As Franklin High's sole math teacher moves on, two more are hired

FRANKLIN — After seven years of teaching, David Bedard, the only math teacher at Franklin High School, is leaving. In addition to teaching Algebra I and II, geometry, and a financial literacy class, he was also head coach for varsity basketball and directed the theater program. Bedard said it was a tough decision to leave.

“It's bittersweet, for sure. I've tried my best to really invest myself, not just in the school, but in the community,” he said. “Living and working here, coaching, helping with the theater program, doing other things at the school. Just trying to be really present in the school community and the greater community.”

Bedard is taking a teaching job in Massachusetts.

Kayley Sargent graduated from Franklin High in 2022, and took Algebra I with Bedard.

“He was honestly one of the most amazing teachers I had. He always tried getting me to do better and better,” she said. “I probably did better in math than I should have, but I didn't try. And he kept trying to push me to do more.”

Sargent was also involved in theater with Bedard. The first show he staged was "Matilda," and she said he played Miss Trunchbull, the main villain in the story. She said she and other students called him “Mr. Badoodle,” but isn't sure how that started.

“It just came to be. So, whenever a lot of us see him, it's not like, ‘Hey Bedard,’” she said. “It's always 'Mr. Badoodle.'”

Bedard showed strong support for the Franklin Opera House renovations in the past year, speaking at city council meetings.

Bedard started coaching the junior varsity basketball team his first year teaching, and was then promoted to varsity coach the next year. Justin Kurinskas, who graduated in 2021, played on the JV team with Bedard, then moved up with him to varsity. He also took financial literacy with Bedard. Kurinskas said during his first couple years on the team, they did not perform well, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. But his 12th grade year, the team made it to the quarterfinals in state playoffs.

Kurinskas said what made Bedard a great coach was teaching the players life skills off the court. Bedard held the basketball players to a high standard, making sure each of them in his class turned in their homework, and arrived to practice and school on time. If the boys were not keeping up their grades, he might bench them in practice, or even a game.

This expectation was a net positive for the players.

“I think he taught them how to get better at going through life, in general,” Kurinskas said. “I think he left a pretty strong impact on the kids.”

Bedard said he was sometimes compared to Troy Bolton from "High School Musical" during his time at the school, due to his involvement in both basketball and theater.

When he started seven years ago, Bedard was one of four teachers. After four years, one left. Then, at the end of the 2023 school year, the other two teachers took positions elsewhere.

As the only math teacher, Bedard volunteered to take on extra work. He began teaching classes every block, every school day, with no time for preparation. This went on for the past two years.

“It definitely gives you a certain level of burnout, which I think in some ways, probably contributed to me seriously considering this other opportunity and pursuing it,” Bedard said.

Each time a teacher left, the school tried to hire new teachers, but received zero applicants both times. This year, the school hired two out of three applicants: Kristen Rennie and Andrew Szendre. Rennie said she was attracted to the job because her family lives nearby in Gilford, and also likes the college-like schedule at the high school.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, students have 90 minute blocks. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they can take two-hour project blocks, choosing from approximately 90 different classes. Students can take classes at Lakes Region Community College for college credit, as well as math classes they may not have had access to. The block system creates the flexibility for students to take LRCC classes without major scheduling conflicts. The school also uses Virtual Learning Academy Charter School for additional classes.

Superintendent Dan LeGallo said the hiring of two math teachers will allow students to take more classes at Franklin High, including more advanced classes for 11th and 12th graders. But the alternative class options are not going away.

“All those options are still available to kids. This will just provide the kids with more choices or more options, which is always a good thing for our students,” LeGallo said.

Having two teachers will also shrink the class size down, from sometimes over 25 students, to under 20.

“Each child gets more attention from the teacher,” LeGallo said. “I think that’s helpful for our teachers, but also for students to be able to get the support that they need.”

Rennie, who has a degree in mathematics from Keene State College and a history of math tutoring and instruction, will be teaching a math elective course called “Math in Nature.” It will highlight how math is found outdoors, like the patterns of a pinecone following the Fibonacci sequence, or how the golden ratio can be found on a seashell. She is excited to start.

“I'm enjoying my summer, my time off, but I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running come September,” she said.

Teachers start Tuesday, Aug. 26. The first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Bedard was happy to hear the school has two new teachers starting.

“Franklin is a wonderful place to work, and a very challenging place to work in a lot of different ways. And I think they just need to take the time to give it their best effort,” he said. “Know that what they're doing does make an impact, even if they might not see it or feel it.”