THIS IS AN 11-MONTH POSITION. All High School Bridge Counselors have one month off during the summer.
All applicants should submit a resume and cover letter.
Chicago students have the right to a well-resourced high school education, but the placement process is complicated to navigate alone. High School Bridge (HSB) helps students attending elementary schools in communities impacted by systemic disinvestment find and succeed in their best-fit high schools. We advocate for 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th graders and their families as they build the foundation for their success in high school, after high school and the start of their careers.
In the next two years, the High School Bridge Program will grow to serve 1,900 students from 19 different elementary schools in seventh through eleventh grades as they chart their unique path by accompanying them through their transition to best-fit high schools.
The responsibilities of the HSB Counselor include but are not limited to: developing and maintaining relationships with partner elementary schools; working directly with families in the high school application and decision-making process; and developing best practices to support high school and postsecondary access for first-generation, low-income and under-represented students in Chicago through the implementation of a HSB program at partner schools.
The person in this position reports to an Assistant Director of the HSB Program and works closely with the HSB Team. Applicants for this position must have a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of experience. Strong applicants are committed professionals who take initiative to creatively identify and solve problems and go above and beyond to support students. The position occasionally requires non-traditional work hours for evening or weekend events to accommodate family work schedules and to respond to student needs as they arise. Counselors typically spend one day a week at Chicago Jesuit Academy, 1-2 days at their partner elementary school, one day on high school visits and one day working from home.
The High School Bridge Counselor will:
- Work with a core group of elementary schools to implement a high school transition program and with the HSB Team to support high school and postsecondary access for students and alumni of each school.
- Support students and families in the high school application and decision-making process by developing relationships with students and families as the trusted advisor through individual and group meetings with students, alumni, parents and other stakeholders of each partner school.
- Accompany alumni from our partner schools as they matriculate to high school by designing and implementing creative opportunities for relationship building such as social media campaigns and alumni-meet-ups to stay in contact with alumni as they navigate ninth, tenth and eleventh grade.
- Conduct individual and group parent meetings with current students and alumni.
- Coordinate services and support for various alumni issues, including high-school success, tutoring, transfers, crisis management, and application support for jobs, internships and summer programs.
- Visit students at their current schools and assess the level of care being provided by these schools.
- Update and maintain the confidentiality of student information in the High School Bridge Salesforce database on a regular basis.
- Actively communicate with and engage families in events and programming.
- Work in partnership with the HSB Team and Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities to evaluate the impact of this intervention on students in Chicago.
- Support CJA’s development efforts by sharing his or her work with friends and benefactors who support the scholarship needs of CJA students and the ongoing needs of CJA alumni.
- Model the ideal of a “person for others” in the Jesuit tradition.
- Execute other duties as assigned.
The successful candidate will believe in the long-term care of students and an education that forms the whole person — cura personalis in the Jesuit tradition. This person will have strong communication and organizational skills and demonstrate Spanish fluency. Experience in counseling, social work or teaching is preferred.
Mission: Chicago Jesuit Academy (CJA) is a full-scholarship lower and middle school for young men from modest economic backgrounds who could not otherwise access a well-resourced, faith-based college prep education in the Catholic tradition. We support and advocate for CJA students and alumni as well as other children of modest means as they progress to and through college prep high schools, post-secondary education and the transition to meaningful careers and citizenship. CJA invites students to become persons for others who aspire to be open to growth, loving, intellectually competent, religious and committed to doing justice.
Means: Located in Austin on Chicago’s West Side, CJA admits students to all grades in our lower and middle school without regard for their race, ethnicity or religion, and CJA enrolls 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade students without regard for their past levels of academic achievement.
We use small class sizes, extended school days with co-curriculars, and summer camp opportunities to provide a comprehensive school year that gives personal care to our students to help them develop as whole persons.
We accompany our alumni on their unique paths to meaningful employment and support them throughout high school, their post-secondary education and the start of their careers, always welcoming them back as leaders at CJA and in the broader community.
CJA students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, volunteers and benefactors listen to and learn from one another and make disciplined sacrifices to accomplish our shared mission.
We partner with other schools and the broader community to create access to better educational resources, confront systemic racism and remove obstacles to educational equity.
We call one another to find God in all things and be men and women for others who are open to growth, loving, religious, intellectually competent and committed to doing justice.
Non-discrimination Policy: Chicago Jesuit Academy, in accordance with our Jesuit tradition, is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs and activities, without regard to an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic or military status. Employees, students, applicants or other members of the CJA community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law, or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected identity.
All applicants should submit a resume and cover letter.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $47,000.00 - $57,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
