Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School

Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School
Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School
Address
3300 Chester Ave Bethlehem Township Lehigh Valley, PA Bethlehem, PA, Northampton County 18020 United States
Information
School type	Career & Technical School
Established	1965
Opened	1970
Status	Open
School board	Joint Operating Committee
School district	Bethlehem Area School District
Superintendent	Joseph Roy
Director	Adam Lazarchak
Principal	Michael Galler
Faculty	45
Grades	9, 10, 11, 12
Age	14 years old to 21 years old
Number of students	1260 pupils (2015) 1,268 pupils
• Grade 9	60
• Grade 10	438
• Grade 11	347
• Grade 12	423
Classes	28
Average class size	20
Hours in school day	7:30 a.m. - 2:35 p.m.
Campus type	Suburban
School colour(s)	Blue and White
Slogan	Education is everybody's business
Mascot	Blue Jackets Logo w text full-6.jpg
Nickname	BAVTS
Team name	Blue Jackets
Feeder schools	Liberty High School, Freedom High School, Northampton Area High School, Saucon Valley HS, Nazareth HS, Bangor HS, Notre Dame HS, Gateway School
Website	http://www.bethlehemavts.org

The Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School is a career & technical school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was officially started in 1965 when the Bethlehem Area School District, Northampton Area School District, and Saucon Valley School District combined forces to form one vocational-technical school for its students to attend.

The beginning of vocational education in the Bethlehem area began way before 1965, when in 1918 a Vocational Shop Program was started and located on East Fourth Street where the South Side Boy's Club is housed. From 1919 to 1934 a program named the Trade School was housed on Fourth Street at the Excelsior Building.

There was also a Vocational Industrial Department located in Liberty High School from 1922 to 1934. In 1934 that same school housed seventh to twelfth grades; consequently, the Industrial Department was moved to Broughal and Excelsior. Between the years of 1934-1940 academic grades from ninth to twelfth were housed at Broughal along with drafting, cabinetmaking, pattern and printing shops while carpentry, electrical, electronics and machining were housed at the Excelsior.

Bethlehem Technical High School was located at the Quinn Building for ninth to twelfth grades. It had 18 classrooms and 10 shops. The school even had its own graduation. In January 1956, vocational education was housed in the new annex building of Liberty High School, as a department. From 1956 to 1964 vocational education came under the supervision of the Liberty High School principal. Finally in 1965 it was finally called the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School. It did not have its own building until 1970 when the new BAVTS school was built adjacent to Freedom High School for $3,000,000 in Bethlehem Township.

Currently BAVTS has 26 career & technical programs.

Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School offers several options for club involvement. All students are members of SkillsUSA. Other clubs are affiliated with certain programs like Health Occupation Students of America is associated with the medical programs. Other clubs also include the National Technical Honor Society and MT6, the entrepreneurial club.