Getting to know Carmela Cotter
High School: Bishop Fenwick High School, class of 1980
Undergraduate school: The University of Notre Dame, class of 1984, double major in English and theater with a concentration in dance
Graduate school: James Madison University, 1986, master of science in dance with a focus on psychology
Additional: Supervisor and administrative certifications from Xavier University in 1998; obtained secondary certification from Xavier in 1990.
Favorite subject in high school: Science
Favorite song: "Imagine" by John Lennon
Favorite movie: "Roxanne," starring Steve Martin
MIDDLETOWN — The backbone of education is opportunity.
That’s the sentiment of Carmela Cotter, who was announced as the next principal of Middletown High School last week. When asked to illustrate her point, she uses her family as evidence.
Cotter’s mother, whom she describes as a “self-made woman,” was from the Appalachian region and grew up “very poor.” Her father’s parents, originally from Naples, Italy, spoke no English in their household when her father was young. In school, he took English as a second language.
Her mother became an assistant commercial manager for Ohio Bell and her father was a manager for Plumber Supply, based out of Dayton.
Cotter’s husband, Michael, is an Irish immigrant who owns Cotter Plumbing in Middletown.
“I’m reminded every day of what a great opportunity education is in our country,” said Cotter, 49. “I want people to know I understand struggles. I understand this really can be a path upward for lots of different kinds of people.”
Cotter, a Middletown native, has worked as an assistant principal at MHS since 2000, and previously oversaw the school’s alternative education program, Success Academy, which enrolled about 175 students last year.
Taking the reins of Middletown High School, Cotter said the message is that her door is open wide.
“I hope people will see me as being accessible and as a listening ear and someone they can partner with for the benefit of their kids,” she said. “Sometimes I think people see educators as thinking of themselves as lofty — that they have all the answers. We definitely don’t have all the answers.”
Discipline
The answer in confronting discipline issues at MHS lies in the education of the staff, Cotter said, and making sure employees are aware of the nagging issues that may plague students.
“I’ve also found that individual discipline plans can be incredibly growth-evoking for kids,” she said. “In other words, if you can properly diagnose what is really wrong — why the child is really upset — you can often get past all those symptoms that show out as bad behavior in school.”
According to the most recent data — the 2009-10 school year — from the Ohio Department of Education, MHS registered 59.8 disciplinary actions per 100 students. “Disciplinary actions” count a range of issues from truancy to fighting. The school also marked 34 school suspensions per 100 students.
During the same school year, there were 17 withdrawals for expulsion, up from 11 the year before.
Next year, all Middletown schools will be working under a common disciplinary initiative called Positive Behavior Support. Uniform expectations will be set up in areas like hallways and lunchrooms, Superintendent Greg Rasmussen said. Educators are to consciously view misbehavior as a teaching opportunity, and shift focus to a more positive, student-friendly approach to discipline.
“That’s one of our number one priorities for next year,” Rasmussen said. “This will also focus on our expectations from adults. It’s too often that in a system we set up a bunch of rules for kids, and then the adults just kind of do whatever. Like we teach reading, you also have to teach behavior in some way.”
Test scores
Cotter said she will continue to emphasize the continuance of a new three-tiered approach that began at the high school last year to boost Ohio Graduation Test scores.
Labor-intensive courses deemed “OPOD” classes were available to seniors who had not yet passed all sections of their OGT. In these classes, teachers work with about 15 students at a time on problem-solving abilities that are called on while taking the OGT.
Cotter, impressed with last year’s results, said OGT passing rates among seniors improved by 25 percent in both the fall and spring semesters compared to the corresponding semesters the year before.
“The year before we really did not have any viable intervention program for them,” she said. “We had some extra tutoring but it wasn’t a whole program.”
At the sophomore level, “O classes” were implemented, incorporating critical thinking skills into “typical” classrooms. Additionally, “OPlat” lab classes, which are available to juniors, allowed students to work with online software for additional preparation.
Students take the OGT sophomore year. Students are tested in reading, math, science, writing and social studies. All sections must eventually be passed in order to graduate.
According to the most recent state data, 75 percent of Middletown sophomores passed the reading portion, about 70 percent passed the math section, 72 percent passed the writing portion, 64 percent passed the science section and 68 percent passed the social studies portion.
The state requires that 75 percent pass to earn positive marks on the district’s annual report card issued by the state.
In the past few years, Middletown has placed a high emphasis on math and reading preparation. The hope is the results will trickle down to other areas of the test. Science scores have historically lagged.
“We’ve gotten quite a good bump in (math and reading),” Cotter said. “The math will trickle down into the science ... especially with the graphs and things like that. Reading, of course, is across the board in every area.”
Staff relations
In a principal, science teacher Keith Vinson said he’s looking for a leader who’s fair, who backs teachers when needed and who carries a sense of discipline.
“I’m glad she’s coming in,” Vinson said of Cotter. “I think everyone likes her ... The only advice I would give to her is get to know the students. Get to know their names and know what they do. Be out in the hallways and stop and talk to kids every once in a while.”
In a December 2010 progress review of MHS principal Dennis Newell obtained by the Journal, Rasmussen wrote that he sensed “a divided staff” at the high school.
“I know those teachers are working really hard,” Cotter said. “They need to know my goal is to serve them ... I need to provide direction so their hard work hits the bull’s-eye we’re aiming for.”
Building a legacy
When Cotter’s tenure at MHS eventually ends, how does she want to be remembered?
“I hope they’re not so much thinking of me — I hope they’re thinking of all the wonderful things they’ve accomplished,” she said. “I’ll hope we’ve created a school that’s given (students) a basis to go out and dream big and to make a successful, happy life for themselves.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or asedlak@coxohio.com.
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