Has Lots of Class

Some students wondered why he didn’t quit. He certainly doesn’t need the paycheck. But the winner of half of a record $111-million lottery jackpot went back to work Tuesday as a junior high school teacher.

“In the halls, you hear congratulations, but otherwise I don’t think it’s too different,” Leslie Robins said.

Robins said he felt comfortable returning to Sabish Junior High for his fourth year of teaching, coaching and advising the school newspaper. But he said he expects this to be his last year at the school.

“This will give me a sense of security, of normality until I decide what I would like to do in the future,” he said. “If I thought that I was a bad teacher, obviously, I would give the job up, or if I thought it was just a job I would give it up. But . . . it is something I enjoy doing tremendously.”

Robins is splitting his winnings in the July 7 Powerball lottery with his fiancee, Colleen De Vries, a 24-year-old nurse. They are creating a foundation to manage their wealth, which will be paid to them over the next 20 years.

Robins said he intends to donate his pay--nearly $35,000 with his extra duties--back to the school. “I am not working for the salary, obviously,” he said.