After nearly a week of saying that its decision to close 13 of its 64 schools at the end of the academic year was not reversible, the Archdiocese of Baltimore offered a glimmer of hope to students, parents and alumni at the Cardinal Gibbons School.
Facing a sea of red Monday night in the school auditorium, Bishop Denis J. Madden entertained a parent's question about whether the archdiocese would lease the property to the Cardinal Gibbons community and allow it to continue as an independent Catholic school.
"All kinds of options are being considered," Madden told the standing-room-only crowd, to thunderous applause.
"He really opened a door there," said local broadcaster Keith Mills, whose son, Nicholas, is president of the National Honor Society at the high school.
The meeting was one of three held simultaneously on Monday, the first opportunity for families from the affected schools to confront archdiocesan officials since the closings were announced last week. Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien did not attend any of the meetings; a spokesman cited a scheduling conflict.