Like many area teachers, Courtney Everett is busy preparing for the start of the school year. Unlike most, her preparations include packing suitcases and a passport.

Everett will soon begin her third year teaching in the Slovak Republic through "Teach in Central Europe," a missionary program through the Evangelical Lutheran Churches in America.She teaches English classes, including vocabulary, American and British literature, and the cultures of English-speaking countries, at a bilingual high school."I was substitute teaching around here and I was not very happy with it," said Everett, who began looking for more information about missionary teaching.Most students at the five-year high school in Slovakia begin at age 14 and graduate when they are 19 or 20. They have classes in both Slovak and English and are expected to be proficient in both languages.To graduate, students must demonstrate mastery in both subject matter and language."They have to take a huge examination at the end of their fifth year," she said."They'll have to test slightly under a native English speaking level in order to graduate."Many students attend the high school because of its Lutheran roots. Others come for the chance to be immersed in a bilingual environment."Quite a few of them have taken some type of (college) major involving English. They've also told me that just being able to travel almost anywhere in the world, and knowing that someone there will likely speak English, is a wonderful benefit," she said.While the subject material is similar to what she might teach in an American classroom, there is less standardization across schools in Europe and Slovakia, she said."The biggest difference is that they don't have standards or a set curriculum. We're given the resources and told to go from there," said Everett."Teach in Central Europe" currently has five locations in Slovakia, and one school in Poland and Hungary.Everett is working in Tisovec, the smallest of the seven towns with about 4,000 residents."I really love it," she said of working in the small town."None of the inhabitants of the town know English. It's a little more difficult, but it's given us more opportunities to learn Slovak than in other towns."Because many of the students are boarders, she spends more time with them outside the classroom.She also spends more time with teachers who live in town during the week."It's been hard saying goodbye to them each year," she said of her decision to return for a third school year."We're in the middle of Europe, so we've had opportunities to go all over Europe during breaks and holidays. It's been a great experience. I enjoy what I teach, and being able to connect with students on that level in the classroom."Everett is a member of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mahoning Township, where she recently offered a presentation about her teaching experiences.She was also presented with a certificate of appreciation from state Rep. Doyle Heffley.Everett is a 2008 graduate of Lehighton Area High School, and graduated from Millersville University in 2011.