The Counselor Program

You will sleep in the dorms along with the 6^th graders at night and oversee behavior. You’ll wake the students up, help prepare them for their day and get them to their activities on time.  You also get to read them a bedtime story…which the students love!

You’ll join your students on all their hikes and help the teacher pass out materials and help refocus students who are off task.  You also get to help encourage discovery and promote learning by asking the students questions during their exploration time!

You must be a Junior or Senior in good academic standing, have excellent attendance, and must be referred by teachers who believe that you would be a good role model for younger students.  We also accept recent high school graduates with excellent references. If you are a graduate, you must be fingerprinted.  Contact Diann Rastetter up at Foothill to get that started.

Are you thinking about a career in education or childcare?

• This is a great opportunity to gain experience managing 6^th graders
• By observing and conversing with our experienced teaching staff, you can get guidance on what it takes to be a successful teacher or Naturalist.

Are you looking for volunteer hours or work experience?

• Counselors gain well over 40 hours of work experience that you can list on your job applications, college applications, and resume.

Do you need a letter of recommendation for jor or college applications?

• You will receive a written evaluation letter at the end of your week which will highlight the great things you did!

You get to be an essential part of the Foothill Horizons staff!!

• Foothill Horizons depends on enthusiastic people like you to give back to the community and our kids – if you came as a 6^th grader, we’re sure you remember the impact your counselor had on you!

QUALITIES OF AN EXCELLENT COUNSELOR:

• Cares for children & their safety at all times
• Wants to be positive role model and strong leader
• Shows enthusiasm for the outdoor school program
• Puts the needs of their students before their own
• Communicates well with students, peers, teachers and Foothill Horizons staff
• Shows good judgment and respect for self and others.
• Encourages discovery and enjoys being outside
• Plays games and sings songs with the kids!
•  Has fun!

All volunteers must watch the mandatory training video (link at bottom of this page) and complete the assessment quiz before the week they volunteer.

Upon arrival at Foothill, all volunteers will also attend an orientation that covers the weekly schedule, tips & tricks for managing their group, and our emergency procedures. We will also review important information about their specific group of students. 

Each counselor is guided and supervised throughout the week by our staff, and there are many meetings they’ll attend for support and idea sharing.  Each counselor is assigned to a Naturalist who provides ongoing coaching throughout the week. This Naturalist also provides verbal feedback and will present a formal written evaluation to each of their volunteer counselors on the last day of the week.

To receive the ultimate training, interested high school students are encouraged to attend our free Saturday Leadership Training Day, held once in the fall. We will pick you up on one of our buses and bring you to Foothill for the day, where you will attend four 1-hour Leadership Training sessions—then we’ll take you back. Lunch is provided. For more information, check out the dropdown menu in the ‘How to Apply’ section.