LOCATIONS:          Future Openings at Glendale and Lincoln 

REPORTS TO:         HEADMASTER

(Full-time, benefits-eligible)

Company Description
Great Hearts’ academies are substantially outperforming other public and private schools, proving that tuition-free schools can do a superb job of educating students if they are smaller, more efficient, and set higher expectations for all students through a core, classical liberal arts curriculum.  We gladly prepare our graduates for success in the best colleges and universities in the nation, but our main purpose is the formation of the soul, heart, and mind.  We believe that the highest goal of education is to become good, intellectually and morally.  The success of Great Hearts is based on combining an unwavering commitment to classical liberal arts education with the understanding that our schools can constantly be improved through sound, data-driven leadership.  Additional information can be found at www.greatheartsamerica.org/careers.

COLLEGE COUNSELOR
Scope:    Great Hearts Academies provides  quality  and  individual  attention  to  each  student  going  through the  college application  process.  The  overarching  objective  is  to  ensure  that  all  students  will  continue  to realize  the  fullness  of  their  human,  cultural,  and  personal  identity  well  past their  time  at  the  school.  One of the perennial questions raised at the Academies is, “How do I live the good life?” The university life is crucial in this pursuit as it provides  the  necessary  time  and  space  for  students  to greater  deepen  who  they  are,  both  intellectually  and morally among  their  leaders  and  peers. It  is  of the  utmost  importance  that  college counselors assist students in identifying and attending  an  appropriate educational environment since  the formation  they  receive at university will be a determining  factor in  their vocations and roles in society.

Purpose:   College Counselors provide individualized planning and advice to students and their parents.  The counselor’s aim is to help students identify, apply and eventually attend the school that is the best fit given their interest, family goals and financial circumstances. There is no crisis counseling, and since the curriculum contains no electives, college counselors do not work on course selection and student scheduling. 

Detailed Responsibilities
Duties involve, but are not limited to:

• Developing college workshops for parents and providing individual parent counseling to answer questions about high school curriculum, college acceptance, the application process, etc.
• One-on-one advising on prospective colleges, as well as helping students evaluate their interests for an initial selection of a college major, if needed
• Educating upperclassmen on application process through group workshops and individual meetings
• Assisting students with applications, college essays and scholarship essays
• Processing college application paperwork and writing letters of recommendation for admissions and scholarships
• Researching and advertising summer study, internships,  and scholarship opportunities
• Facilitating the selection process for students nominated to represent the school for summer programs or scholarships
• Updating the School Profile and other Academy documents
• Maintaining a working calendar of events and tasks within the office
• Coordinating and administering PSAT and PLAN tests (PSAT – sophomores/juniors, PLAN – sophomores) and providing post-test (PSAT/PLAN) counseling to develop individual test preparation plans for the SAT/ACT, as needed
• Working as the school’s SSD Liaison (Services for Students with Disabilities) and assuring that the information process on college testing accommodations is coordinated with the Academy’s Special Education Coordinator
• Updating and maintaining college test stats, college acceptance data, scholarship tracking, and alumni information
• Responsibility for registrar tasks; coordinating with the office manager for some of the registrar tasks; taking on responsibility for issuing transcripts for high school students applying to summer programs and colleges, as well as issuing final transcripts for high school graduates
• Assisting the office with the processing of incoming transfer credits and serving as liaison to the Headmaster in matters of credit acceptance and necessary make-up credits for transfer students and entering the prior credits for high school transfers into Schoolmaster to ensure completeness of records for college applications.
• Assisting the headmaster or his/her designated representative with devising remediation plans for high school failing semester grades to allow on-time high school graduation
• Maintaining the school’s college counseling website and Naviance site
• Developing background information for the end-of-year awards ceremony highlighting the plans of each graduating senior
• Working with the Great Hearts College Counseling Team in Arizona on various projects
• Attending various College Counseling meetings and other training
• Chaperoning for College Counseling events
• Networking with colleges, including travel to schools and hosting admissions reps; activity in NACAC and attending National Conferences
• Consulting with the Director of Academics as needed

The nine core virtues that we seek to model and instill in our students are:

• Responsibility.  We accept obligations and we act on those obligations in a manner suitable to their timely and satisfactory fulfillment.  We are willingly accountable for what we do and say, and we seek to learn from our mistakes.
• Perseverance and Courage.  We spurn despair and strive to complete tasks to the best of our abilities, regardless of the difficulty.  We respond creatively to overcome obstacles and ask for help when necessary
• Integrity and Honesty.  We are individuals of strong ethical values, who make consistently good choices in keeping with our knowledge of right and wrong.  We are always truthful in what we say and do, regardless of the circumstances or consequences.
• Citizenship and Humility.  We give of our time and abilities to serve others.  We uphold liberty and social equality through respect for individual differences and always strive to do our best whether we are recognized or not.
• Friendship.  We regard others and ourselves as deserving of kind and just treatment.  Our conduct is considerate and polite.  We look for the good in others and demonstrate compassion.  Our attitudes toward others reflect the way we wish to be treated.
• Wisdom.  We learn from our mistakes and think before we act.  We look to each other and our past successes for guidance on making good choices.

Compensation
Great Hearts offers a very competitive benefits package and overall compensation will be commensurate with talent, experience and education.

Great Hearts is an Equal Opportunity Employer.