Stonington — They’ve gone to school together for the past 13 years. Their lockers are even right in a row.

Now four members of the Robinson family — triplets Charlotte, Ruby and Lincoln and their younger brother Colton, will all graduate from Stonington High School on June 13.

For the four children of Don and Maggie Robinson of Pawcatuck, being part of the same graduating class isn’t the least bit strange — after all they been doing it since kindergarten.

“All of us have either hung out with or been friends with everyone in our grade,” said Ruby. “We’ve experienced the same things and the same people.”

“I don’t even think about it. It's just normal,” added Colton.

With the exception of all being athletes and sharing some friends, the four siblings are very different. Here’s how Lincoln explains it.

“Ruby is always happy, smiling and helping people. She the people person. Charlotte is dedicated to school work. I’m not sure how to describe me and Colton. I’m quieter than the rest of them.”

Ruby is on the school’s swim team, a member of the color guard and a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Ocean Community YMCA where she also works at its summer camp. She also the one in the group most likely to hug someone.

Lincoln is one of the fastest high school 300-meter hurdlers in the state. He also runs a leg on the school’s 4 x 100 meter relay team and competes in the 110-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump,

Colton plays lacrosse and football and enjoys riding dirt bikes and fixing cars.

Charlotte is the Type A personality. She’s a member of the soccer and gymnastics teams and captain of the lacrosse team. She’s a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society and member of the school's TLC club in which students form relationships with special education students.

“What we all have in common is that we’re athletes and like to be outdoors,” said Charlotte. “We grew up with the best childhood ever. We always spent time outside at my mom’s house. We we’re always outside in the woods. We have so many great memories of being in the pond catching frogs and being covered in mud.”

While Colton is the youngest, his parents agreed before their children began school to have them all attend the same grade. The four siblings have never all had a high school class together, although Colton, Ruby and Lincoln once had a science class together. It’s rare for them to all be in the same place at one time except for each Sunday night when they have dinner at either their mother or father’s house.

And now after all that time together they get ready to head off to different colleges and the military. That’s the result of Don Robinson’s request that each of them to come up with a feasible plan for after high school and then a career.

Ruby plans to attend Rhode Island College where she will study nursing and compete for the college’s swim team.

“I think it will be a good opportunity to help people out. Everyone has a family member who’s needed help in a hospital,” she said.

Charlotte is headed to the University of Connecticut where she plans to study science with an eye toward becoming a physical therapist which would allow her to combine her love of sports and science.

Lincoln is off to the Community College of Rhode Island where he plans to continue his athletic career on the track team and study computer assisted design.

Colton plans to join the Marines when he turns 18 this summer. Eventually he hopes to become a police officer.

So what’s it like be the parent of four high school seniors?

Don Robinson, an engineer at the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, approaches it much like his profession.

“With kids going in four different directions. It requires a lot of coordination,” he said. “I always have to be looking ahead to see who needs what and when.”

With four children involved in various sports and two cars, it required mapping out everyone’s schedules on a white board and figuring out “who’s driving with who and who’s catching a ride with friends.”

“I have their friends’ parents’ numbers on speed dial,” Robinson said. “It just a lot of volume with preparing meals, buying groceries and dividing up chores.”

For many parents dealing with college application process and financial aid for one child is stressful and time consuming. So how did Robinson juggle four?

“Early this school year we had a meeting. We talked about how it was their responsibility to come up with a plan,” he said. “They needed to take on the responsibility of moving from being a child in high school to becoming an adult in the workforce.”

“College is not about being on vacation. It’s coming up with a plan to join the workforce and support yourself,” he added. “It’s their responsibility but I’m here to help them.”

Robinson said he probably knows more about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at this point than most parents.

“This is a business decision. It’s one of the first real life decision you have to make,” he said about choosing a college.

With the four heading off to college and the military, there’s also going to be a transition for Robinson who said he is typically racing between two and sometimes three athletic events on a given day. He said his car is on autopilot to get him to the high school.

“I’ve been completely engulfed with school activities. I’ll go from being everywhere to it being quiet around here. So it’s a bit of a concern. I’ve joked about being able to do the things I used to do.”

j.wojtas@theday.com