Secondary Education Majors at ESU Celebrate Accomplishments of Mentoring Middle and High School Students from Bethesda PATH Alternative School in East Stroudsburg

On April 28 the Secondary and Professional Education Department and the VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) Office brought 15 students from the Bethesda PATH Alternative School located in East Stroudsburg, Pa., to the campus of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. This Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Program provides educational services for students who have failed or been removed from the public school setting or who demonstrate behavior disorders which cannot be addressed in a regular educational setting.

For the last three semesters, students from ESU's Secondary Education Seminar II class have volunteered to become mentors to these middle and high school aged students. The Bethesda PATH mentoring program focuses on goal setting, decision making, and career development for these at-risk youth. On their trip to campus, students and mentors ate lunch together in the university cafeteria and then attended an awards ceremony in Stroud Hall. At the awards ceremony each Bethesda Student received a certificate of completion, an ESU hat, and inspiring words from Dr. Kathleen Foster, associate professor for professional and secondary education, for completing the eight-week mentoring program.. For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Foster at (570) 422-3373 or kfoster@po-box.esu.edu.