Student Life Counselor - The Seed School of Los Angeles County

Reports to: Director of Student Life 

Start Date: August 1st, 2024

About SEED: 

The mission of SEED Schools is to provide students with a rigorous, college preparatory, boarding school model that prepares them for success in college and careers. 

The SEED School of Los Angeles County (SEED LA) opened Fall of 2022 as California’s first urban public college preparatory boarding school, and the fourth SEED school in the nation. Building a ninth-grade cohort each year, SEED LA will empower roughly 400 students in Grades 9-12 to achieve their full potential through our 24-hour learning environment. Our partnership with LA Metro provides a unique opportunity for students to advance their skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) while engaging in hands-on learning in the transportation field.

Our innovative model integrates a rigorous academic program with a nurturing boarding program that develops the whole child. This boarding school model provides a comprehensive solution to the challenges facing urban youth and serves as a prototype for expansion nationwide. All SEED students live on campus between Sunday evenings and Friday afternoons. Our model has proven successful: over 90 percent of SEED graduates have been accepted to four-year colleges and universities throughout the country and over 60 percent remain enrolled in college or have already earned college degrees. 

The success of the SEED model has been showcased in media outlets and publications such as 60 Minutes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and in the documentary film, Waiting for Superman. President Barack Obama has hailed SEED as “a true success story. 

More information can be found on the school’s website: www.seedschoolla.org

Position Overview: 

The SEED School of Los Angeles County is seeking a Student Life Counselor to join the student life team. In this role, the counselor’s primary responsibility will be to serve as the principal direct caregiver for students within an assigned dorm and to act as the primary advocate for the students in their care. The Student Life Counselor will also create, establish and maintain a productive and interactive environment within the residence halls. In addition, this position is responsible for monitoring and supervising students during the main hours of the Student Life Program.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Serve as Student Life Counselor helping to build and implement the SEED LA culture - establishing routines and structures to prepare students for college completion and beyond. 
• Nurture each student entrusted to your care consistent with guidelines outlined in the Student Life Program. 
• Communicate with families regarding students’ progress, accomplishments, growth areas, and concerns. 
• Attend to students’ personal safety by being aware of student location, being aware of and attentive to warning signs of emotional distress, and supporting overall campus supervision. 
• Make safe and thought out decisions based on the best interest of students. 
• Teach social, self-help, lifelong learning, and basic life skills and facilitates student leisure and recreational activities. 
• Develop weekly lesson SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) plans from the school selected curriculum to empower to students to embody CASEL 5 Core Competencies
• Provide opportunities for students to practice/demonstrate learned skills including manners, conflict resolution, cooperation and teamwork and teaching developmentally appropriate decision-making and critical thinking strategies. 
• Offer student leadership opportunities and a variety of clubs that include but are not limited to: SGA, Sports, Wellness, the Arts, Robotics, Theatre, Debate, etc…
• Offer local and global college and community service experiences for students to cultivate self-awareness, social-awareness, and a sense of cultural responsibility, while encouraging family involvement to enrich and support the students’ learning experiences. 
• Planning and leading students on educational and/or recreational trips and/or activities and facilitating clubs and activities 
• Support and assist with homework during study hall.
• Teach and model appropriate study skills (management of information, materials, and time) 
• Establish an environment that enhances student persistence, college knowledge, and overall well-being while proactively teaching procedures and social skills to create a positive and predictable environment. 
• • Establish a supportive and inclusive living environment within student dormitories, in which the SLCs communicate with teachers on a weekly basis to aid in students receiving tutoring, creating study skills workshops, and helping students access educational resources to excel academically.
  • Build and foster positive relationships with students and help them foster positive relationships with one another. 
  • Provide content specific professional development to enhance the skills and capacity of Student Life staff, along with setting specific SMART Goals to guide their professional growth and development.
  • Display appropriate role modeling. 
  • Develop relevant programming to meet the needs of students. 
  • Actively listen to students’ thoughts, feelings, concerns, and problems and counseling when appropriate. 
  • Utilize active listening, pro-active teaching, corrective teaching, and self-awareness. 
  • Manage student behavior in the house, residence hall, SEED community, and public. 
  • Effectively utilize appropriate skills to prevent and/or de-escalate intense situations while maintaining the dignity and respect of the student.
  • Manage and maintain the house/residence halls. 
  • Oversee and/or provide structure and expectations for residence hall routines

Requirements

The Ideal Candidates Will Have/Be: 

• A commitment to SEED LA’s mission and belief that with the right resources, any child can attend college and achieve their dreams.
• A commitment to SEED’s core values of: COMPASSION, GRATITUDE, GROWTH, INTEGRITY, PERSEVERANCE, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY 
• A commitment to equity, leadership, and a focus on data-driven results.
• Bachelors’ Degree or equivalent, from an accredited university in social sciences or related fields. 
• 1-2 years direct experience in adolescent development, residential/boarding education, teaching, or related fields. 
• Experience working with diverse student populations in an urban setting.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit to be able to create and implement routines and rituals to ensure student achievement 

Please Note the Shift Hours for this position

The typical shift is from 3:30 pm - 12 am

Benefits

Employee Benefits 

Compensation will be commensurate with candidate experience and expertise. The salary range for this opportunity is $25 - $28/hr. The benefits package also includes paid sick leave, holiday pay, a generous 403b retirement plan in addition to health, dental, vision, and life insurance. 

To apply for the Student Life Counselor  position at the SEED School of LA: 

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@seedschoolla.org with “SEED LA – Student Life Counselor ” in the subject line to apply. 

The SEED School of Los Angeles County (SEED LA) is committed to the letter and spirit of equality, provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.  SEED LA does not discriminate in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarships, and other programs.