The fur coats sent by Therese from Illinois (thanks Therese) arrived at Bishop Gibbons High School today; the art and photo students went into shock, reports Sue Silverstein; boxes containing vintage clothing, as she requested, are coming in from everywhere.

None of the students had ever seen anything like this; they were eager to try them on.

Ja’Zelle, above, was one of the first students to try one of the coats on. They are VERY excited about this photo project, says Sue. She is a wizard. Her program is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever seen done in a school.

Maria and I are going out there next week, snow permitting.

Sue has also received art planks and other wood for her art projects; she says the students love this form of painting so much they can hardly find enough wood for them to use. Some of the young artists are making the wood part of their paintings.

If anyone wishes to send more vintage clothes or some manageable wood, these things (old jewelry, discarded toys) can be sent to Sue Silverstein, Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, New York, 12304.

She turns to junk and discarded things into art. I think she has a magic wand somewhere.

What you are doing with your support and donations is stimulating imaginations, triggering creativity, growing confidence, and weaning many of these kids off of nothing interesting to them except Instagram and TikTok. It’s beautiful to see how turned on these kids are by art. Sue has been yearning to do this for years. Now, thanks to you very good people, she does it daily.

Some of the fur jackets arrived today from Anne in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Sue says painting on wood has become one of the most popular offerings in her excellent art program.

These are exceptionally well done; I love the use of color.

I thought this piece was an exceptionally creative way to capture the feeling of the seashore, down to the white gulls. This painter has the creative spark, and Sue’s classes are lighting many of those.