Sisters of the Divine Compassion - White Plains (NY)

1 /5 Laura Borrero: I am a current freshmen at Preston High School. And I am deeply devastated that you guys are closing this beloved school. Preston isnt just about education/a school it is also about family and community. Preston feels like a second home to me. In addition, when I was searching for high schools in my eighth grade year I found no other place then Preston. I worked tirelessly to get into Preston. In all hopes that my first and the rest of my high school years would be the best. Without it closing. Theres no other place like Preston. However, I will continue to protest this year until something gives/shows a sign that closing our school would make a dreadful impact not only students in the future but also many people , including myself.

1 /5 Paula McNamara: Isaiah 56:11: "They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, they seek their own gain." Preston High School has been nurturing, educating and empowering young women for 75 years and to close it will greatly devastate our community. The sisters are neither divine nor compassionate. Greed will be their legacy.

1 /5 Ilzite K: I gave 1 star because of the protest (that I will remove if things will change for the better). I think that the Sisters of the Divine compassion made a terrible mistake attempting to close Preston Highschool. The school is thriving more than ever before and the Bronx community needs this school especially at this time.

1 /5 Anna Prestopino: Preston Class of 2012 here. I don’t understand how an entire borough - students, alumnae, current and past families, current and past faculty and staff, local businesses, businesses outside the borough, city council, I could go on - is telling the Sisters it is not our time, but they continue to insist that is is. The Sisters dedicated their lives to this school and its legacy and all we want is to see that legacy through another 75 years and beyond. I firmly believe there is no such thing as “it’s time” when it comes to closing any school, let alone one that is not just getting by but thriving, with increased enrollment and a good financial situation (contrary to the incorrect statements the Board of Trustees has reported). If it was Preston’s time, we wouldn’t be fighting to save it! If I could leave zero stars, I would. Sisters, as I have stated to you in my earlier email - Save Preston is not against fight against you nor is it meant to direct malice at you or turn you into victims - even though the Archdiocese seems to think so, according to the letters they sent out to schools who have shown their support for us. There is no fight against you. There is only a fight to save our school. If you’re feeling victimized, I implore you to maybe do some deep introspection. Pray on it. You have the opportunity to redeem your image to an entire borough and beyond by just working with us. You deserve to rest if that’s what you want. But what a small handful of women want should not overpower what generations of women deserve - access to a quality and individualized private education in the Bronx. I don’t know if you ladies are just sticking to your guns now, if it’s a pride thing, or what. I can’t imagine you don’t care about this school after dedicating your lives to it. Let the legacy live on. 75 years is a fraction of what this school is capable of achieving, especially under the leadership of Jen Connolly, who you should not be combatting, but thanking and praising for her dedication and love of the legacy you’ve created. We won’t roll over. Your latest letter - which you forced to school to distribute rather than communicating with folks directly - reads as a fear tactic, meant to try and slow our momentum and our morale. It didn’t work. If anything, it had the opposite effect. If you’re working with a PR firm, they’re not doing a very good job. I won’t even touch the “changing diversity” comment from the letter. I don’t have to imagine too hard about what I think it means, but I’m choosing to put my faith in you, Sisters, as surely the black and brown population of our school - a population representative of the population of the Bronx - can’t be a reason to close. Sr. Laura taught me dignity, honor, respect, and compassion, and I know in my heart that’s now how she would be leading now. Sisters - look closer. We are not attacking you, we are not victimizing you, we are thankful for the community you’ve created and we only want to continue to foster it. I’ve never been prouder to be a Prestonite not because of your words and actions, but because of the way this community has rallied together. It is a sisterhood that has only strengthened infinitely in the past two weeks. I thank you for the opportunity to be a part of that. And now, I ask you, to just do the right thing. Remember your vow of poverty, and do one las kind thing for your community. Let us have our school. Thank you.

1 /5 just me: They are choosing to close a school because of "changing demographics." They WANT TO CLOSE Preston because it is serving more than the white, privileged girls that were their customers in the 80s and 90s. This ween, they recieved an offer to sell Preston and let the school carry on their mission. THAT deal gave them everything they asked for. They still said no. Make your own conclusions Misery loved company! Their greed and ego know no bounds.