The official job title for the position we’re seeking to fill here at Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center is for a Human Performance Instructional Specialist, which is synonymous for Physical Education, Health, & Outdoor Education Teacher. That search entails finding a candidate who can empower each of our high school students to start a lifelong appreciation for fitness, initially set against the pristine backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.
if you care deeply about supporting lifelong health and you love to work with young adults, this job will prove to be attractive. And if living fulltime on a mountainside campus — where Wilderness serves as your part of your classroom — sounds appealing, now would be the time to submit an application.
About Eagle Rock School
For the past quarter of a century, Eagle Rock School has operated as a non-traditional boarding school that supports students of all races and genders for the purpose of allowing them to examine their lives and the world in a deep and critical fashion. Our next Human Performance Instructional Specialist will work with diverse teens, teaching them how they can engage confidently in physical pursuits.
At Eagle Rock, our instructors are fully committed to our students and to contributing to progressive secondary school reform efforts. You may want to check out our website (www.eaglerockschool.org) to get a better feel for our mission, our school and the important role our Professional Development Center plays here on our own campus and for schools and communities all across the United States.
The Human Performance Instructional Specialist in-depth
Reporting directly to our director of curriculum, our new hire will — among other tasks — lead a full school morning exercise and intramural program, maintain a strong relationship with Rocky Mountain National Park, and oversee the care of the facilities and resources within the department.
Specifically, the Human Performance Instructional Specialist will develop and implement our health, physical education, and outdoor education curriculum. The successful candidate will also assist with the management and maintenance of our on-campus Olympic-size swimming pool, gym, fitness facilities, sports field and other human-powered outdoor recreation equipment and gear.
Earlier, we referenced Rocky Mountain National Park staff. The Human Performance Instructional Specialist plays an important role in Eagle Rock’s relationship with the Park, particularly in the context of citizen science and outdoor adventure courses, as well as our annual student-internship program within the park.
At Eagle Rock, everyone engages
As far as schoolwide participation, our new instructor will participate in our residential life programming on weekends and evenings, as well as serve as an advisor to students. In addition, the job calls for providing First Aid and CPR training to our staff; attending community meetings; participating in service projects; and sharing particular skills — such as sports, poetry, music, yoga or spiritual practices — with our students and staff.
In other words, the position pretty much means becoming fully engulfed in all happenings — on and off campus — on a fulltime basis.
What we’re looking for
Our candidate should have a degree — a master’s is preferred — in Health Sciences, Education, Environmental Science, Outdoor Education, Physical Education, or a related field. They should have extensive teaching experience in a variety of course designs and program models, and also have experience working with adolescents, and in particular, those for whom a traditional education has not been successful. Finally, the candidate should be comfortable working with a population that includes a mix of LGBTQ students; students from low income backgrounds; and students from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
A huge plus is experience in Expeditionary Learning, Coalition of Essential Schools (CES), NOLS, Big Picture, Outward Bound, or similar progressive education models; experience with interdisciplinary curriculum design, experiential education, project-based learning, and the Understanding by Design® framework.
To apply…
If all of this sounds interesting to you, please submit a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references (phone number and email address) to info@eaglerockschool.org. Clarifying questions can be sent to Sarah Bertucci, Director of Curriculum, by email at sbertucci at eaglerockschool dot org. Please do not try to reach us by phone, as we only accept electronic submissions. No paper or fax materials will be considered, either.
The deadline for applications is July 13, and phone interviews will be held from July 9 through 20. We will conduct three-day onsite interviews from July 30 to Aug.3, and we have a start date this September.
This timeline is offered to give applicants a sense of our ideal process, but we’d like to stick to this plan. That being said, we know there might be circumstances where the best candidate can’t meet that schedule and in that case, we don’t want to dissuade anyone from applying due to a time conflict.
For more information, please see the complete Human Performance Instructional Specialist job description.
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Eagle Rock is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and does not tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination. All employment decisions at Eagle Rock are based on merit and to the principle of equal employment opportunity. In keeping with both the letter and spirit of this policy, Eagle Rock will continue to recruit, hire, train, and promote into all job levels the most qualified persons without regard to race, color, religion, genetic information, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status or any other protected characteristic. Therefore, members of racial/ethnic minorities and other protected classes are encouraged to apply.