Hayden is a Community Fellow with the Early Learning department in the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD). He is working on aligning preschool and childcare centers with BASDs kindergarten standards, and has performed site visits, and leads focus groups with various stakeholders surrounding PreK and preparing children for Kindergarten. His goal is to create a preschool task force on the Southside. He is active on the United Way’s Talk-Read-Sing Committee, PBS 39 Ready to Learn committee, and Lehigh Valley Reads programming. Hayden is an M.A. student in Political Science with an interest in educational policy.
Fellows Profiles Listed by Partners
Since the program’s inception in 2001, 172 skilled graduate students have served nearly 80 public and nonprofit organizations in the Lehigh Valley through the Community Fellows Program.
Since 2012, Community Fellows have served the following partners (click on an agency name to learn more about these students’ experiences):
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 Karina worked with the school district’s Office of Minority Services and Student Affairs, conducting qualitative research on the impact of Community Schools on educational standards, BASD families and students. She met regularly with Community School coordinators, school administrators, and the United Way’s Director of the Community School Network. |
 Amy spent her Community Fellow at Broughal Middle School, near Lehigh University in South Bethlehem. She oversaw the pilot year implementation of the Broughal Farm to School Program. This involved helping with the program’s logistical setup, connecting the program to students’ classroom experiences, and conducting community engagement. |
 Joseph worked at the central offices of the Bethlehem Area School District, where he coordinated communications, organized events, and provided feedback on school district policy. He wrote op-eds with the superintendent and profiles of programs administered at the local schools. He also prepared multiple legislative briefs and presentations for the administration, the school board, and teachers. |
 Ellie focused her Community Fellowship on the school district’s Climate and Sustainability Commitment to improve environmental sustainability in district operations and implement more sustainability-oriented curricula. She managed a district-wide curriculum inventory of existing sustainability-oriented curricula to identify gaps and potential areas for improvement. |
 Julissa’s Community Fellowship was at Donegan Elementary School. She worked on the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program, tracking student attendance, and with family social services to determine whether such support helped increase school attendance. Julissa also worked on school-wide vision initiatives, ensuring that every student in need of a pair of glasses received one, and she facilitated two programs that promoted literacy in the neighborhood. |