Founded in 1972, The Mount Vernon School is a leading private school of inquiry, innovation, and impact. 

Anchored in Christian values — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — relationships at Mount Vernon are foundational to learning. Preparing students to be college ready, globally competitive, and engaged citizen leaders call us to lean in to inclusion, diversity, equity, and action.

Creating and cultivating connections between all people, ideas, and sectors, the School welcomes all learners to wrestle with voices and perspectives that challenge our assumptions, biases, stereotypes, and privileges. Not allowing our differences to divide us requires each of us to engage in honest, vulnerable, and courageous conversations through empathy, reflection, examination, and action. Being real agents of change is a continuous journey.

Committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, our trust in each other strengthens our sense of identity, autonomy, and interdependence. As a school of inquiry, innovation, and impact, we are committed to creating and sustaining a school culture where all members feel valued and safe, sharing their authentic selves to design a better world…together.

Summary

We are seeking an innovative educator for the position of Upper School Maker, Design, and Engineering (MDE) Faculty, who can also teach additional STEM classes, such as high school math or physics. At Mount Vernon, our Maker, Design, and Engineering program operates from kindergarten through grade 12 and places students at the center of solution-driven design. This dynamic, forward-thinking professional would join an outstanding Upper School team for the 2021-2022 school year. 

As a member of the Upper School team at Mount Vernon, this individual will model what it means to be a solution seeker who thrives through inquiry, innovation, and impact. Creative thinking, collaboration, and communication are essential. This candidate will be involved in areas of the School beyond the classroom walls and is responsible for fulfilling all responsibilities in accordance with the mission and philosophy of the School.

As a school whose mission statement calls out inquiry, innovation, and impact, our vision, strategic plan, and norms center around empowering students to ask questions, to challenge the status quo, and to design a better world. We seek a transdisciplinary facilitator with a background in inquiry-based learning, design thinking, and the maker movement to work closely with the Upper School team, as well as the other faculty in the MDE program, to continue to build strong student experiences. 

Role & Responsibilities 

• Empower Upper School students to become designers of their own learning and lead innovators in the community
• Forge partnerships and relationships with community members so that student learners can position themselves to creatively solve real-world problems
• Operate as a test kitchen for our newest, boldest ideas for doing school differently
• Engage with complex, transdisciplinary problems and provide students with opportunities to follow their passions, interests, and curiosities
• Facilitate design thinking experiences and advanced inquiry-based learning in Upper School Maker, Design, and Engineering classes
• Partner with classroom teachers to help them discover how the use of the maker spaces can enhance their current lessons and the opportunities for students to engage in inquiry and showcase their work using higher-resolution products
• Build a cohesive program with Upper School learning outcomes and course content that connects with maker, design, and engineering for grades 9-12 learners, as well as utilizes competency-based learning practices
• Collaborate and align learning outcomes and student experiences with the Lower School and Middle School Directors of Maker, Design, and Engineering and Innovation Diploma Program leaders
• Contribute to professional learning training opportunities for Upper School faculty in small and whole-group settings
• Foster an environment of intentional collaboration among all stakeholders- students, faculty, and families 
• Participate in robust, sophisticated assessment and feedback progress reporting for portfolio and project work; practice standards-based grading and competency-based learning
• Create differentiated lessons to match the needs of students in the classroom
• Effectively communicate with families pertaining to a child’s progress and needs as well as general information about the program (through phone calls, newsletters, conferences, and progress reports)
• Proactively search out and participate in professional growth opportunities
• Demonstrate a high level of competency in multiple Mount Vernon Mindsets (Creative Thinker, Solution Seeker, Ethical Decision-Maker, Innovator, Collaborator, Communicator)
• Maintain the Upper School maker spaces, tools & equipment, and budget for ordering supplies
• Teach additional classes in Upper School STEM, such as high school mathematics and physics
• Report directly to the Director of Maker, Design, and Engineering, as well as the Head of Upper School