Jenae Coleman: Going to Bat for the Valley, One Learner at a Time
Some people find their calling far from home. Jenae Coleman found hers right where she grew up.
A Santa Clarita Valley native, Ms. Jenae watched Santa Clarita Valley International (SCVi) Charter School, a tuition-free TK–12th grade school in Castaic, take shape from the ground up and heard firsthand from friends what made it unlike anywhere else. Years later, master’s degree in hand, she walked through those doors ready to shape what happens inside them. Now in her fifth year as Lower School counselor, she hasn’t looked back.
Please tell us about your background and how you came to be at SCVi.
I was born and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley and remember SCVi being built when I was in middle school. After getting my master’s degree, I decided I wanted to give back to the town that I grew up in and remember how the experience was so unique for SCVi friends of mine that attended. SCVi happened to have an opening for a counselor and I immediately applied.
SCVi fosters minds that “think outside of the box” and I knew I wanted to be a part of a culture that encourages kids to be authentically themselves. Five years later, I’m still excited to come to work and have the opportunity to support some amazing kids.
What are your favorite parts about your role as the guidance counselor for the lower school?
The relationships that I get to create with learners. Being able to go into classrooms and having learners say “I remember you helped me last year” is like music to my ears. The well being of our learners is my main focus, so to know my presence is significant enough to them where they remember an interaction we had from years ago is so validating.
What do you LOVE about SCVi? What sets it apart from other schools?
The flexibility and acceptance mostly. Everyone here, including staff, love being able to approach situations in unique ways and SCVi gives us a platform to offer our services in a variety of ways.
There are great social-emotional learning activities and opportunities at SCVi. Can you share a story about seeing learners using them in action?
Social Emotional Learning is one of my favorite topics to talk about and I love how important it is to our school. My favorite memory is the Silent Disco we had to end our Neurodiversity Awareness Celebration Week. A big selling point for our school is that we have full inclusion classrooms, but I’m not in the classrooms enough to see how that impact blossoms within our learners. The Silent Disco allowed me to see ‘full inclusion’ at its peak. ALL learners were enjoying their time at a school dance, which is something you don’t see everyday. The way the learners were including each other and being kind showed that the celebration stuck with them and allowed more understanding why our school is proud to have full inclusion classrooms.
In your opinion, what makes a great leader? How do you teach leadership?
A great leader listens with intention to understand, is willing to help others, and open to taking accountability for actions, while finding a solution to fix damage that has been done. I believe the best teaching tool is modeling behaviors we want our learners to exhibit. Working in education has taught me that even when we think kids aren’t paying attention to what adults are doing, they are. So being mindful of the person you are and how you treat others, can teach a child not only to be a good person, but learn to be a leader as well.
What is something you wish you knew at age 19?
Not everyone will have the same amount of time in this life, so it’s important to enjoy the moments and memories you get to create with the people you love
Fun Facts About Ms. Jenae
– I have 5 cats
– I played softball internationally- I traveled to Prague to play in a softball tournament for a team that was representing the US
– I modeled for a Winnie the Pooh toy when I was 2 years old
– When I eat pizza, I usually pull off all of the cheese before eating it
– I have over 30 tattoos
Thank you Ms. Jenae, and if you don’t want the cheese off that pizza, we’ll eat it!
Come take a tour of our school and see our safe and supportive TK-12 in action. Enrollment for 2026-27 is open!
About SCVi:
Santa Clarita Valley International School (SCVi) is a free public charter school empowering TK-12th graders to become conscientious, compassionate, and responsible citizens of the world. Founded in 2008, we use project-based and social-emotional learning concepts to inspire and motivate lifelong learners with the skills they need to lead in the 21st century. We incorporate technology into every component of our curriculum, and we value and encourage development of leadership skills by inspiring confidence and character in each of our unique learners. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook and find us at www.ileadsantaclarita.org.
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