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Tania Woodward asked me a month ago if I wanted her to donate the prom dresses she has been collecting for years to the female students at Bishop Maginn High School for their prom. I didn’t quite get the power of the idea; I admit, I didn’t grasp the importance of prom dresses to girls at the school and many women in general.

This is the last prom Bishop Maginn will ever have; the school is closing after the dance for good. The Army Of Good Raised $7,000 to plan the best prom the school has ever seen.

Sue Silverstein told me the girls were wildly excited about having gowns they and their families could never afford to wear to the prom. I began to get it – even Maria was excited.

We spread some out over the lawn chairs and Zinnia wanted to get close. She was, after all, last year’s Prom Queen.

This morning Maria and I went to the Mansion to meet Tania, who has a significant and loving heart,  and we stuffed five vast bags of prom dresses into the back of my car, leaving no room for anything but two people upfront.

The dresses, agrees Maria, are spectacular, full of color, glitter, and glam. Tania could never afford prom dresses like this when she was a child, she loved the idea of the refugee children getting them. Some of the other Mansion aides contributed as well.

Maria and Tania were dancing around the gowns like school girls. Sue said I texted photos to her, “oh, my goodness, they are amazing; the girls will love them.”

(Maria and Tania stuffing the prom dress backs into our Rad 4.)

The prom is being set up as a “Casino Night,” which the students are very excited about, what they have been planning for weeks- games, favors, prizes, music, dancing, decorated tables, and great food. Social media being what it is, I need to say that no actual gambling will occur on prom night; all the slot machines give out are coins made of chocolate, and the gambling is all pretend.

The parents are banging together to cook 14 different kinds of food.

This is a bittersweet prom; it marks the last time these children will all be together.

The last few years have been extraordinarily difficult for the students at the high school, especially refugee children who struggled with remote learning. Many of these children have spent most of their lives in refugee camps; they are about to have the prom they always dreamed of.

You might remember we bought laptops for anyone who needed them and enough safety signs and cots and sups for the school to pass the rigid state health department requirements and stay open. But it was never easy for the students, for the teachers.

(Tania Woodward hauling the bags to our car.)

But their school years have been disrupted, at best.  Bishop Maginn has been a haven and safe place for them, the loss of the school a significant blow. The refugee program is moving along with Sue Silverstein and me and Zinnia to a new school being built just outside of Albany.

Scholarships have been offered to any refugee child who wants to go, and almost all of them are. Busses have been hired to transfer the children to and from school.

We had to put the rear seats down to fit all the gowns. There’s no room for Zinnia, who was last year’s Prom Queen. I can’t wait to see the girls get these dresses on Tuesday.

Such good news in a time of awful news. We have raised nearly $7,000 so Bishop Maginn High school students can celebrate the school’s last prom, something they want very much and deserve.

When I first asked for help raising $5,000 for Bishop Maginn High School’s final prom nearly two weeks ago, it was just before the reign of terror and murder unleashed on the innocent civilian population of Ukraine.

I didn’t want to take away from aid to Ukraine, nor fail to recognize these children, who are also important. So I laid low. Today reminded me that we could do both without harming one or the other.

It took the school a while to count the money; I admit I was getting anxious.

I spent the morning with the refugee and other students of Bishop Maginn as they painted sunflowers on their sidewalks and worked to raise money for Ukraine relief. They raised more than $200 in just a few hours. I’ll be posting photos of that shortly.

It was a burst of light to get this news while Maria and I were there today. The suffering in one part of the world doesn’t justify making other innocent people suffer in other parts of the world. These children have more than paid their dues in suffering.

I could see the pain in their eyes, not just for Ukraine, but for their own countries in Asia and Africa, where genocide, invasion, civil war, and murder destroyed their families and lives and killed so many of their friends.

They were eager to help the people of Ukraine today. Still, several of them asked me why the world – including America –  pays little attention to their countries and their families when so many were slaughtered, and they spent most of their young lives in refugee camps, those who survived and escaped in time. I told them I didn’t have an answer for them.

They are brave and forgiving but forever scarred; their youth cut short, their lives upended, their families shattered.

And they are unfortunate that Bishop Maginn is closing; it has been a haven and refuge for them beyond description. The refugee program is moving to another Catholic school and their much-loved and dedicated teacher, Sue Silverstein. The school needs to be celebrated, not mourned.

