Holyoke High School has a lot of different opportunities and options to succeed. Including the different buildings like North Campus, Dean Campus, and the opportunity academy. Some people may not know about the opportunity academy and what it has to offer. 

     On the Holyoke Public School website it explains that the Opportunity Academy is set up to be an alternative high school pathway that allows students to continue or restart their track to getting a diploma if they are not succeeding at Holyoke High School.  In the opportunity academy you can earn high school credits, prepare yourself to pass the MCAS, and graduate with a Holyoke Public School Diploma. This gives the opportunity for students who are “off track” a different alternative for a pathway to a diploma and postgraduate career and college options. The “pathways” program started when HPS moved the program out of William J. Dean Technical High School and combined it with HPS’s “HALO” program for adults seeking their GED. The Opportunity Academy is designed to help students whose current struggles in school can obscure a view of their future success.  Opportunity Academy will be a school built upon partnerships between HPS, HCC and other organizations in the community who educate students in Holyoke. 

     In the Opportunity Academy there are 3 different programs that students can go into. This includes the Gateway to College where Holyoke public students can go on HCC to earn HS and college credit and a Holyoke High School diploma, there’s the HPS Success Center where it is a combined program for High School students & adult learners. Students are able to complete their Holyoke High School diploma or adults can prepare to pass the HI SET and earn a GED, lastly there’s the Light House Holyoke which is a program for a small number of Holyoke Public Schools students that are able earn a Holyoke High School diploma at Lighthouse Holyoke. 

     In conclusion, the Opportunity Academy is a great program for all students. There are three different programs that students can go into. The Opportunity Academy is designed to help students whose current struggles in school can obscure a view of their future success.  Opportunity Academy will be a school built upon partnerships between HPS, HCC and other organizations in the community who educate students in Holyoke. There’s the Gateway to College where Holyoke students can go on to HCC while earning college credits and earn their high school diploma. There’s the HPS Success Center where there are high school students and adult learners to complete their Holyoke High School diploma or adults can prepare to pass the HiSET and earn a GED.  Lastly there’s the Lighthouse Holyoke for a small number of Holyoke Public Schools students that are able earn a Holyoke High School diploma at Lighthouse Holyoke. This program is a great way for students to continue to succeed in their academics with the support of HPS and the program itself. This program continues to grow and continues to be successful today.