General Description

East Hill Christian School is a not-for-profit, private, accredited Christian school serving students in the historic East Hill community in Pensacola, Florida. Committed to Christian values, EHCS aims to foster academic excellence, spiritual growth, and holistic development. As a certified staff member at EHCS, the school counselor will play a crucial role in shaping the educational foundation of young learners. This position contributes to the school's commitment to providing a nurturing and Christ-centered environment for students to grow academically, spiritually, and socially.

Job summary

The Christian School Counselor plays a crucial role in supporting students not just academically, but also in their personal and spiritual growth. They serve as a bridge between students, parents, faculty, and administration, facilitating communication and collaboration to ensure the holistic development of the students. The emphasis on spiritual growth alongside academic progress upholds the EHCS commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals who are prepared not only for academic success but also for a fulfilling and purposeful life. The position requires a strong commitment to Christian values, excellent communication skills, and a passion for shaping the character and academic success of students.

The school counselor will report to the middle/high school principal, providing regular updates on student progress toward graduation, post-graduation preparedness such as scholarship applications, including but not limited to the Bright Futures scholarship, student emotional needs, and student interests. The school counselor is expected to contribute actively to chapel services and other spiritual development activities. All certified staff members are expected to embrace opportunities to integrate Christian values and principles into all aspects of education, fostering a holistic approach to students' growth.

Type of Position

Full-time non-exempt employee with salary

Required Spiritual Qualities

● Acknowledge Christ as Savior and seek to live life as His disciple

● Believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God—our standard for faith and practice

● Believe and actively support the school’s statement of faith

● Demonstrate a desire for spiritual growth as evidenced by his or her prayer life, Bible study, and spiritual outreach to others

● Be a Christian role model in attitude, speech, and actions toward others (Luke 6:40) This includes being committed to God’s biblical standards for sexual conduct

● Evidence the fruit of the Spirit in dealing with people

● Share the Christian faith with others

● Have a Christ-centered home

● Actively participate in a local Bible-believing church

Required Professional Qualities

● A minimum of an earned master’s degree in school counseling or a related field with related experience

● Certified or able to receive certification as a school counselor through ACSI and the state of Florida

● Commitment to Christian values and the integration of faith into the curriculum.

● Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

Essential Job Functions

● Provide college resources, scholarship opportunities, and college application information to students and parents in the appropriate grade levels.

● Manage scholarship opportunities.

○ Actively seek and research scholarship opportunities for EHCS students.

○ Work with students to complete scholarship applications.

○ Ensure students have met the qualifications and completed the application for the Bright Futures scholarship.

○ Assist students and parents with completion of the FAFSA and other financial aid applications.

● Report college acceptances and related statistics to the MS-HS Principal.

● Ensure that the final transcript for a graduate is accurate, complete, and finalized.

● Educate students and parents about colleges, the college admissions process, trends, procedures, and testing; advising and supporting each class of seniors (and their parents) as they go through the process; and helping students and their parents aspire realistically and choose wisely.

● Meet with individual parents and students in order to customize a class schedule that will support their post high school goals.

● Manage every high school student’s Community Service hours to ensure the student is meeting the minimum for graduation of 25 per year for a total of 100 hours.

● Coordinate Dual Enrollment courses including keeping articulation agreements current, advising students, and ensuring students are meeting all guidelines.

● Serve as the school point of contact for virtual options for students and monitor student progress in online courses including credit recovery.

● Conduct career and educational planning activities. Provides high school students with opportunities to assess personal strengths and vocational interests that facilitate career planning.

○ Plan and implement a college and career fair for EHCS students to be held in the fall semester.

○ Plan and implement the reality fair to be held in the spring semester.

● Serve as a member of the student intervention team.

● Assist students and parents with tutoring options as needed.

● Assist in the development of academic policies as requested by the principal or head of school.

● Serve as the testing coordinator for the school.

○ Perform rostering for all school assessments.

○ Work with the school principals to create testing schedules.

○ Access score reports for distribution as needed.

○ Manage requests for testing accommodations and complete all necessary paperwork for accommodations.

● Coordinate the high school graduation ceremony and all academic awards

○ Calculate grades to determine award eligibility.

○ Order certificates, plaques, honor cords, and other awards.

○ Work with the senior sponsor to coordinate the purchase of graduation gowns and other paraphernalia.

○ Work with the junior sponsors to coordinate the ordering and purchase of class rings.

● Serve as a resource to connect students and families with mental health services as needed.

● Actively engage with the Christian school community, attending events and contributing to the overall school culture.