photo by: Contributed

Community Connections at Pinckney educator Mallory Johnson is the 2026 Bobs Award recipient, an annual award by the Lawrence Schools Foundation.

A teacher at Community Connections at Pinckney has been named the recipient of the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s excellence in teaching award, receiving a $10,000 prize.

Mallory Johnson is a secondary therapeutic classroom teacher at Community Connections at Pinckney, and she was presented with the Bobs Award on Wednesday during an all-school assembly, a press release from LSF said. Members of Johnson’s family, colleagues, students, former coworkers, Lawrence Schools Foundation board members and district leaders were all in attendance.

“Mallory creates a classroom environment where all students feel safe, valued, and capable of growth,” Jenna Viscomi, principal of Community Connections at Pinckney, said in the release. “Working in a therapeutic setting requires not only strong instructional skills but also deep empathy and adaptability. Mallory consistently implements innovative, trauma-informed practices that meet students where they are–academically, socially, and emotionally. She inspires students to believe in themselves, often helping them rediscover their potential after significant challenges.”

The Bobs Award was created by LSF nearly 30 years ago, and it recognizes an educator who has extraordinary instructional skill, demonstrates a commitment to quality education and focuses on individual student achievement. Johnson is the 30th recipient of the award.

Gina Carter at Woodlawn Elementary School was the recipient of the 2025 Bobs Award, as the Journal-World reported.

Parent Sally Monahan said her son, Daniel, was previously a student of Johnson for three years, and that Johnson was a guiding force behind keeping him in school as he struggled with suicidal ideation.

“His WRAP worker and school counselor connected with Mallory, and she came to meet Daniel at the end of that school year to see if he would be a good fit for her classroom,” Monahan said in the release. “Our lives changed immeasurably for the better when we learned he could attend the (Secondary Therapeutic Classroom) in the fall of his second year. Describing Mallory and her talents, skills, and gifts takes just four words: ‘we don’t deserve her.'”

photo by: Contributed

Students award Mallory Johnson with a $10,000 prize as the 2026 Bobs Award recipient on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

photo by: Contributed

Community Connections at Pinckney educator Mallory Johnson is pictured with coworkers, school district leaders, friends and students on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.