Orchard House Middle School

Theater Arts Teacher, Winter Ceremony Co-Coordinator, Graduation Ceremony Co-Coordinator

(Revised 1-28-2025)

General Information:

● A ten-month, part-time salaried teacher plus all applicable benefits

● Teach Theater Arts as part of Arts Block (grades 5-8)

● Other duties determined by the Head of School as needed

Reports to: Head of School

FLSA Status: Exempt

Mission and Values:

Orchard House Middle School educates and inspires middle school girls in a responsive, academically engaging community that fosters each girl’s intellectual curiosity, social responsibility, emotional integrity, and physical well-being.

Diversity, equity, social justice, and inclusion are central to Orchard House’s mission. As part of our broader effort to ensure that our hiring process and our community reflect that mission, we are actively seeking candidates to help us build a team with diverse backgrounds. All applicants should be enthusiastic about these principles and eager to carry them forward in their curricular and relational work.

Responsibilities (Theater Arts):

Ability to envision, design in detail, develop, and execute a four-year, well-rounded, middle school (grades 5-8) Theater Arts program that supports the philosophy and objectives of the Arts program and the mission of the school. The Theater Arts curriculum teaches students how to read, study/research, interpret and stage group and individual performance pieces from contemporary and classical plays, literature, children’s stories, and poetry – and sometimes original theatrical works.

Classroom activities are process – not product – oriented. Activities are challenging and create opportunities for growth in self-confidence, build trust among students, and promote an appreciation and understanding of how theater arts weave all communities together. Students learn how to strengthen group and individual performance skills with lessons that develop physical centeredness, relaxation, emotional concentration, stage presence, strong vocalization, clear articulation, and dynamic vocal inflections. This is all accomplished through class acting improvisations, group exercises, partnered scene work, and a rigorous rehearsal process.

Theater Arts class also utilizes dramatic literature anthologies; acting textbooks; speech and voice textbooks; directing textbooks; scripts; books; poetry; assorted websites; and video/film resources.

The Theater Arts teacher plans and executes a presentation at the end of each quarter; the presentation is part of Arts Studio, where all Arts classes share the quarter’s work with the school community.

Job Description (Theater Arts):

The Theater Arts teacher is responsible for the following essential duties:

(1) Teaching one grade level (approximately 20-22 students) per quarter;

(2) Cultivating the public speaking skills of each student;

(3) Using teaching techniques (explanation and demonstration) that support the mission and philosophy of the school which include discovery and constructivist approaches to learning;

(4) Establishing a learning environment that inspires learning;

(5) Attending faculty and departmental meetings and contributing to Arts Department responsibilities;

(6) Communicating with parents through conferences and other means;

(7) Completing student reports and evaluations in a timely and mission-consistent manner;

(8) Following personnel policies as described in the Employee Handbook and supporting student behaviors as described in the Family Handbook;

(9) Participating fully in the life of the school in terms of academics (providing high quality instruction to students); professionalism (continually focusing on professional growth and renewal); culture (engaging in collegial activities and supporting all members of the school community).

Winter Ceremony Co-Coordinator: work with the Director of Facilities / Events Coordinator to ensure a successful, mission-aligned Winter Ceremony. Winter Ceremony is our annual, all-school production that weaves together all our Arts Block Classes (Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts). The Theater Arts Teacher directs, blocks, and leads this component of our school calendar.

Graduation Ceremony Co-Coordinator: work with colleagues to ensure successful, mission-aligned events and activities. Graduation is a traditional ceremony recognizing the achievements of our 8th grade class. All grades are included in this ceremony. The Theater Arts Teacher directs, blocks and leads this component of our school calendar.

Essential Skills (Theater Arts):

(1) Bachelor’s Degree (required) with Theater Arts as a major or minor; Master’s Degree (preferred); Endorsement in Theater Arts is optional;

(2) A minimum of two years of experience teaching in a school environment (preferred);

(3) Knowledge of middle school girls’ education; passion for teaching and for working with middle school students;

(4) Strong communication and organizational skills; ability to apply technology effectively;

(5) Strong instructional planning and preparation skills; ability to evaluate all students’ progress consistently and effectively;

(6) Ability to teach in a manner that supports different learning styles;

(7) Ability to hold students to high but not necessarily uniform standards;

(8) Willingness and ability to assess student work in multiple ways and in a timely manner;

(9) Flexibility; commitment to refining familiar teaching strategies and to exploring and developing new teaching strategies, including online/distance education teaching;

(10) Strong orientation towards personal/professional growth and success;

(11) Strong orientation towards teamwork, institutional success, and community success;

(12) Experience with running sound equipment and lights.

Work Environment:

● Classroom and Stage

● Other (field trips)

Orchard House Middle School jobs

Theater Arts Teacher