English Acquisition Program

Bethlehem Area School District
ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
Resources for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Center for Language Assessment

Northeast Middle School
1170 Fernwood Street
Hours of Operation: 8:00am - 4:00pm
610-865-7880

Client Services Associate Vilmarie Velazquez, 20, of Bethlehem, works at her desk at St. Luke's Hospital. Velazquez connected with the health network through the school-to-work program.

School-to-work program benefits Bethlehem Area School District, St. Luke's Hospital

Victoria Montero was a shy Liberty High School freshman enrolled in English as a Second Language classes when she first learned of the school-to-work program. "I was a typical ESL student," Montero, now 25, recalled. "I wouldn't open my mouth in class." The Bethlehem Area School District began the school-to-work program in 1997 with St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network to give ESL students a chance to explore health careers. Montero joined the program to ease her shyness and improve her public speaking skills. It ended up being the smartest career move of her life. Today, Montero is the assistant coordinator of St. Luke's adolescent career mentoring program, running school-to-work and the two programs that have grown out of it.

Click here to read more about our ESL students and the School-to-Work Program in The Express-Times.

Noeli Sosa, 21, of Bethlehem, a lab assistant at St. Luke's, is working toward her nursing degree at Northampton Community College. She became interested in the health field while going through a school-to-work program at St. Luke's when she was a student at Liberty High School. 

A fighting chance at employment, life - School-to-work program has expanded to offer Liberty students a chance to explore health-care field.

When Isa Sanchez was in sixth grade she stopped caring. She had just moved from Puerto Rico to Bethlehem, a transition that thrust her into a new culture, a new language and a new education system amid the social pressure of adolescence.

"I had problems with the language," she said.

So she kept her mouth shut in the hallways and in the classroom. Then the bullying started.

Click here to read more about our ESL students and the School-to-Work Program in The Morning Call.