The Director of Service Learning is a full-time position reporting to the Assistant Head of School for Academics. This is a ten-month role plus 20 additional work days to be used according to needs during school year breaks and the summer. The individual in this role, in partnership with school faculty and administrators, will maintain and develop K-12 student opportunities for service learning, supervise projects, and motivate the community towards service. Potomac’s service learning program is an integrated program that builds from one division to the next, enabling students at each level to learn about community needs and meaningfully engage in service in age-appropriate ways. The school wide program reaches every student and elevates student initiative which has become essential to service learning at Potomac. Potomac has ongoing partnerships with more than 50 nonprofit organizations throughout the greater DC area, where our students help address needs related to four service themes: poverty, homelessness, and hunger; literacy; care for the elderly; and care for the environment. Potomac students and their teachers participate in both on- and off-campus service learning initiatives, and opportunities for our families to become involved are also offered through the Parent Association.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Support the mission of the school by cultivating generosity of spirit in the K-12 student body
Establish, foster, and manage reciprocal relationships with Potomac’s community partners, which provide the foundation to the School’s K-12 Service Learning Program.
Work with community partners to identify opportunities for service projects
Collaborate with Potomac’s service learning leaders, faculty, and administrators to develop, schedule, and implement classroom and grade level foundational experiences that align with curriculum and Potomac’s philosophy of service learning
Collaborate with faculty to teach students the skills necessary to accomplish projects
Inspire and support student service learning initiatives, both programmatic and individual
Collaborate with the parent leaders of the Parent Association Service Learning Committee (PASLC) to engender habits of service through family service experiences
Collaborate with SEL and DEI leaders to ensure integration across skills
Facilitate, in collaboration with the communications department, the internal and external communications for the program
Maintain a variety of records, reports, and program evaluations and inventories
Operate the program within budgetary limitations and prepare budgets as required
Participate in program development, professional development, and community activities
Serve as a member of the Extended Administrative team
Perform other duties as required
Qualifications:
Minimum Bachelor's Degree
Experience with service learning and community engagement
At least five years of experience in education, youth development, non-profits, or a related field
Leadership experience, preferably with diverse youth
Exceptional motivational speaker with strong presentation skills
Flexible, collaborative, and inclusive team player
Excellent organizational and technology skills
Ability to delegate tasks while leading by example
Ability to work alongside students, often outdoors
Desire to make a positive difference with joy and enthusiasm
In striving to fulfill its mission, The Potomac School seeks many different voices, viewpoints, and backgrounds. We recognize that differences are a source of strength, and we know that everyone is enriched when each person's contributions and perspectives are valued.
The Potomac School is an independent K-12 day school located in McLean, Va. While we are a K-12 school, we are more accurately described as a K through lifetime experience. We nurture the development of our students as unique individuals and as contributing members of a vibrant learning community.
Our school comprises four distinct yet interconnected divisions, joined through a shared mission, integrated curriculum, and deeply rooted communal ties. We enjoy the beauty and natural resources of our 90-acre campus, our athletic fields, woods, streams, and ponds providing a rare and wonderful setting for each student's educational journey.
Mission: At The Potomac School, we believe that intellectual development, love of learning, and strength of character are complementary, and equally essential, educational goals. With a firm commitment to our core values and a rigorous academic program, we prepare students to lead lives of purpose, achievement, and generosity of spirit.