I get five, six letters a day from men in the jail asking about getting into our program. She routinely receives more than 200 applications for the 34 spaces in each new class. Back in the TV lounge, the energy rolls around the room. It's only the second quarter and the sodas are gone. A few of the men confer on how to keep the hinged doors to the TV cabinet from swinging shut and blocking the view.
Scotch tape is settled upon as the solution.
Each Christopher Place graduating class selects a valedictorian. This year, the man chosen is, among other things, a New York Giants fan, and he is ribbed mercilessly as the Ravens grind toward halftime with a 10-0 lead. Tomorrow I will go to my job. Sunday is the ceremony. Asked for a preview of his valedictory speech, he smiles.