High School Counselor

Location: Horace High School | Department: Behavioral Health & Wellness | Reports to: Building Principal | Term: Renewing 188-day contract beginning with the 2026-27 school year, following the school calendar.

About the Role

The High School Counselor will implement a comprehensive school counseling program focused on learner outcomes, teaching student competencies, and providing services to learners, parents, school staff, and the community. Responsibilities include bi-weekly classroom lessons, individual and small-group social skill lessons, classroom teacher support, and supporting the MTSS team to meet learners' social and emotional needs. The counselor will serve learners in grades 9-12 and collaborate with administration.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration
  • Develops positive, effective working relationships with learners and staff.
  • Engages with other district staff in the professional learning community process.
• Communication
  • Consults and collaborates with parents/guardians, educators, and community organizations.
  • Connects and shares ideas through appropriate formats to express thoughts and ideas with integrity.
  • Utilizes effective communication skills to facilitate connection and sharing of ideas in multiple formats with diverse audiences.
  • Establishes and clearly articulates procedures and routines that promote efficiency and appropriate use of time.
  • Utilizes questions, discussions, and dialogue that promote critical thinking about diverse perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences.
• Compassion
  • Creates a safe and equitable classroom environment.
  • Empowers learners to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic learners, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
  • Understands the complexities of cultural and global issues and how they relate to employees' and learners' experiences.
  • Partners with others to resolve potential controversy and conflict through respectful discussion.
  • Proactively seeks to understand the ideas, opinions, and skills of others.
• Creativity
  • Incorporates organizational assessments and tools that are concrete, clearly delineated, and reflective of the school's needs, including advisory councils, school counselor competency and program assessments, or curriculum, small-group, and closing-the-gap action plans.
  • Establishes a classroom culture that values high expectations, work ethic, and a growth mindset.
  • Develops and implements data/needs-driven, standards-based, and research-supported programs, and engages in continuous program evaluation activities.
  • Connects with team members and shares ideas to improve the overall learner and employee experience.
• Critical Thinking
  • Creates a comprehensive school counseling program focusing on learner outcomes.
  • Reasons, interprets, and analyzes information to generate new knowledge and understanding.
• Reflection
  • Maintains communication with supervisor and director regarding general feedback, career advancement opportunities, and areas of growth.
• Resilience
  • Maintains composure while dealing with stressful situations.
  • Proactively seeks resolutions and takes initiative to resolve knowledge gaps.
• Responsibility
  • Instructs learner competencies and delivers with identified professional competencies, guided by ASCA Student Standards.
  • Uses ASCA School Counselor Guidelines to guide decision-making and standardize professional practice.
  • Provides direct and indirect learner services.
  • Seeks out and provides input on referrals for additional assistance as needed.
  • Utilizes the district behavioral plan to promote positive learner behavior.
  • Follows district protocol for maintaining information about learner progress.
  • Serves as the school's 504 case manager by coordinating meetings, facilitating team decisions, maintaining documentation, and ensuring implementation of student accommodations.

Requirements

• North Dakota Teaching License with School Counselor credential K-12.
• Master's Degree in School Counseling or ability to obtain Alternate Access Licensure.
• Experience working with complex learner behaviors is preferred.
• Experience working in a school setting is preferred.
• Experience as a counselor is preferred.

Skills

• Ability to read, write, and comprehend simple instructions and short correspondences in English.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally, expressively, and reactively.
• Exercise confidentiality, discretion, and good judgment.
• Adhere to the assigned work schedule by maintaining regular and punctual attendance.

Schedule

Monday–Friday, full-time following school hours of operation.

Pay

Position follows the 2025-2027 Teacher Salary Schedule.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Regularly required to reach with hands and arms, stand, walk, bend, talk, and hear.
• Specific vision abilities include close and peripheral vision.
• May be required to lift up to ~30 pounds.
• Must work with the public and various staff while managing several competing demands.
• Works in an environment with a quiet to loud noise level.