Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center
206 Maple Street
Holyoke, MA  01040

Phone: (413) 552-2916

Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday
8:25 AM – 3:00 PM

Geoffrey Schmidt
Executive Director of Opportunity Academy
Send Geoffrey Schmidt an Email

Christopher Smidy
Lead Engagement Specialist for Opportunity Academy
Send Christopher Smidy an Email

Juan Maldonado
Student Coach for Opportunity Academy
Send Juan Maldonado an Email

Angela Morales
Manager of Operations for Opportunity Academy
Send Angela Morales an Email

Vivian Ostrowski
Director of Gateway to College
Send Vivian Ostrowski an Email

Julissa Colón
Recruitment Specialist for Gateway to College
Send Julissa Colón an Email

Catherine Gobron
Executive Director of Lighthouse Holyoke
Send Catherine Gobron an Email

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Opportunity Academy is proudly alternative. We offer a set of alternative high school pathways that allow students to continue or restart on a pathway to a diploma if they are not succeeding at Holyoke High School.  You can earn high school credits, prepare yourself to pass the MCAS, and graduate with a Holyoke Public Schools Diploma, or state-granted diploma (HiSet.) Opportunity Academy is a school of choice, and students and families always have a say in whether or not they enroll at one of the campuses. Our highly dedicated team of engagement specialists will ensure you understand all options on the table and work to help match students with the option that best suits their needs and goals.

• Do you need an alternative to Holyoke High School?

• Did the large high schools not work for you?

• Did you drop out but want to get back and receive a diploma or HiSet diploma?

• Do you have dreams for your future & need a diploma to achieve them?

• Do you have competing priorities that require flexibility in how, when and where you learn?

We have a pathway for you!

Gateway to College

• Offered to HPS students on HCC campus

• Students (16 years old+) can earn HS and college credit and a Holyoke High School diploma at the same time

HPS Success Center

• Project-based and competency-based means you can progress at your own pace

• A combined program for HS students & adult learners

• Students can complete their Holyoke High School diploma

• Adults can prepare to pass the HiSET and earn a GED (state-granted diploma)

• Students are supported by a primary person (advisor) who deeply knows them and understands their challenges, goals, and academic and social emotional goals and progress

• Success Center can be an ideal option for students who have fallen behind (more than one year behind their graduation cohort) and are looking to get back on track at their own pace

LightHouse Holyoke

• A program for a small number of Holyoke Public Schools students to earn a Holyoke High School diploma at LightHouse Holyoke

• LightHouse emphasizes student agency, restorative practices, social justice, and high interest academic programming

• A small, intimate school where many students who have struggled to “find a home” in traditional school settings can find something radically different

• Students attest to value of Holyoke’s Opportunity Academy

• The Primary Person Model and Transformative Learning Experiences at Holyoke High School Opportunity Academy

• Enrollment Changes at Alternative Schools (WBUR)