Lighthouse University in Staten Island

Lighthouse University is a school for low-income minority students in the Staten Island community. The school offers a wide variety of classes including Spanish Immersion and Mandarin, with small class sizes and a staff that wants to see children succeed in life. They are not competing with public schools, they are offering families another choice for their child’s education. Some people criticize the school for being a religious school or because it’s a voucher school which they believe will hurt public schools in the long run. But Tia Sierra, the principal and founder of the school, disagrees.

AUG. 2010 – NLM FRIENDS Group makes first public appearances on site over two weekends during ART at the Ferry Festival, receiving positive feedback. JUL. 2010 – NLM Board members begin process of petitioning Albany to revive NLM.

WINTER 2011 – NLM Board works to establish credibility in eyes of elected officials, maritime historical associations and within the local Lighthouse community. Lectures, site walks, participation in local events and parades are instituted.

NLM reaches its goal of raising one million dollars in one year to open Building #11. NYCED grants Museum a lease for the facility. NLM opens with six educational lectures on vibrant maritime topics: Lighthouses on SI; History of the Fresnel lens; Costa Concordia – Why; Titanic- 100th Anniversary; and War of 1812 and its role for Lighthouses. NLM also launches its successful Lighthouse Boat Tours. Many of the NLM Board members become volunteer narrators on the Boat tours.