This young lady has overcome many challenges in her young life, including her mother having been through the ordeal of fighting cancer. With that, and other family issues to deal with, Joelle often felt a bit adrift in school. She didn’t quite know where she fit in, struggled with grades, and had trouble finding friends. Early high school was hard. With the help of some kind teachers, and lots of hard work, Joelle found her stride as a junior. She discovered a love of art and literature, and excelled at both. She hopes to become an author someday, or be involved in the film industry. Joelle was one of Bethlehem Academy’s first graduates, and did very well taking her CLEP exams her senior year. She’s an excellent example of a student who left BEA with a great deal of hope for a productive and gratifying future in her post BEA years.

Hamza dealt with a blow that is hard to imagine for many of us; his father was killed in a workplace accident. Rather than tell him the truth, his family told him that his father had gone abroad for a job opportunity. He is an inquisitive kid and it wasn’t long before he knew something was not right. After persistent questioning, his family finally told him the truth. The loss of his father, along with the deception, caused a downward spiral in his grades and behavior at school. The school administration along with the entire staff poured themselves into this young man’s life and he began to slowly recover from his loss. Hamza still misses his father every day, but with his friends and teachers encouragement he is beginning to find his smile again.  

Ziyad joined us in kindergarten, and was a normal, happy boy. His life got challenging though when his mother was diagnosed with some severe mental health issues, fighting a battle with anxiety and depression. Life at home became a challenge. She got the help she needed, but it was hard on Ziyad. Our teaching staff was aware of this situation and came along side to love and encourage him as much as they could. With their extra care and attention, he was able to cope successfully with this situation. Ziyad is now doing well and is actively developing a newfound love for art. He has also developed many close relationships with his classmates. (We understand his mother is doing much better as well.)