It was founded in 1979 and named after Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor and communist who served under the Eighth Route Army.

[3] Students taking Modern Language classes are offered opportunities, including outings to French and Spanish movies, theatre productions and restaurants.

[4] Bethune's ESL program features field trips that promote Canadian culture and experiential learning.

The semestered program has 5 levels in addition to ESL sensitive courses in Geography and History.

Bilingual classroom helpers, full-time settlement workers, peer mentor programs, the Chinese Association, and the Newcomer Orientation Week in August help to ease the transition to Canada and to Bethune.