Jenette Mulholland describes her purpose as rooted in education. That being so, she is embracing her new position as Director of Summit Academy Schools in Cincinnati.
Mulholland joined Summit Academy Community School – Cincinnati last year as an instructional coach. Previously, she served as the site manager for the Butler County Educational Service Center, as a building substitute and librarian for Richard Allen Academy, and as an elementary and therapeutic preschool teacher and family advocate for Cincinnati area schools.
“As an educator, my background is as a therapeutic teacher with students who have trauma-induced behaviors. This means that sometimes children’s academic skills are behind. So, for me, it’s always been important to work for growth rather than mastery,” she explains, adding that mastery inevitably follows growth.
Mulholland says she felt a connection with Summit Academy from the get-go. “As an adult with ADHD and a parent of children with ADHD and ASD [autism spectrum disorder], Summit was appealing to me because it provides an environment where students like myself and my children have the opportunity to learn and be successful,” she says.
The new director plans to continue to create a school environment where staff members can provide the best opportunities for students and where students can be safe and successful. She says she is proud of the cohesive team spirit that permeates the high school and the growth displayed by teachers and students, alike, at the elementary school.
“I’m so excited about our schools,” she says. “There is a sense of family and community with both schools. This family and community feel encompasses the students and staff.”
To advance the schools even further, Mulholland plans to incorporate a culturally responsive pedagogy into the current curriculum. At Summit Academy Community School – Cincinnati, specifically, Mulholland also hopes to deepen the school community’s understanding and implementation of “conscious discipline,” which she describes as research-based social emotional learning. This specialized programming supports students in making conscious decisions, developing empathy and learning skills to manage composure.
Long-term, Mulholland would like to create a seamless pipeline through which Summit Academy elementary and middle school students will transition directly to the high school. She also plans to re-introduce therapeutic martial arts into the Summit Academy Community School – Cincinnati curriculum, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Mullholland received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Cincinnati and M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. She is working toward her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Northern Kentucky University. Although she says she never envisioned a career in education, that vision became clear when she worked at an afterschool program during college.
“I realized that teaching was something I was both passionate about and good at,” she says. “In fact, I believe that I am an educator in every aspect of my life. It is my purpose, not just my career.”
Mulholland lives in Hebron, Kentucky with her husband, Ken Spitzer, a social studies teacher and high school soccer coach, and their two youngest children. They also have three grown children. When she is not behind her books, working toward her doctorate, Mulholland says she can be found outdoors, in her garden, playing with her plants.