The seniors at Bishop Maginn had their graduation stolen from them by the coronavirus this year. For all the students, but especially the refugee students and their families, the loss of their first graduation from an American High School was especially devastating.

“We are so proud of our children for graduating from an American school,” one father wrote me. “They can’t even say goodbye to their classmates and teachers, we’re not sure we can even be present. “They are all heartbroken, so are we, in our culture, this is one of the most important events in life. The children suffered so much and worked so hard to get here…now…”

Bishop Maginn High School Principal Mike Tolan is determined to give these children some kind of meaningful ceremony, even if it means each student will drive by the school with their family and get a diploma through the car window.

He cares deeply about these children and is fighting every day for them to have a ceremony that recognizes their hard work and offers them some dignity.

He asked if I could help. The school is exploring ways to hold some kind of safe ceremony, I’ve taken some steps to make whatever ceremony might occur more meaningful.

I’ve talked with other schools and searched online for ideas. And it takes a long time to order things online these days, so I needed to move quickly.

Here’s what I’ve done so far.

First, I’ve purchased 37 baseball caps. The lettering on the front says “Bishop Maginn Class of 2020,” and on the back, “Griffin Strong.” That is the school’s nickname. I purchased the caps from StitchAmerica.com for $490 plus shipping. Each graduating student will receive their own cap. The price for these customized caps was the lowest I found from a company that can deliver them on time.

Secondly, I’ve ordered  37 Graduation 2020 lapel pins from Crown Awards, they cost $15.99 apiece.  They are nice and in Bishop Maginn school colors. These cost approximately $500, the families I spoke with said their children will wear the pins their whole lives.

Today I ordered 37 customized glass candy jars from StumpsParty.com, they cost less than $1.59 apiece, the total price is $85.78. The jars all say, “Bishop Maginn, 2020.”

So far, I’ve spent about $1,000. I imagine the school may need some additional support for whatever graduation ceremony they are permitted to stage. It will be very different – complete with masks and strict social distancing.

It’s not clear if their parents and grandparents can come.

Our gift card program, perhaps the most essential task we face, is separate, and urgent. You can learn about it here. If you can, please purchase some of these grocery gift cards and have them shipped to me at Bedlam Farm, Jon Katz, 2502 State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

The staff is overwhelmed with work now, I am happy to help purchase the cards if people prefer that I buy them. You can order the cards through me the same way, Paypal, [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

If you wish to help support these students and their efforts to have a meaningful graduation ceremony – they have come far and worked hard for it – you can contribute via Paypal, [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Graduation/Refugee Support, Post Office Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

I am committed to the idea that no student or family in the Bishop Maginn community will go hungry and the students will have graduation they can be proud of, and that will honor their hard work, and also offer some material things to remember their celebration.