Lenny Robinson has spent 23 years as a custodian in the Wissahickon School District. But to his students and community, he’s so much more. In this episode of Duty Free Lunch, we celebrate the 2025 Civil Rights Educational Leader Award winner and hear from the colleagues who helped shine a light on his extraordinary impact.
Lenny Robinson has spent 23 years as a custodian in the Wissahickon School District. But to his students and community, he’s so much more. In this episode of Duty Free Lunch, we celebrate the 2025 Civil Rights Educational Leader Award winner and hear from the colleagues who helped shine a light on his extraordinary impact.
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Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you. From cutting-edge classroom strategies to thought-provoking policy discussions, if it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Aaron Chapin:
Hello, and welcome again to Duty Free Lunch. I'm PSEA President, Aaron Chapin. Here with me today, PSEA Treasurer Rachael West. How's it going, Rachael?
Rachael West:
It's going great. How are you doing, Aaron?
Aaron Chapin:
Oh my gosh. It's another great day here in Harrisburg.
Rachael West:
Isn't every day a great day in Harrisburg?
Aaron Chapin:
There aren't many days that are pretty awful, except with maybe some of the guests that are in the studio, but not today because we've got some great guests today. You got big plans tonight?
Rachael West:
I'm going to the dentist.
Aaron Chapin:
Ooh, that sounds like--
Rachael West:
Isn't that exciting?
Aaron Chapin:
Sounds like fun. Do you like to go to the dentist?
Rachael West:
I don't mind going to the dentist.
Aaron Chapin:
My dentist is my cousin.
Rachael West:
Interesting.
Aaron Chapin:
But he's a good dentist.
Rachael West:
Well, good.
Aaron Chapin:
But I do not enjoy dentist appointments. It's probably in the top 10 of things I don't like to do.
Rachael West:
Oh. There are a lot of people that have an issue with the dentist. I'm just like, "Whatever. Go get my teeth-"
Aaron Chapin:
Well-
Rachael West:
"... cleaned. I'm good."
Aaron Chapin:
... back when I was a child-
Rachael West:
Let's do this.
Aaron Chapin:
... in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, shout out to Phoenixville, EA, I had a terrible dentist. And I'm not going to say his name because he might still be alive. He was barbaric. He was a mean man. Mean man. And so I didn't go to the dentist for eight years.
Rachael West:
I don't. Okay.
Aaron Chapin:
But shout-out to Jason Nataupsky. Great dentist. All right. Do you want to give a shout-out to your dentist?
Rachael West:
No.
Aaron Chapin:
Come on. Come on!
Rachael West:
I go to Tri-Hill Family Dentistry in York and they're delightful.
Aaron Chapin:
Do they give you a toothbrush afterwards?
Rachael West:
Of course.
Aaron Chapin:
Okay. Free dental floss?
Rachael West:
Obviously.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. Enough of that. Let's get started. This is a great episode. This goes back because we had, two months ago, our May House of Delegates. And of course, as many of you know, because we talked about it, we had our Celebrating Excellence dinner. Did you have a good time there?
Rachael West:
I did. I had a great time.
Aaron Chapin:
I did too. It was a really nice affair. It was one of the nicer ones we've been at.
Rachael West:
I got to share a table with Kim Hayward's mom, and she was delightful.
Aaron Chapin:
I was at the same table.
Rachael West:
I know.
Aaron Chapin:
Okay. She was lovely. All of our winners though were pretty amazing people, and that's what we're going with today, because we've got one of these powerful stories that we're going to be sharing with you.
We're going to be talking to, well, now, it's Mr. Lenny Robinson. He's a custodian mentor and community leader in the Wissahickon School District, and he is the 2025 winner of the PSEA Celebrating Excellence Civil Rights Educational Leader Award. We might want to tighten that name up. It's a little bit long. Just talking to our other guest who's here in the studio. Tighten that thing up.
Also joining us, it's Sue Brown, recently retired music teacher who nominated him. And of course, in the studio, we've got PSEA's own Jen Statler. She's the one who helps lead getting that Celebrating Excellence Awards off the ground. How many times have you been here now, Jen?
