Former Coney Island Parish School Will Become H.S.

Liberation Diploma Plus High School will open in the former Our Lady of Solace School building in Coney Island in the fall.

This new high school being launched by the New York City Department of Education has been billed as a small, alternative school, modeled after the Diploma Plus program, which charts a new path to earning a high school diploma. To be admitted, high school students must undergo an interview process and meet the following criteria: be age 16 or older, have a sixth-grade reading level, be highly motivated to earn a high school diploma and college credit, and be committed to Diploma Plus guidelines.

According to Father Patrick West, Our Lady of Solace’s pastor, the public school will use the ground level and second floor of the three-story building that once housed the parish school, which closed in June, 2003.

HeartShare Human Services and the parish religious education program occupy the additional space.
Father West believes this high school will be beneficial to teenage parishioners and residents.

“I’m glad they’ll be here. We have a lot of neighborhood kids who aren’t doing well in school,” said Father West.

“This will be an opportunity for them to not get lost in the traditional high school setting. They will be able to complete their education in a smaller school.”

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