Student protest over firing at WRHS

Students at Winnisquam Regional High School gathered between classes this week to protest popular school employees being let go and to express their displeasure with the administration.

Between second and third period on Wednesday morning, Superintendent Tammy Davis and high school Principal Ronna Cadarette confirmed that about 30 students gathered in the hallway near the guidance office, where they stood together for the four-minute interval between class times.

At 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, Erin Maurer, the guidance office secretary of eight years, said she was abruptly fired from the school for a bad review from Caldarette that cited three offenses: Misplacing minutes from a faculty meeting, signing across the back of a transcript envelope instead of using a sticker and deleting a student's good driver insurance notification because she thought it was a mass e-mail.

"There was no forewarning at all," Maurer said. Maurer, who was popular among students, said she had especially good rapport with the "harder-to-work-with kids."

Her dismissal, students said, brought to the surface concerns about other employees, including guidance counselor Jason Zecha and math teacher Eric Chase, who were not recommended for rehire next school year.

Davis and Cadarette declined to comment on personnel matters and said they will not discuss teachers' employment status with students. Maurer and other employees confirmed that Zecha and Chase had not been recommended for rehire.

On Wednesday morning a "mass text," or a cell phone text message to many recipients, circulated among students informing them of the protest, Audriana Mekula, a 17-year-old junior, said.

After second period, Mekula and classmate Gabrielle Cremen said closer to 50 students lined the walls outside Maurer's former office. Cremen said she was "outraged about Erin but it was the administration in general."

"I think that Erin kind of was like the turning point. Everybody had heard about all these other rumors and none of them had really been confirmed," Mekula said. "Nobody was really going to say anything but then when they let Erin go it was a huge deal because everybody loved her."

Maurer, who has a 10-year-old daughter, said she thought it was great that students responded to her firing but said "it's not just about me. . . . I'm just one more thing for them."

Mekula, Cremen and student Phi Pham all said the protest lasted for a few minutes past the third-period bell. All three students said that Cadarette was already there when they arrived, along with School Resource Officer Luke Pinault who told them if they didn't move along they would be arrested for "criminal trespassing."

Cremen said she confronted Cadarette about Maurer's dismissal.

"She said you only know one side of the story and when we asked her about the other side, she said she's not allowed to tell us," Cremen said.

Cadarette said there were "one or two students that became highly disrespectful" but the majority stood by quietly and no disciplinary action was taken. Davis said the school tried to ensure a "safe environment" for the students to exercise their First Amendment rights.

"The students wanted to express themselves and that's the purpose of what they were doing and we allowed that to happen," Davis said.

Cadarette said several parents called after the incident and she explained what had happened.

"The rumors have been after the fact and they're quite far-fetched," Cadarette said. "I told the parents I appreciated them calling me and getting the full story."

Cremen said she didn't think the protest would be her last.

"I'm hoping that it's the start of many messages until they change something," she said.