Jen Statler:
In the studio?
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah.
Jen Statler:
Three, I think?
Aaron Chapin:
No, in the building.
Jen Statler:
A lot of times.
Aaron Chapin:
A lot. Now, this is your third time on the podcast?
Jen Statler:
This is.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Jen Statler:
Thank you for having me again.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, Jen, welcome to you.
Jen Statler:
Thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
Sue, welcome.
Sue Brown:
Thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
It's great to see you. And Lenny, Mr. Lenny, it is great to see you again.
Lenny Robinson:
Thank you. Thank you. Great to see you guys too.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, when we were talking about setting some of these podcasts up, you came right to mind because you really capped it. As great as all these winners were for the Celebrating Excellence, you captured so many people's attention that evening because of the story you told and how genuine you were.
Lenny Robinson:
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
You got it. So let's get started. Lenny, you've spent 23 years as a custodian in the district. What made you stay and what makes you keep coming back every day? What makes you stick around that district?
Lenny Robinson:
So what made me stay was I had a wife and two children and a house I had to pay for at the beginning, but then I was working at night and I would only see my children in the morning when I'd get them off. So fortunately, a position came up during the day, and it was at a grade school, elementary school, Madison Avenue, it was kindergarten to third grade, right in my neighborhood, right up the street from me.
And that's where Mr. Lenny was born. I was named Mr. Lenny there, and they had great mentoring programs and a whole bunch of stuff there that suited me. Great people. From there to now, I have had nothing but great people that I've worked with, and that's what keeps me here.
Aaron Chapin:
That's fantastic. And I think a lot of people, Rachael, probably don't think about the fact that we've got those third-shift custodians, even the second-shift, and they're working really late hours.
Lenny Robinson:
They are.
Aaron Chapin:
Never seeing the families as much as they want to. So obviously, Lenny, that was probably a good decision to make.
Lenny Robinson:
Yes, it was very difficult. I'd get them off to school, I'd come home 11:30, kiss them both on the forehead, go to bed, and wouldn't see them until the next day. So it was [inaudible 00:05:44].
Rachael West:
We're happy you got to move to that earlier shift. I'm going to shift over to Jen. Jen, this is the 20th year of the Celebrating Excellence Awards. What stood out about Mr. Lenny's story that made him such a clear choice for this Civil Rights Educational Leader Award?
Jen Statler:
So as the leader, as the consultant to our selection committee, we receive dozens of applications, and even though I'm not the one who's selecting them, our committee reads all of the applications sent in by our members. I usually know my experience as the consultant. You know who shines and whose story brings a smile to your face, and who you kind of, I would say, fall in love with these winners every year.
And Mr. Lenny, I loved the story, and the story then, and the photos that Sue had shared as the nominator, and in the impact that he has made in his school with his own colleagues and in his own community. And that is what truly made Mr. Lenny's story really stick out to me when our committee discussed his application.
Aaron Chapin:
Well, it's even more amazing considering you had a lot of submissions this year. We really had a lot more.
Jen Statler:
Record number this year.
Aaron Chapin:
Record number. So Lenny's story, even with all the stories you had, really stood out.
Jen Statler:
Absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
So Lenny, let's talk about this scholarship that you created, which blows my mind. I feel like I need to create a scholarship myself. So what inspired you to start it, and what does it mean to you to see students go off to college with that kind of support?
Lenny Robinson:
Well, what inspired me to start it was a need. That there was a need. And I've worked with kids from preschool all the way up to 12th grade, and for me, I felt a little something was missing there, and it was the higher education. And where I start with is here in my community, right in my neighborhood, and then everything else goes out. So I see living in the neighborhood, working at the school, there are relationships built, but I see what the need is.
And I see a lot of kids in my neighborhood that missed an opportunity or don't get an opportunity or don't know how to reach out and try to get an opportunity to further their education. There's some smart people that have different circumstances, and the four previous Mr. Lenny Scholarship Award winners were people that they all are in need, but these were people that it really, really helped them.
