Sr. Thea Bowman Catholic School/Access Academies
Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East St. Louis, Illinois, is committed to deepening faith in Jesus Christ and providing a holistic learning approach to faith development and education within a Catholic framework. Our vision is to inspire, prepare, and empower kindergarten through grade 8 students in East St. Louis and surrounding communities, to become the next generation of wholesome, responsible, and dedicated leaders of their communities and of our world.
The children in our school community are 95% African-American and 95% qualify for the free/reduced lunch program. In partnership with Access Academies, it is also our goal that our graduates attend a highly-regarded college preparatory high school, successfully graduate from high school, and continue on to post-secondary education. Consequently, our commitment to each student and family extends beyond graduation from 8th grade. The Graduate Support program begins in middle school and continues through high school, college placement, and beyond.
Sister Thea Bowman Academy is seeking a full-time Graduate Support Director to deliver Graduate Support services to our middle and high school students. This position will be responsible for:
- Maintaining contact with students and families throughout high school, monitoring academic progress and, in collaboration with the high school guidance staff, providing help and access to resources that will support the students’ academic needs;
- Teaching a high school preparation class to 8th grade students one period a week;
- Assisting high school students with college selection, the application process, and the financial aid process;
- Providing support with college access activities (ACT testing, ACT prep classes, college applications, facilitating college visits, etc.);
- Supporting middle school students and families with the transition into high school through school selection, application, registration, and admissions;
- Managing and responding to middle school student academic, conduct, and behavioral issues during the Extended Day and Summer Session programs (both one-on-one and in classroom settings);
- Coordinating programming and scheduling for the Extended Day and Summer programming;
- Tracking outcomes of the Graduate Support program (high school acceptances, high school grades, ACT scores, high school graduation, college acceptance, etc.).
The successful applicant will possess:
- A Bachelor’s degree, at a minimum;
- Strong communication and relationship-building skills, both with students and families;
- Exceptional organizational skills;
- Experience in keeping confidentiality with students, families, and other school personnel;
- Ability to take initiative and be a problem-solver.
Some regular evening and weekend hours will be necessary. Experience as an educator, counselor, or social worker is preferred but not required. Training will be provided.
To apply, please send cover letter and resume to Principal Dan Nickerson at nickerson.bowman@gmail.com.
