Owen Bondono
Owen Bondono (he/they) is an English teacher, Restorative Practices Trainer/Field Consultant, and the 2021 Michigan Teacher of the Year. He specializes in growing student empathy, critical thinking, and communication skills in spaces where they are safe and empowered. Bondono believes advocacy drives all good teaching and works to grow anti-racist and queer-affirming practices in classrooms, including facilitating anti-racist and queer-affirming professional development for educators across the state of Michigan and beyond. In his spare time, Owen is a writer, the Detroit Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month, and a Dungeons and Dragons player.