Lessons -- Handouts -- Electives -- Olympics -- Celebration -- Community Service
Lehigh Valley Summerbridge
The Program
Coordinate planes - Math Heptathalon
Lehigh Valley Summerbridge (LVS) is a free, non-profit, enrichment program designed to assist predominantly low income students from nine different middle schools in the Lehigh Valley in their quest to become a college student. These students, comprised of both genders, a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds, and multilingual speakers are likely to be first generation college attendees and graduates. Rising seventh grade students voluntarily apply to the program; their applications are reviewed during a rigorous screening process, and once accepted, students commit to two full years in the program. Accepted students attend two six week summer programs - one prior to seventh grade and one prior to eighth grade - as well as once a week tutoring sessions during both school years.
Teachers
Small class sizes enable teacher-student interaction
Teachers in this program are aspiring professional educators mostly from colleges in the Lehigh Valley, specifically Lehigh University, Moravian College, and Muhlenberg College. Teachers have also attended University of Pennsylvania, Delaware Valley College, Connecticut College, Saint Joseph's University, and Columbia University. Students are organized into core teams that have four teachers and approximately 20 students. Each core team is comprised of a math, science, literature, and writing teacher. Each department is overseen by a master teacher, a veteran teacher from the Lehigh Valley, who also observes each teacher in the department . Each teacher also joins a committee to help plan Celebration, Olympics, and special events. In addition to participation within their department and chosen committee as well as teaching two 45 minute lessons each day, teachers co-teach an elective and club.
Students
Painting in the style of Michelangelo
For many students in the Easton, Allentown, and Bethlehem school districts, a lack of resources means that college is not an option. The 80-100 students enrolled in this program each year, while generally lacking resources, demonstrate academic potential and recognize the importance of education and its potential to improve the quality of their lives.
Summerbridge students make a significant sacrifice to attend this program. While many of their peers are enjoying time off of school and summertime activities, Summerbridge students are attending math, science, literature, writing, and social studies classes. They are painting, taking photographs, performing dances and plays, they are performing experiments, they are doing homework. Many students ride the bus an hour each way in order to attend. These students, quite simply, are driven.