If you thought the drama at Kennebunk High School was finally over, you would be terribly wrong. The newest scandal stars Holly Fougere, a theater teacher who was in the process of being hired at the high school. What the administration didn’t know when approving Fougere was that she had been embezzling money from her previous school.  

At the start of the school year, Mr St. Pierre, theater teacher and director, announced he was leaving after the first semester and moving to Denmark. This was shocking news to the theater students, and we were cautiously waiting to hear of his replacement. When Fougere was mentioned to us, everyone was a bit skeptical. Perhaps it was foreshadowing or our intuition telling us something wasn’t right with her. The day before her arrest, we decided to be open-minded about her and welcome her into the theater. Little did we know, she wasn’t going to come. 

Three days prior to her arrest, Fougere was approved by the school board for an interim teacher and directing position. While no contract was drawn up or offered to her, it was pretty much set she was going to be the new director. This position was only a semester guaranteed, and then she would have had to apply again for the full time position the next school year. This rule drove many people away, even applicants that were offered contracts. The unattractiveness of this aspect might even be the very reason that drove her to this role. It allowed Fougere to make a quick escape from her previous role and hopefully not get caught for her embezzlement.   

Fougere started at Kennett High School in 2007, and throughout her time there, she strategically immersed herself into every aspect of the performing arts, from the band to theater to choir. She led almost all of these activities, which allowed her to have a larger access to funds being allocated to the department. With almost a monopoly over the department, she ensured that she had a layer of protection for her embezzlement as she had almost sole access to the funds. There is no information on how long she has been taking money, but one could assume it had been going on for quite some time. 

Fougere surrendered herself to the authorities and was arrested at the Conway Police Department in Conway, New Hampshire, after a lengthy investigation. The investigation revealed that Fougere diverted checks meant for the theater programs into a personal bank account and were misappropriated for personal use. She was charged with theft by misapplication of property, given that the funds exceeded $1,000, and with seven counts of forgery, a Class B felony, related to multiple altered checks. Fougere was released on bail after her arrest on January 30th. Class B felonies are very serious charges and are on the same level as some DUI cases, aggravated assault, and even drug trafficking. The crimes are punishable from five to twenty-five years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Fougere is expected to be arraigned in mid-March.

No matter how much the theater students prepared for Mr. St Pierre leaving and a new person coming, it wasn’t enough. Following the massive success of the fall musical, we all hoped the trajectory would keep going, but all the drama has halted that. Without a teacher, we have to rely on the kindness of other teachers and push through the rest of the year with a hope and a prayer. Fougere’s embezzlement leaves the theater at a major disadvantage and with a lot of questions. The theater department doesn’t get much funding and before this year, barely made a profit off the shows. If Fougere had been hired, would she have started to embezzle our funds, or lack thereof? It’s hard to put trust in someone when they claim to care greatly for the department, but would steal our funding behind our backs.   

As of now, it is not looking likely that the theater department will have a teacher or a director for the rest of the school year. Every student within the theater is waiting for the job to be reposted and to get the teacher we deserve. The department is left in an uncertain position and everyone is wondering what the future holds. We all hope that we can bounce back from this travesty and hit the ground running next year.