Welcomed with high-fives, fist bumps and occasional happy dances on school mornings, students at Summit Academy Community School – Xenia know their value. Their head cheerleader, newly named Principal Angela Donovan Atkins, understands the power of having an encouraging support system. Donovan Atkins says the steady validation she received from her colleagues over the years fueled her own unexpected journey from custodian to principal.
Donovan Atkins’ phenomenal career flight began unintentionally. In 2011, after she left a cleaning job at Kettering Health Greene Memorial hospital, Donovan Atkins responded to posting on Craigslist for an evening contract custodian opening at Summit Academy – Xenia. She got the job. A few months later, then principal Mark Sebastian offered Donovan Atkins a school lunch server position. She accepted, and served lunches by day while cleaning classrooms, restrooms and offices by night.
“I got to see what Summit was really about, giving students with disabilities a real community in which they could thrive,” Donovan Atkins says. “I saw staff members giving their whole hearts to students and their families. I was absolutely inspired.”
The next year, Donovan Atkins continued working as a lunch server and took on a second role as an assistant secretary. She worked alongside school administrative assistant Teresa Marlett, learning by her example.
“Teresa was very loved by the kids. They came to the office for many things. She was the mom here. Working with Teresa, I got to learn what was going on behind the scenes and witness the difference between her interaction with adults and with children,” Donovan Atkins says, admirably describing the soft-hearted, yet strong and influential qualities of her late colleague.
The next school year, 2014-2015, Summit Academy’s facilities services were brought in-house, providing an opportunity for Donovan Atkins to earn a higher wage, so she returned to janitorial work.
“At the end of the school year, Cassy Stidham, who was the principal at the time, asked me why I was a janitor and not a teacher,” recalls Donovan Atkins. “She said, ‘You are a natural with the students here,’ and offered me an instructional aide position, which I happily and nervously accepted.”
Atkins says she embraced her work as a K-1 instructional aide with a combination of both enthusiasm and fear.
“I was scared to death. Going in, I didn’t know what an aide was, but thought, I’ll go for it. It was tough, but I just loved it. I really was a natural with the kids. I loved the challenges and getting to know the students,” she says.
That 2015-2016 school year was a turning point for Donovan Atkins. She began to pursue her bachelor’s degree, something she never considered until Stidham encouraged her to make the move.
“She said, you should go to college and get a degree,” recalls Donovan Atkins, who followed that advice until 2021 when she received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education from Grand Canyon University.
All the while, Donovan Atkins continued to work at Summit Academy – Xenia, advancing from her position as an instructional aide for three years to that of classroom lead for the next three years. For the 2021-2022 school year, Atkins took on the role of support personnel and was promoted as dean of students the following year. She served as dean for three years, until her recent selection as the school’s principal.
Having had the opportunity to view the school through assorted lenses over the course of 14 years, Donovan Atkins says there is one constant: Summit Academy’s high regard for students and their growth socially, emotionally and academically.
“I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. I love our students and their families. I see the whole child and I am here to serve them,” she says. “For students with disabilities, it’s about giving them the opportunity to grow in a safe and healthy environment and feel included. So many kids come to us from schools where they could not thrive. That’s not the case here.”
Donovan Atkins sings the praises of the school’s small classes, its sharp focus on student IEPs, and positive behavioral leadership. As the school’s new director, she says she will continue to emphasize the positive, give students a sense of control and ownership of their school environment, and promote the growth of both students and staff.
“The most important thing to me as I moved throughout my years at Summit was having strong leaders. I hope to mentor and help others grow the way that they [my mentors] did for me,” she says. “They pushed me when I was doubting myself and saw something I didn’t see.”