School Counselor (High School)

Otter Valley Union Middle and High School is seeking an enthusiastic, innovative, and collaborative full-time High School counselor to fill a vacancy in the 2024-25 school year. The High School Counselor is an essential component of the entire school community at OVUHS. The School Counselor serves as both student advocate and guide whose primary purpose is to assist students with academic, developmental, social/emotional, and career/college needs of all students in grades 9-12. We encourage candidates of a variety of backgrounds, including those outside of traditional education, to apply for this position. Job Responsibilities Provides guidance and counseling services for the purpose of assisting all Otter Valley students with increasing their abilities to understand and make healthy choices both academically and personally. Responsible for a student caseload of 9-12 grade. The responsibilities to each student involve academic planning, maintenance of academic schedule, addressing social and emotional needs, attending related team meetings, development of post secondary plans, and facilitating close communication with students, home, and school. Provides students and parents with information and resources about college, post-secondary, career planning, pre-vocational and pre-college testing, and financial aid. Writes letters of recommendation for seniors and individually assists seniors with college applications. Designs and implements for students and parents, workshops, presentations, special programs, and publications on such topics as: college admissions, financial aid, career exploration, course selection, and other parent education programs as needed. Assists with all activities related to student course registration. This includes orientation programs for all students, developing registration materials, supervising the registration process in grades 9-12, in a timely and efficient way. Assists with individual student scheduling, involving 10 days during summer months, in order to allow for equitable access for diverse and robust learning opportunities for each student. Consults with parents and teachers in constructively planning for the learning needs and social-emotional concerns of the students. Active member/organizer of student team meetings. Provides as needed, short term counseling to students as they mature developmentally, academically, and socially. Mediates conflicts between students, students and faculty, and works closely with administration for discipline and harassment concerns. Provides crisis intervention to students and school community and makes appropriate referrals to community and school-based services. Oversees the registration, placement, and orientation programs which facilitate the transition of new and transfer students on your caseload. Plans and attends numerous special events, including but not limited to: awards assemblies and programs, parents nights, orientation programs, and graduation. Maintains connections with Admissions and Financial Aid counselors. Keeps professionally current in counseling practices. Participates in appropriate school, district, and community councils and committees. Helps foster a positive and inclusive school climate. Education, Training and Experience Requirements Master Degree with a minimum of 1 years experience, preferred in a 7-12 educational setting Licensure or eligibility for licensure in the area of school counseling Strong communication, facilitation, computer, and organizational skills Excellent counseling skills and experience with a wide variety of populations Career development, academic advising, and college counseling knowledge A strong commitment to equitable access to meaningful and rigorous learning opportunities for all students Interested candidates should apply on schoolspring.com to: Michael Ruppel, Principal