The Story
Bedford parents were, and many still are, outraged with the School District due to its role in the sentencing of a child molester.
Wait, back up
Kristie Torbick, a guidance counselor at Exeter High School, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 14 year old. And guess where she worked before that? Yep. Bedford, baby. The boy came forward, and, after fighting it for almost a year, Torbick finally plead guilty.
Case closed…?
Nope. Case not closed. The judge still had to decide how long Torbick would be in for, which was partially influenced by character witnesses. Torbick’s attorney asked Zanna Blaney, the BHS Dean of Student Services, to present Torbick’s performance record. BHS Superintendent Chip McGee knew, and gave permission to Blaney to represent Bedford School District at the sentencing.
And the reaction?
Anger! Lots and lots of anger! Is there anything scarier than angry Bedford parents? Get back to us on that one. Many were appalled at Chip’s actions, claiming he was giving the district’s support to a convicted child molester. But, let’s clarify. According to an email he sent to parents, Chip was not condoning Torbick’s crime in any way, but felt obliged to send her BHS performance reviews to her lawyer. He expressed regret for having Blaney attend the trial. Bedford demanded his resignation, and his resignation they got! So, RIP Chip. Thanks for our six snow days last year.
How about now?
Some are still calling for Blaney’s resignation, as well as those of Counselors Mulcahey and Mattson, two BHS counselors who, acting on their own conscience, sent in “glowing” letters about Torbick’s character.
Will anything more actually happen?
It’s doubtful that the school board will fire the two counselors, because A) they were in no way representing the school district; and B) the ACLU has been sticking up for those who have sent in character witnesses all around the state. NH has additional freedom of speech laws that protect what they did. If anything happens to Mattson and Mulcahey, appear to have strong, winnable lawsuits against the district. And Blaney? Both she and Chip agreed that she would only speak on the account of being her supervisor, and only read Torbick’s written evaluations from before she left Bedford.
Now what?
Mr. Fournier, previously McKelvie’s principal, is the acting superintendent, and Blaney and the two counselors still have jobs. The district hired an attorney to look into our three participants. Her findings were turned into Fournier yesterday, and the board will presumably make a decision shortly. Some parents, the angry ones mentioned earlier, have requested that their kids have no access to the Blaney or the counselors, and our fairy godfather, Mr. Hagen, granted their wish.
The Runaway
Parents are angry and claiming their kids no longer have trust in their guidance counselors, while they themselves no longer have trust in the school district. Fournier pledged to be completely open with the public from now on, so maybe this won’t happen again. Fingers crossed.
What to do . . .
When you’re sad summer’s over…
Remember it’s football season again! Our favorite season here at the Runaway (sorry, Christmas). For just about everyone, football games mean standing for too long, talking with friends, and cheering occasionally when we remember there is still a game going on. So, for the students that show up in red just because The Dog Pound said so, but can’t quite remember who the QB is (M-O-R-G-A-N), we’re here for you. Coach Stank is pretty optimistic about this upcoming season, and we think he’s not just saying that. There are some great returning varsity players, and a lot of hopefully great (or at least okay) new ones. Stank noted returnees Andrew Twite and Christian Bourgeois as two great defensive ends (the ones with helmets), and newly starting juniors Charlie Kneissel-Williams (center), and Torey Helton (defensive tackle)－the ones with the black jerseys. And, of course, the most bad a$$ girl in the school, Maddy Lucontoni, who, in her first varsity game (scrimmage) last Friday, won the game with a 40-yard field goal. You go, girl. The first game is this Friday at Nashua North, which should be a good game. As a for a championship this year? Stank says they are taking the season one game at a time, and aren’t looking ahead. Well, we’ll see for ourselves, won’t we?
If you’re British and sad that summer is over…
Remember it’s real football season again. You know, the one that actually uses feet. So what’s in store? For girls, it has been said that BHS has one of the best attacks in the state, which includes Mackenzie MacEachern, Gabby DeAngelis, and Shayna Salis, as well as the best defender, Brianna Coco, who was named the Girls Soccer NH Gatorade Player of the Year. As for boys? Outlook unclear. The boys team has been the regular season number one seed for the past three years, but has not even made it to semis. Coach Pepper said that his seniors are angry, and are set on a championship, or at least semifinals. We have returning players who were absent last season: Quenten McDonough, Jacob Statires, and Nate Statires. Apparently, soccer players come and go as they please. But we guess you can do that when you’re good.
When you feel guilty over throwing all of last year’s schoolwork in the trash…
Find a way to be help the environment that requires no effort on your part, like non-styrofoam lunch trays. Some BHS students got this on the ballot last March, the taxpayers voted for the notion, and the school board found an alternative, which will hopefully be effective in January. Even better, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services made us an example for the district’s actions. It’s a win-lose: one more thing we’ve excelled at and one more thing for others to hate us for. Drat, it’s hard to be Bedford.
When you realize you’ve been lied to…
Why you gotta be like that? Mr. Whitmore is the new AD at some high school outside of San Francisco. What the heck happened to retirement?
Things to Know
There are Bees
New at Bedford: a beehive. And no, that’s not code for anything. Go see it in Rm. 215, but don’t get stung — the nurse probably can’t help too many of you.
One Semester of Suck-It-Up
For those who need to stay after school, but have no way home, your misery will eventually come to an end. Starting second semester, there will be a late bus.