I’m working on two exciting possible ideas for the very exciting resurrection of Bishop Maginn High School, now very much on the rise after some hard years, and for their small but beleaguered teaching staff.

One involves dancers, the other involves 13 9.7 inch Ipads for the teachers.

I’d like to try support the school in sponsoring of this extraordinarily gifted and hard-working group of Karen dancers, most of whom attend Bishop Maginn High School, now an ascending refuge for the gifted, vulnerable and needy children, both refugees and others.

These gifted dancers and the school belong together. The dancers not only support young women but the school as well. The Ipads would bring the school into modern times with a splash. The teachers are desperate for them.

Valedictorians all over the area are now applying to the school, Mike Tolan wants to get all of them in. Some of them are among the rich and fascinating children of the Karen culture, millions of whom were driven from their homes in the most brutal way.

Yesterday, I saw this group dance (see the video), and I asked Principal Mike Tolan if he would be agreeable to organizing these dedicated and hard-working dancers into a school dancing troop – they already perform all over the area and are in great demand.

He was very excited about it. We’re looking into the costs, which seem to be minimal. They already have their costumes, which are usually made at home, and might need some transportation help or some occasional fabrics. They already use the school gym to rehearse.

We would need someone in the refugee or Karen community to co-ordinate the group and rehearsals and transportation.

What a wonderful message for the school to be sending out to the community and beyond.

We’re researching the issue to see just what they might need and how much it will cost.

Ipads or tablets are the other idea I’m thinking about and researching. The teachers have begged for tablets to use in their classrooms and to communicate with one another in the school. I’ve started researching the cost and quality of the various tablets on the market.

Mike doesn’t want to take advantage of me or the Army Of Good, but this is a very valuable tool for educators, and the school urgently needs to continue its march into modern times. The new Computer and Science Labs are

The best price and the best tablet I’ve found is the Ipad 9.7 inch with Wi-Fi at $289, a great price on Amazon. Teachers all over the country are using tablets and saving on time and paperwork. There are 16 teachers at Bishop Maginn, plus the principal.

The total cost of this project would be close to $4,500, and I see it as a Wish List that would take some time to be completed.

I’m sorry to report that the idea that big tech companies are happy to give devices away is mostly a myth, as I’ve learned several times. They are happy to give them away to big and prestigious schools and breed future companies. I will continue to try but have been down this route before.

I’ve contacted several contributors who have asked to be notified of Bishop Maginn projects – these Ipad purchases will all be tax-deductible – but I’m continuing my research.

I’llI  with Mike and some teachers next week to make sure this is a tablet they want, and will then decide where to go from there.

Anyone who wants to contribute to this can contact me, of course, at [email protected]. When I’ve done the research, I’ll share it and thanks.