Recognizing Excellence in Teaching, Bonnie Robbins Awarded the Education for Common Good Award 2025

Each year, the department presents a local educator with the Education for the Common Good Award to honor their dedication to teaching, learning, and the broader community of educational professionals. Awardees are chosen because their ongoing work reflects three core values of the Education Department: being aware of the big picture, embracing theory and practice, and living in and modeling a spirit of inquiry.

This year, the Department selected Bonnie Robbins, Athletic Director at Brunswick Junior High School. As Athletic Director at Brunswick Junior High School, Robbins not only manages the school’s athletic programs but also creates various student-centered opportunities through initiatives such as her Community Outreach Class. 

Throughout her work, Robbins nurtures each student’s strengths and fosters deep, lasting relationships—many former students return to visit her or even greet her at the grocery store—as evidence of her enduring impact. Brunswick Junior High School coworker Christine Cotto praised Robbins, saying, “She has worked tirelessly to develop a number of meaningful partnerships that strengthen both the school and the wider community.” Robbins’ projects have ranged from creating service-learning benches with local businesses to organizing food drives in partnership with community hunger‐prevention programs. “Community service and engagement are so important for our young people to learn how they can give back, help others, and feel meaning and purpose. Through this, they learn to communicate through professional business letters/emails and make phone calls to people they don’t know, which is a lost art in today’s society of texting/messaging,” Robbins said.

At the Brodie Lecture Dinner on October 23, Associate Professor of Education Alison Riley Miller described how Robbins “not only enhances student learning, but also cultivates strong and lasting connections between the school and its community.” Whether staying late to assist with student initiatives or simply offering an attentive ear, Robbins builds bonds that reinforce the school’s connection to its community and elevate the work of educating. Robbins received the Common Good Award not only for her outstanding contributions within the school, but for the lasting legacy she is building in the many lives she touches.

The Education for the Common Good Award honors educators who create positive change and dedicate themselves to their communities. “For me, this award is about our community and students, as it truly takes a village to show our students how to make connections and find ways to give back to others,” Robbins said. The department is proud to recognize Robbins for her outstanding contributions to the Brunswick community and her steadfast commitment to educating with the common good in mind.