Preston Excessive College in Throggs Neck confirmed an outpouring of gratitude to the Chair of Bally’s Company Soo Kim on Wednesday for his position in rescuing the cherished all-girls Catholic highschool from its impending closure on the finish of the 2024-2025 tutorial yr.
On the remaining PTA assembly of the yr, college students and directors introduced Kim with an official Preston Excessive College sweatshirt, successfully inducting the manager into the close-knit ranks of the college neighborhood, which has turn into a cornerstone of the Throggs Neck neighborhood.
“I actually will now have to explain that I didn’t go here,” Kim stated, joking about sporting merch from an all-girls Catholic Excessive College.
Kim was instrumental in facilitating the $8.5 million deal by the Bally’s Basis, the philanthropic arm of Bally’s Corp., to buy the Preston property from its landowners, the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. The sisters introduced in February—a lot to the shock of academics and college students—that they have been shutting the college down for good with a view to promote the property. The sisters additionally claimed that the college was not in a monetary situation to purchase it.
Bally’s, which at the moment operates the close by public golf course at Ferry Level Park and is pursuing plans to construct a on line casino and resort on the web site, stepped in by its basis to accumulate the property—successfully giving Preston Excessive College a brand new lease on life.
The top of the gaming large advised households on the PTA assembly that the take care of Bally’s Basis would by no means have been attainable with out college students, households, academics and alumnae organizing a months-long marketing campaign – which garnered nationwide consideration – to #SavePreston.
“The reality is, all of you together helped save this school,” Kim stated. “May the best days of the school be ahead of it. I think the future is bright. Not the very least of which is that we’re going to be right here with you as well.”
After Preston Excessive College’s remaining PTA assembly of the 2024-2025 college yr, mother and father gathered round Soo Kim, the Chair of Bally’s Corp., who helped strike a deal to buy the property so the college might stay open. Credit score: Sadie Brown
The victory was fueled by the relentless advocacy of the Preston neighborhood, whose supporters refused to take “no” for a solution. It was later revealed—prompting widespread frustration—that the Sisters had introduced the closure after withdrawing from a earlier settlement to promote the property to the college.
The February announcement shocked academics and college students.
“ In middle school, I was shy, I was quiet,” Toapha stated in an interview with the Bronx Instances. “And here I really blossomed as a person. So having to move to a new school was genuinely going to just flip my world upside down.”
Ava Toapha, Alivia’s youthful sister, had already been accepted to hitch the incoming freshman class for the 2025–2026 college yr. She described the emotional turmoil of watching her future at Preston immediately slip away.
“I was all over the place because then I was worrying about where I would go after or what happened with scholarships I would’ve gotten and everything that could have been,” the youthful Toapha stated.
After listening to their college would completely shut on the finish of the yr, Preston Excessive College college students, alumnae, households and employees organized a marketing campaign to avoid wasting the college. In April the State Legal professional Normal confirmed they have been profitable and Preston would stay open. Credit score: Sadie Brown
College students, mother and father, employees, and alumnae pushed again towards the non secular order’s declare that declining enrollment and poor monetary well being justified closing the college, which has served the neighborhood since 1947. They argued that Preston was not solely secure, however thriving—constantly graduating younger ladies who went on to profitable careers and management roles. Confronted with the specter of shedding their beloved establishment, the neighborhood took motion.
When Kim discovered that the college was slated to shut, he stated he knew the Bally’s Basis might assist. Bally’s first developed a relationship with Preston Excessive College final yr after internet hosting an occasion on the college with the Advocates Skilled Golf Affiliation (APGA) encouraging younger ladies to take up {golfing}. Since then, Kim advised the Bronx Instances that Bally’s had been in search of extra methods to get entangled within the surrounding neighborhood.
“ We’ve said that we are good neighbors,” Kim stated. “But you don’t always have an opportunity to do as you say. In this case, it just so happened that we were able to show people that we mean what we say.”
Though Bally’s hopes to win one in all three downstate gaming licenses and develop a on line casino complicated subsequent to its Ferry Level golf course, Kim advised the Bronx Instances that the undertaking had little affect on his need to assist Preston.
“ We operate the golf course,” Kim stated. “We’re gonna be here for years, for decades. So, this is the least we can do.”