“I agree with you about the joy the prom will bring,” wrote  Rhoda Bush from Maryland this morning, she send $200 to support the prom. I think she got it right.

I will be there at the new school, so will Zinnia, who is much beloved there. The work continues.

The Ukraine tragedy made the prom more, not less important. Bishop Maginn is such a special place; much good has been done there.

These children deserve to know that people care about them, and the Army Of Good sent that message loud and clear. A great burst of joy ran through the school when they got the news. They will get the prom they wanted and hoped for.

Beyond their suffering, the prom will be the last chance for all these children to be together with the friends they’ve gone to school with. The school, a place of love and safety, deserves the prom also.

I wasn’t sure how the Army of Good felt about this until today, when the school counted the checks. They’ve received more than $6,000 so far, and I have received $500 or $600. I’ll be sending it to the school, and more donations are still arriving. (Donations sent to Bishop Maginn High School Prom Fund, 75 Park Avenue, Albany, N.Y., 12202 are tax-deductible. I think they have enough now. Donations to help these refugee children with their needs can come when sent to me via Paypal, [email protected], or Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-13. Or by check to The Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.)

Any overage will go to the Refugee Fund. We are talking about music, food, and decorations. The prom will probably be held at the school for emotional reasons, but it will be the best prom it has ever hosted. I am so grateful for your support. I’ll keep you posted on the prom plans.

We have never failed, and you will see just how happy and grateful these ch ldren are for paying attention t  them. This is also an excellent day for me. Thank you.

Photos: Sue Silverstein and Alysha and Jasmine, who I profiled and who just got married.

 

Tomorrow, Maria, Zinnia and I go on an important visit to Bishop Maginn, our most important yet.

There are two things to do: The first is for Maria to bring her fabric painting, Mother Mary, inspired by Mary, The Blessed Mother.

The second is to meet with school officials to discuss how we can help the school and the students have a warm and meaningful prom, the last one ever for this school, which is closing for good in June.

My idea is for the school to tell us what they need to produce a prom the students will remember and which honors the beautiful modern history of the school. It makes sense for donations to go directly to the school, as they will then be tax-deductible.

The donations could provide the essential elements – food, a good DJ perhaps, and the school will decide if the prom will be held at the school, for emotional reasons, or at some other location.

We can use an Amazon Bishop Maginn Wist List or two to provide favors, gifts, and decorations. We’ve done a dozen of them for the school, every one was a sell-out.

The wish list donations and purchases would also be delivered directly to the school. That’s my idea, and I’ll be meeting with Principal Mike Tolan and Art And Theology Teacher Sue Silverstein to see where we go from here.

I’m hoping to start fundraising on Wednesday.

The prom will be held in May, so we need to figure things out. As most of you know, the Albany Diocese announced the school’s closing for good in June; it was losing too much money.

Sue, Mike, and the refugee students will be moving to a different school, Catholic High School in Latham, N.Y., just north of Albany. It’s a new school, with full enrollment and lots of paid tuition.

We have been asked – me, Zinnia, and the Army of Good – to go along with them and continue our work. Of course, we will. Bishop Maginn is a fantastic place, but it is just a building.

The heart and soul of the school’s work will continue.

And the students will get all of the things they need and deserve – a library, more math and English classes, more activities, teachers, and resources. There will have many more options for learning.

We will continue to try and help the refugee students and their families with food, clothing, rent, and tools for the children to flourish and school and onto college.

If Sue is involved, the school will have a great heart.

Maria will be participating in the program when she can.

The Mother Mary fabric painting is as essential as powerful and emotional. A blog reader bought the picture and asked that it be given to Sue; she was thrilled and honored.

“The Blessed Mother,” she wrote, is something she said she is “unbearably honored to have, especially to have someone buy for me. I will take it with me wherever I am. It will keep us safe with love from both you and Mary, who never fails me. I am humbled.”

She added, “Maria’s Blessed Mother is perhaps the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She will shine over us each day and hold us in her arms.” Sue represents the very best side of faith of the Catholic Church and the teaching of Christ, who called upon Christians to care for the needy and the vulnerable.

Tomorrow is a special day for us.