Aaron Chapin:
How does that make you feel when they go off to college with that support?
Lenny Robinson:
So proud. So proud. And I'm so lucky that the four recipients are from this area, from my community, and I've known them since kindergarten. Just to have that connection, I can reach out to them all the time and make sure that they're good.
Aaron Chapin:
That's fantastic.
Lenny Robinson:
Whatever they need.
Rachael West:
That's great. Now, so we talked about this scholarship. We also know that you have had fundraisers, you give bikes out, you do homework help, you do mentorship. There's a lot of things that are far outside of your job description as a school custodian that you are doing for your community.
And I just wonder, where does that drive come from? What is keeping you going and motivated to continue to do all these services for your community?
Lenny Robinson:
First of all, it's just a gift from God. It is not work to me, it's not hard to me. It's just something that I do naturally. I've been doing it for a long time.
And my parents, I see it. I'll start with my mother real quick. My mother is just, she's an angel. The love that she showed me and her other children, even now, I'm 62 years old, she mothers me. But just her genuine love, it helps me spread that.
And my father, my father's a man of service. He's been serving for a long time, and just watching him sometimes from afar, more recently up close, but just watching him and the things that he does and the impact that it makes on people, so.
Aaron Chapin:
That's great.
Rachael West:
I remember seeing you and your dad together at the dinner, and it was very sweet, and we could tell that you and your dad share a lot of love together.
Aaron Chapin:
He was moved by the awards. I've never seen a relative in that manner before. It was awesome to watch.
Rachael West:
Absolutely.
Lenny Robinson:
He really was, and he still talks about it.
Aaron Chapin:
That's awesome. So Sue, you nominated Lenny for this award, and for all of our listeners. So again, recently retired, Sue, you used to be one of the officers of the mid-eastern region. And so what moment or memory made you say, "We've got to recognize Lenny for this"?
Sue Brown:
It's hard to say what one thing caused me to do that. I've been involved with the union for a lot of years, and I've never nominated anyone. And this year, it came time for the nominations to go in, and I was thinking about it one day, and I thought, "You know what? I should nominate someone. Who can I nominate?" And immediately, I thought of Lenny. Lenny is someone who, and I think you can tell just by listening to him speak, he doesn't do anything for the recognition. Everything he does, it's just you feel like it comes from his heart.
And there's a story that actually didn't go into my nominating him, but I had the privilege of riding to and from the House of Delegates with him, and so we had a lot of time to talk, and this sums up Mr. Lenny. He was telling me a story of the boy that lives next door to him, a young man who cuts his grass for him, and the boy's father would never let him take any money from Lenny. And he said, "That's what good neighbors do."
And Lenny told me that he had instead, since he couldn't pay this young man, he had put some money aside. Every time he'd cut the grass, Lenny would put a little money aside. And then this young man just graduated from high school, I believe, and Lenny was going to give him all that money for his graduation. And people just don't think that way.
Aaron Chapin:
Nope.
Sue Brown:
You come across people in your life who do a lot of things for a lot of people, but when you meet Lenny, you just know that he's genuine, and that he just wants to help people, and it makes him feel good, and that makes you feel good, so-
Aaron Chapin:
That's exactly what I needed-
Sue Brown:
... that's why I nominated him.
Aaron Chapin:
... to hear on a Wednesday afternoon. It's been a long week. We're getting ready to head out of town for a long conference. This is exactly what we needed, Rachael.
Rachael West:
Right? It's heartwarming to just hear you talk about him, and I know that's how we all felt when we were there at the dinner.
Lenny, there is a WAC Cares Homework Club at your school, and it sounds like a spectacular space for students. What is the vibe like after school there? What's your favorite part about how that homework club goes on?
Lenny Robinson:
So first, I want to tell you, WAC Cares was the homework club that I created, but I got very ill and I no longer run it. I go there whenever they ask me to. But Patti Fabiani actually runs it now, and it's at our Ambler borough, and it's called Rising Stars now.
Rachael West:
Oh, nice.
