A review of the first year under Mark Robinson’s leadership

In the beginning, students on campus were introduced to the man behind Bulldog Nation, principal Mark Robinson, who not only gave the school new leadership, but a new voice. Nine months later, it became clear his plans for the school included much more than a new catch-phrase.

“When he took over as the principal of Bowie he didn’t come in and immediately make a lot of changes: he listened and asked questions,” administrative assistant Katie Gilman said.

Following assistant principal Susan Leos’ interim role as principal,  Robinson maintained her high involvement with the student body and utilized it to form better relationships with the students.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Ms. Leos and I have an understanding of who she is, and the thing I appreciate most about her is how relational she is and I’ve certainly tried to continue that because I think that is important,” Robinson said. “Whether it’s the little bit of time I have to visit with everybody in the morning and doing the announcements or being in the classrooms—there’s a lot the principal has to do and unfortunately a lot of it keeps me in my office, but I’m trying to get out of my office as much as possible because that’s the fun part of the job. That’s why I got into being a teacher: because I wanted to work with kids, not because I wanted to sit in an office all day.”

This also inspired a “Principal’s Panel” for students of all grade levels who meet to talk about and share their views of the different aspects of the school and its functions.

“We periodically meet and it’s to make sure that I’m keeping my finger on the pulse of the student body,” Robinson said. “Then being able to get that feedback and put that into the conversations with the teachers I speak with is really helpful.”

In addition to this, Robinson has developed relationships with student council Co-Presidents Jimmy Counihan and Mateo Huerta to further communicate with students.

“Mateo and I are actually the first student council presidents to have a private audience with the principal,” Counihan said. “Traditionally, student council has acted completely separate from administration with the exception of CAC meetings where student council representatives are more or less figure-heads for the student body. While I still think the voice of students can and should be expanded greatly, I was happy that I was the one to reach out to Mr. Robinson and schedule our first meeting.”

Robinson has continued close connections with students and parents through the Bowie Star, a weekly newsletter including updates of the school and its community.

“While I do appreciate his up-close leadership style that is much more involved than Mr. Kane’s laissez-faire leadership style, it has been interesting to grapple with the new-found administrative presence,” Counihan said. “From my personal Twitter account, the hosting of Mr. Bulldawg and Bowie Idol, to homecoming, Mr. Robinson has consistently asked questions, wanted to be a part of the process, and given critiques on my own leadership style.”

Besides different adjustments made to the school and student body over the year, Robinson has also spent time looking ahead to what’s next for Bowie.

“A lot of the work I’ve been doing is based around plans for next year in trying to get some new courses for Bowie and some new electives for next year,” Robinson said. “Things such as really expanding the computer science classes and trying to bring in robotics.”

But above all, Robinson has focused on making Bowie a home for everyone, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or sexuality.

“I wanted to improve more on cultural proficiency and making it a point to make sure everybody has a place at Bowie,” Robinson said. “I want everyone to feel welcome in the Bowie community. We have such a diverse group of people and so many different cultures, but of course some groups are larger than others so I want to make sure everybody feels good and feels connected. There’s one non-negotiable I have which I made sure teachers knew and it’s that we treat every person with dignity and respect, and for me, we can’t do education without that.”