Maria and I are very proud and happy to bring this beautiful artwork to Sue, who we love and admire. I am so glad our work with the refugee children can continue; it has been a life-altering experience for me, as is my friendship with Sue.

We are eager to continue our work with the refugee students and their families; their needs are still significant.

I’ll report back tomorrow on the homecoming of Mother Mary and the school’s requests for prom help.

I hope this is something we can do for this beautiful place, which helped so many people they went broke doing it.

The school deserves a proper send-off, a proper prom.

I’ve been asking for it, and I finally got it, a good-sized head cold with lots of sneezing and fuzzy-headedness. Of course, everyone thought I might have Covid, but I live with a fearsome guardian, and I took one of those Covid home tests that the post office has been giving away for free.

No Covid. Just a cold, I am prone to them in the winter, between heart stuff, diabetes, wood stoves, temperatures that rise and fall by 40 degrees in one day, and an abysmal record of taking is accessible.

Not to mention the occasional naked dash outside to capture the quick-rising sun.

Commander Wulf has moved in just like the Ottowa police and is taking charge. I am in no position to ignore her or make a fuss. She and Sue Silverstein love to get together to bully me, and it works.

I had a lesson with Andrew on Lightroom, and then the calendar was clear. I was going to rest. And I did rest.

So I took some essential steps. First, no going outside in the cold and wind to take photos without wearing scarves, heavy gloves, and a winter jacket and shoes.

Second, don’t going outside to take photos at all today (I only snuck out one time to take some evening dusk photos, which are beautiful). Maria says I’m a big boy, and if I want to risk getting sick taking pictures, it’s up to me.

Sometimes she even means it.

In any case, she got to the studio early this morning and worked through the day and early night. I don’t want her to be caretaking me. Neither does she. Nothing gets in the way of her art; bless her.

I set aside two hours in the afternoon after blogging in the morning. I listened to Paul Simon, Johnny Cash, Alison Krauss, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and James Taylor.

(When I was a young reporter on my first assignment covering the anti-Vietnam protests in New York City, I got knocked on the head a lot by police who didn’t like protesters or reporters.

I even got arrested trying to stop the police from beating up my friend Matthew, who dissed one of them.

Matthew disappeared; I’ve never seen or heard from him since. And we were best buds. That still hurts. I think he’s in Canada.

The charges were dropped.

I also heard some of these great musicians playing in Greenwich Village, where I had a two-bedroom apartment for $300 a month and ate Sicilian Pizza for dinner with a coke every night for a year or so.

It’s the music bringing this back up; I’m not into nostalgia.

I spent two hours with my headphone on, dozing on and off, drinking some syrupy decongestant, and waiting for Maria to show up and yell at me.

And I was doing what I was told to do. She doesn’t believe it.

When she gets focused, I obey. I’m just an old man with a stiff back and a runny nose.)

Tonight, I rallied, got up and made us a Cauliflower Pizza with slices of pear and mozzarella, strips of kale, and pine nuts. It was great.

I wanted to post this photo because Andrew and I worked on it this morning. I did some voodoo on it. The photo was taken to the South of the farm in print, but the sun rises from the east. I learned how to put it there.

I couldn’t resist putting a sunrise on it; this was a learning lesson, but I wanted to share the photo; I’m having a breakthrough week.

Also, the staff at Bishop Maginn High School, which is shutting down in June, loves my suggestion that we give the kids a first-rate prom, the last at Bishop Maginn High School. We need to inject some joy into that place before all the refugees move to a different school.

The staff and kids love the idea; I’ll be meeting with school officials last week to post the details. Stay tuned.

Please come along with me on this journey to close off Bishop Maginn in style; these kids have had a brutal couple of years and are not losing their school.

Let’s give them something to smile about and look forward to.

In June, Bishop Maginn High School is closing for good,  the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany announced today.

The school was no longer financially sustainable on its own – nearly half of the student families couldn’t pay full tuition.

The Diocese, which fought for years to keep the struggling school afloat,  said it was no longer sustainable.

This is America, where unsustainable things are not sustained. They did their best.

That is sad, even heartbreaking news. But what feels like bad news often has good news on the other side.

This news is just a part of the BMHS’s wonderful history and legacy. It is a beginning and an end, and that is the truth.