Lenny Robinson:
But I started it back in 2016, and just to still have it there and running is fantastic. If you just picture kids at Disney, and I'd have to go backwards on it, you'd have to take half of that joy and excitement off of it, but you still would have a really, really happy kid.
Aaron Chapin:
Wow.
Lenny Robinson:
That's how the kids are at Rising Star. They come and they know that they have somebody that cares about them, and they go to this homework club, and most of them want to do their homework, and it's what was created there that makes them feel safe and excited about doing homework, gives them confidence.
And when you create space like that for our youth, there's no limits to where they can go. That's what I'm most happiest and proud of.
Rachael West:
That's awesome. So one of the other things you talked about was you work with the life skills program to refurbish bikes for kids in the community. Can you tell us how that partnership started and the impact it's had on the students that are working on the bikes and the kids that are receiving the bikes?
Lenny Robinson:
So Mr. Leon Konopka is our life skills teacher at the middle school. He's a bike fanatic. Leon and I are good friends, and we do a lot of community service on our own. Not through any organizations or anything. We just do some things for people that need things.
So working together already, and he would fix bikes for a few people. We decided that we were going to try to do it at the school and to have it in his classroom so that his students could help fix the bike. And again, on that end, it gives them a purpose or something. They learn to do something. They get a little more confidence. And you never know what you're going to do or what you're going to say that's going to help a young man or a young woman and get them in the direction that they need to get going.
So his students, they help them fix the bikes, and then we get them and put them right outside of the building in the bike rack, and anybody can come get them. There's no questions asked.
Rachael West:
Wow.
Lenny Robinson:
We advertise it, we put it out. So find the need, fill a need is what I say.
Rachael West:
I love that.
Aaron Chapin:
That's awesome. So Sue, you've seen firsthand the great impact Lenny's been having in the school. And how would you describe what he brings to the culture of Wissahickon that really nobody else could do that?
Sue Brown:
Being in a middle school, what am I trying to say? The students all need different types of attention and love, and Lenny seems to just be that calming factor to a lot of our students. He is interested in them, and he comes at it from not the teacher where they need to get good grades in your class, but more from he helps them just become respectful humans.
And like I said before, he doesn't come about this as, "Oh, look at me, look at me," and when you hear him talk, I think you get that too. He cares about the kids. He just cares about everyone. And after people in our building found out that I had nominated him for the award, we didn't know that he had won yet, but we just shared that we had nominated.
So many teachers and staff members would stop me to say, "Oh my gosh, that's amazing that you nominated Mr. Lenny." Everybody there respects him and cares for him, and it's because he cares and respects for everybody, so he's just a great person and he makes you smile.
Rachael West:
Absolutely. I haven't stopped smiling since we started doing this podcast. So Lenny, what did it feel like when you found out that you won the award?
Lenny Robinson:
So I was really overjoyed. I did not expect it. First, I was surprised, then I was overjoyed. But normally, I don't get excited about awards or accolades, but with this one, I think it's my age. I'm 62 now, just about everything I'm doing, I'm doing for my children and my grandchildren. I want a legacy. I want them to continue to know their grandfather. And even the ones that aren't born, I'm doing some video stuff. That's a whole nother story.
But this one, I understood that I was receiving this not just for myself, but for the village. The village that I live in, for my family, for the community, for my school district, for all the custodians and for just the great village that I'm a part of. And it was very special.
There was only two awards that I received, that was asked to be the Grand Marshal in our parade, our community parade, and this one, that I truly understood what it meant and why I was receiving it. It takes a village. It's not just me. It's just so many people that came up to Pittsburgh and that was on that stage with me, you know? So-
Aaron Chapin:
That's awesome. That's excellent.
Rachael West:
That's a spectacular attitude. So Jen, for people who are interested in nominating someone or an organization for the Celebrating Excellence Awards, what do they need to know? What can they do?
Jen Statler:
So the application is a form, a simple form that will be available on PSEA.org before the end of the summer and due before December 31st at the end of this year. But public school educators in particular are not apt to toot their own horn, or they do it for reasons that like Sue and Mr. Lenny have said, that they don't do it for themselves. They do things because that's just them.
