“Schools are meaningful places for me,” The Reverend Michael E. Robinson shared. Across a career in education and ministry spanning twenty-seven years, Robinson has held many roles, including teacher, coach, chaplain, and Head of School. He joined Trinity-Pawling as School Chaplain this past summer and is delighted to be returning to the pastoral role in a school community. “I enjoy the array of opportunities that being Chaplain brings,” Robinson started. “Engaging the community in a lively and purposeful dialogue about what it means to be a community and how we can bring our best selves to foster that community is so important.”
Through his primary role as Chaplain and additional role as teacher, in both the middle school and high school, Robinson emphasizes the importance of service learning. Participating in community service projects, he feels, gives the boys the opportunity to engage with the world around them—and make a tangible impact. “The world needs what our boys can uniquely offer,” explained Robinson. “Service learning teaches the boys to think differently, reflect on the needs of specific organizations, and figure out which gifts and talents they can bring that are aligned with those needs.”
Robinson has introduced several service projects to the school community this year, including support of the Pawling Resource Center, Habitat for Humanity, and Out of Darkness. He is continually working to find new service opportunities in the local community and make them readily available to the students. Robinson’s latest service venture and Winter Project introduces his students to HeForShe, the United Nations-sponsored organization that is dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. “Bringing HeForShe to campus will foster the open dialogue about gender equality and respect. As an all-boys school, we have unique opportunities in and out of the classroom to keep the conversation going and it’s imperative that we do just that.”
As he emphasizes service learning and social consciousness at Trinity-Pawling, Robinson’s main vision is to encourage the entire community to ask the deep questions. “Whether in liturgy and worship, in the classroom, on the fields and courts, or in the community, we simply need to keep talking,” he shared. “Ask the questions that stimulate thought and—more importantly—growth. Doing so will help us foster an open-minded, service-oriented, and inclusive community that leaves a positive footprint on the world.”