I think the best thing is to be direct.

Ron’Dre Cam must go to Bishop Maginn High School, even if I have to sell some sheep. Two different principals at the Mater Christy Middle School in Albany called Mike Tolan, the principal of Bishop Maginn to speak on his behalf.

They wanted to tell Mike that Ron’ Dre was the best pupil in their school. They said Bishop Maginn needs to accept him and bring him into the freshmen class in  September.

Mike Tolan, a fierce advocate for young students who need support, has admitted him, but the family can’t pay the tuition, his father was injured, and his mother works as a baker in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mike turned to the Army Of Good and me for help.

I hesitated, only because Ron’Dre is not a refugee, and his family is not an immigrant family. He is native-born. In this work, I have never tried to support a gifted young student who is not a refugee or child in an immigrant family.

But I met with Ron’Dre this morning in Albany, and I can say with an open heart that he is a remarkable young man, the principals are right, he has an extraordinary mind and is candid about the hostility and discomfort he has faced and the school he needs to find. I don’t often hear that from 15-year-olds.

Mike says he is precisely the kind of student he wants to attract to the school. Since this is a Catholic School, I can testify this is a match made in heaven. Ron was an honor student every year at his former school, always at the top of his class.

Kids like Ron’Dre are often targets, I can speak to that, so can many of the people reading this. He needs a safe place with small classes and available teachers.

Ron’Dre is different. He is thin, slight, soft-spoken and deeply into video games and Greek mythology.  He is charming, and he has a radiant smile when pushed. Although he appears shy, he is not; he is quite poised and confident.

Ron’Dre is a kid who can be anything he wants to be.

He lives with his father and seven siblings in Albany near Bishop Maginn.

His favorite Greek God is Poseidon, and when I asked him why, he told me he was fascinated by Poseidon’s relation to the water and to the animals who lived in the sea.

We went online together, and I ordered a book for him. It’s a boxed set of books about Poseidon and six other Greek Gods.

I told him part of my mission was to support the culture and interests of gifted students. I buy books all the time, and I urged him to let me know if he wanted any. That very morning, I brought an armful of books to Blue, Asher, and Issachar in Sue Silverstein’s class. (I also got Sue 11 storyboards and an equal number of easels so her classes can paint outside.)

Ron’ Dre’s father Ronald joined us, and we all talked about the school and why Ron Dre’ wants to go there so badly and needs to go there.

Mike says he needs to get some tuition money so that Ron Dre’ can come to school in September. “He’s a good person,” Mike said, “I want  him to be here.”

Mike can sometimes be flexible about tuition, unlike the much richer private schools, but the school needs some tuition money from everyone to function. He said he’d like to get $4,000 in tuition money for Ron’Dre this year (the regular tuition is $6,000), but Mike also said he wouldn’t turn him away if they got less.

I knew that.

Mike Tolan is a good man also, and I want to help him. He wants to enrich young lives and protect them so that they can grow. I could sense that  Ron’ Dre has had a tough time; he didn’t want to talk about it much. It’s an old but familiar story, here is a brilliant outsider wishing to come in and join a community.

After speaking with him, I know he would be happy at Bishop Maginn.

Although Ron’  Dre is not a refugee, he is ground zero for what we want to do. I did my reporter grilling of him to get his story: sometimes I make people uncomfortable, Ron’ Dre didn’t blink.

I want to help him. I loved seeing him and his father together. I urged them to pose for a joint portrait; it was an image of love. Ronald was beaming with pride for his son.

I told Mike I’d approach the Army Of Good and see what we can do to help.

Those two principals were right. It will be a pleasure to watch him grow and learn over the next four years, and he is happy to be interviewed and photographed. I will follow his progress, something I am not always able to do.

And I have to be candid: I wouldn’t get too much for our sheep.

All we can do is the best we can do for as long as we can. (We raised $1,000 for a new keyboard for the choir from Anne E of Kent, Washington. Thanks, Anne).

The best way to help Ron Dre and raise some tuition money for him is to contribute directly to the school: Mike Tolan, Ron’ Dre Tuition, 75 Park Avenue, Albany, N.Y., 12202. Donations to the school are tax-deductible.

(Note: When you send checks to Mike Tolan at the school, please specify what the gifts are to be used for, thanks.)

Some smaller donors prefer to send contributions to me, and if so, I will pass them along to the school: Jon Katz, via Paypal: [email protected], or by check, Jon Katz, Bishop Maginn Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

Heads Up: Tomorrow Bishop Maginn is posting a sad but critically needed Security Wish List. We had a two-hour meeting to talk about it today.

The police have evaluated the school’s security -and made some recommendations. Refugees are being threatened and harassed all over the country now.

The news speaks for itself.

The school needs ladders, emergency backpacks, clipboards, and first aid kits. It’s important.

I’ll link to the new Wish List as soon as it’s posted tomorrow.