So look beyond, there's Mr. Lennys in every corner of the state doing amazing things, and we love seeing and hearing these stories. And every year, I think we can't top last year's, and every year, we have amazing award winners. So I love reading the applications and getting to know each of our award winners, and I look forward to this year's.
Aaron Chapin:
And that's what's frustrating because there are these stories in every single school district-
Jen Statler:
There are.
Aaron Chapin:
... in every single building. And our members are so busy, they're busy, busy, busy, and they also don't think, "Oh, it's not that big a deal." They know it's a great thing that we're doing, but they're like, "Oh, this is what we do every day."
Jen Statler:
And it's a big deal. As Sue said, "I never got to nominate someone," and she finally did, and look. We have a Mr. Lenny.
Aaron Chapin:
Yeah. And so by the time this podcast airs, it should be ready on our website, PSEA-
Jen Statler:
PSEA.org.
Aaron Chapin:
Slash?
Jen Statler:
Celebrating excellence.
Aaron Chapin:
You think so?
Jen Statler:
I think so. I know so.
Aaron Chapin:
You think so. All right. And check it out. And then as we start the school year out, find somebody in your building. You know those stories are there. Hey, Rachael?
Rachael West:
What?
Aaron Chapin:
Quick, quick, quick pop quiz. We're way over time.
Rachael West:
A little over time.
Aaron Chapin:
Go head. Pop quiz.
Rachael West:
So super-quick pop quiz. Lenny, if you could wave your magic wand and change one thing to make life better for our students, what would you do?
Lenny Robinson:
Oh, goodness. I would take away their mask. Their mask that the students have, and them being theirself would help it.
Rachael West:
All right, Sue. You're up.
Sue Brown:
How am I supposed to answer after that? All right. That's a great answer. I was just thinking, to make it easier for students, I just wish we could take away the negativity that comes to them sometimes through social media and their cell phones. And I just wish they had that piece gone so they could just focus on being kids and learning and just doing school, you know?
Rachael West:
Absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
[inaudible 00:22:53]. I know. We go through the same thing with our own kids here. What about you, Jen?
Jen Statler:
A magic wand. I could change anything?
Aaron Chapin:
I know you've got a wand somewhere.
Jen Statler:
I was referred to as the GR princess, so I've got a wand.
Aaron Chapin:
When was that?
Jen Statler:
My birthday.
Aaron Chapin:
All right, quick. What would you change? You've got kids. What would you change? It's hard, isn't it?
Jen Statler:
Anxiety that they place on themselves, comparing themselves to others.
Aaron Chapin:
Those are three great answers.
Rachael West:
Absolutely.
Aaron Chapin:
I hope you guys get magic wands.
Jen Statler:
I have one.
Rachael West:
All right. Abracadabra.
Aaron Chapin:
Poof. Hey, we are way over time today. Our guests today, we had Lenny Robinson, Sue Brown and PSEA's Jen Statler. Thanks to the three of you for joining us today. Really means a lot.
This is Lenny. This was a great story for us to share with everybody across the commonwealth, so thank you again, and congrats on your award, sir.
Lenny Robinson:
Thank you. Have a good day today and a better day tomorrow.
Aaron Chapin:
All right. And Sue, thank you for making this nomination possible, and congratulations on your fantastic career as an educator.
Sue Brown:
Thank you very much.
Aaron Chapin:
You should see how happy she is, everybody. Man, that's a retirement smile. And Jen, thanks for all your work with this great committee.
Jen Statler:
Thank you.
Aaron Chapin:
I can't wait for us to get this thing up and going again in the school year. Thanks to all of our members. Members? We've got listeners. They're listeners.
Thanks to all our listeners for tuning in. If you've got some feedback for us, you got to share it by sending us an email at Podcast@PSEA.org. I'm Aaron Chapin.
Rachael West:
And I'm Rachael West.
Aaron Chapin:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit PSEA.org/Podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.