College students at Preston Excessive College in Throggs Neck hearken to APGA gamers talk about how enjoying golf has given them alternatives in enterprise, college, networking and journey. Credit score: Sadie Brown
He stated preserving faculties that present high quality schooling, and a powerful neighborhood is necessary to him. He grew to become concerned in advocacy for his personal alma mater, Stuyvesant Excessive College, pushing again when then-Mayor Invoice de Blasio proposed eliminating the required specialised highschool admissions assessments in favor of a special system.
Kim stated he acknowledged the identical sense of loyalty to the establishment within the college students and alumnae of Preston.
“ I saw that in this community’s battle for Preston,” Kim stated. “So, it just impacted me in a very visceral way.”
However at first the sisters rebuffed Bally’s provide to buy the property for his or her asking worth of $8.5 million.
The inspiration even promised to deal with the sisters’ issues concerning the growing older constructing, including a further $1.5 million to revitalize the constructing and providing to lease the property to the college for $1 a yr for 25 years, with a buyout provide. The order pulled out of negotiations within the eleventh hour with little rationalization, resolute of their resolution to shut the college irrespective of what number of protests or social media campaigns the Preston neighborhood organized.
It was at that time that Preston college students, households, employees, alumnae and elected officers started reaching out to the New York State Legal professional Normal Letitia James, whose workplace has oversight authority of non-profits within the state, to step in.
James held a public listening to that garnered nationwide consideration final month, the place college students, academics, mother and father and alumnae shared testimony whereas a whole lot of supporters regarded on. They stated that that they had been shut out of the decision-making course of and have been involved that Preston Excessive College was being mischaracterized as a fledgling establishment with poor enrollment when nothing could possibly be farther from the reality.
The ladies repeatedly advised James their schooling at Preston constructed them into curious, clever ladies of religion who care for his or her communities and tackle management roles. Toapha, who was energetic within the motion to avoid wasting Preston and testified in entrance of James, stated that the expertise taught her the worth of talking up.
“ It taught all of us to really stand up for what we think is right, because Preston always taught us that,” Toapha stated “And really being able to broadcast that to everybody is important because it shows how strong our school is.”
A whole bunch of scholars, academics, mother and father and alumni cheered on each other as State Legal professional Normal Letitia James listened to them discuss how closing Preston Excessive College would irreparably hurt the neighborhood and the way forward for its present college students. Credit score: Sadie Brown
In a outstanding flip of occasions, James’ workplace introduced on April 22 that Bally’s Basis and the Sisters of the Divine Compassion had reached an settlement for the sale of the college and that Preston would stay open.
Preston’s Principal Jennifer Connolly advised the Bronx Instances at Wednesday’s PTA assembly that saving the college was private to her.
“ As an alum, I know the importance of a Preston education,” she stated. “I know what it means to be a Preston woman and go out in the world. The knowledge that we can do that for generations to come is amazing.”
The varsity’s unsure future in current months has had an affect on future enrollment. Whereas a few of incoming freshman class like Sarah Coloado selected to attend and see if the neighborhood might save the college, some households enrolled their rising freshman elsewhere. Coloado advised the Bronx Instances that she knew Preston was value ready for.
“ When I found out Preston was going stay open, I started jumping – doing everything because I was just so happy,” she stated. “When I came here, it just felt like home to me, and I knew that I’d make amazing memories of everyone here and be at home.”
Connolly was simple, however reassuring with members of the PTA, saying that the administration was centered on “ protecting our student enrollment” and dealing to take care of “ historic levels of financial support for Preston families.” With some 72% of Preston college students receiving some sort of scholarship, when requested what the college wanted to proceed to offer monetary help to so many households, Connolly merely stated, “Donors.”
The Preston Excessive College PTA celebrated the college’s large win throughout its remaining assembly by honoring Bally’s Chair Soo Kim for his position in saving the college from closing completely. Credit score: Sadie Brown
Preston, nonetheless, has gained a robust new ally. Kim advised the Bronx Instances that Bally’s partnership with the college was solely simply starting, pledging to help its continued progress and success.
“ People will always think of us as Preston succeeds, so that means we need to make sure Preston succeeds,” Kim stated.
“It was genuinely a weight off of all of our shoulders,” Toapha stated. “We can finally breathe. Now we can focus on our school. We can focus on the future.”