The very good news is that the refugee program and the people running it –  Art And Theology Teacher Sue Silverstein and Principal Mike Tolan – are going to the new school, a secure and well-funded school outside Albany that will make the refugee program secure.

They will find shelter and refuge there.

Bishop Maginn teachers and administrators are bringing along the refugee students that came to define the school’s mission; many are coming on a grant that gives them free tuition.

The program will be moving to Catholic High School in Latham, N.Y., just north of Albany (and closer to Bedlam Farm).

The school will offer the refugee students a lot more in programs and activities. Bishop Maginn’s enrollment had fallen to 100 students.

The Principal of Catholic High – Christophe Signor – is much loved and respected. He and Sue are longtime co-workers.

Principal Signor has made it clear he wants and needs the continued support of the Army of Good for the refugee children, and the school welcomes them.

They will be provided bus transportation to the new school, and he is familiar with our work.

Most of us have heard about the struggles of urban education.

The Catholic Church has its money problems these days, but many people who could afford tuition have left the city for the suburbs.

Bishop Maginn moved to its new location in 2015 hoping a smaller school would keep the school going.

The refugee infusion kept the school alive, but it just isn’t big enough to sustain a high school by itself. The new school,  in Latham,  is thriving.

The rescue plan didn’t work, but the staff and leadership of the school nearly killed themselves trying. I found BMHS a magical place, a miracle school defined by love and commitment.

They saved and shaped so many complex and troubled lives. It’s important for me to say that no student was kicked out of the school for failure to pay tuition. Almost all of the refugee children have gone on to college.

I felt the holy spirit there, and although Sue attributes this to the Blessed Mother, I attribute it to her and Principal Mike Nolan. It is an honor and privilege to be working with such beautiful people.

The bottom line is that our work will continue. Mike and Sue Silverstein are committed to it, and so am I. Zinnia is coming along also, and Maria, when she can make it.

My first response to the news – Sue and Mike called me this afternoon; I appreciated the notice – was to start planning how to help give the school and its students a proper goodbye in May, the prom, and graduation season, the last one for Bishop Maginn.

I’d love to help give them and the school a memorable farewell.

I’ll be meeting with Sue and Mike to figure out how we want to raise funds so that these activities will be worthy of the beautiful work the school and staff have done and will be doing down the road.

Zinnia was last year’s Prom Queen and made the national news. Maybe I’ll get the title this year; Maria can make me a beautiful red dress.

I’ll be in touch about that; I hope to raise at least $2,000, so the farewell will be a great sendoff for a beautiful place.

We have some time to figure out the process – a Wish List, direct donations to the school, or me. I like the Wish List, but I’d also love to be able to hire a band and rent a lovely space with some good food.

We’ll see.

A lot of good was done in that school and will be done in the next. Working with these people and these children is a highlight of my life; I will never give it up unless told to get lost. That doesn’t seem to be happening.

I am absolutely and fully committed to continuing this work. I love working with these good people. They get me and appreciate me. I love them.

And Zinnia has flipped many dog-averse kids and comforting others. She is a great therapy dog and I am proud of her. Maria is also now doing some work at Bishop Maginn when she can. I am proud of her also.

We will be working with the same people and students, just in a different place.

We have helped scores of refugee children and their families in many different ways, from food coupons to tuition help to art supplies and laptops.

This work will be just as necessary in September.

My work will not change. Our work will not change.

I am relieved the refugee program will finally secure a school with many more resources than BMHS had towards the end.

This, I am convinced, will be better for them, their education, and their futures.

Until June, I’ll continue my weekly visits to the school to figure out who needs help and help them with the support of the Army Of Good.

I can’t pretend not to be sad. I loved going to that school, the first school I ever loved setting foot in. Love lives there in those classrooms and hallways.

Bishop Maginn is a holy place to me, and I look forward to that magic moving along, as life often does. I can tell you that everyone involved did their best to keep this from happening.

I’m relieved for it to be over and a new place ready.

And I am very relieved to know I will still be working with Principal Mike Tolan, a kind, loving, and wonderful man, and Sue Silverstein, a saint in human form, now my best friend.

Those children are remarkable, heroic, stoic, and with hearts of gold what a privilege to be able to work with them and support them, no matter where they are.

I’m in.

I’ll keep everyone posted, and thanks again for your support. I am counting on it to continue, so are these children.