Efforts to save Rice High School, a predominantly black and Latino, all-male, Catholic high school in the heart of Harlem continue as parents take the lead to save the school over the short term and long term. But the prospect is dim as the June 30 closing date closes in.

Around 50 parents attended a meeting at Rice June 10 to come up with ways to save the 70-year-old school, soon to be a casualty of dropping admissions and rising operating costs. The school is known as a hub for basketball greatness, producing players such as Kemba Walker and Felipe Lopez.

Parents said that they wanted to continue Rice's other, perhaps more remarkable reputation of having a nearly 100 percent graduation rate of its students who are often considered at-risk.

"We want to know what else we can do," said Parent Teacher Association President and Rice parent Vanessa Burton. "We've been signing petitions, reaching out to elected officials. Everyone is in a joint effort to keep Rice open. Our main goal is to graduate students that are there now."

Burton said some parents are so adamant about keeping Rice open that they have not bothered to look at alternatives. The school has held several high school fairs bringing other schools to the families.

Burton said that she and the other parents were "bamboozled" and only found out a few weeks ago that Rice was closing. Had she known earlier, she said, the parents could have worked to raise the money to keep Rice open.

She said, "We fundraise throughout the year for other things, and had I known sooner, I would have done anything to keep the school open. We even had teachers who were willing to talk pay cuts."

Counting down the days until Rice High School's closure, questions are still lingering about what will happen to the school's building. Burton said that from what she was told, the building is up for sale but a buyer hasn't come forward.

Along with a stellar reputation for academics, Rice is known nationally by recruiters for cranking out top basketball players, some of whom have gone on to the NBA. Rice basketball coach Skip Branch has been at the school for the last 11 years and said that the high school's closure will leave a scar in the community.

"I think it's appalling. It's a slap in the face to all the minorities that attend the school. Rice is a mainstay in Harlem. I can count five kids in the 11 years that haven't graduated from college. Some of them just chose to go into the service or work. I can't understand why this has even happened."

Branch added that he loved working at Rice so much that even though he was offered college basketball jobs over the years, he continued to stay at Rice. However, he is now looking at his options.

Faculty member Brother William Sherlock has been at Rice for the last 15 years and said the teachers at the school will have to find other jobs if Rice is closed. He emphasizes that there are people trying to keep Rice open, leaving everyone a glimmer of hope.

"We're very saddened at the news of the closing," Sherlock said. "What we're finding out is that a lot of people didn't know what was happening. We are just really heartbroken that this is the end of the school."

Officials at Rice High School did not respond to inquiries about the closing at press time.