Parents of past and current Huron Players meet with school officials to discuss the direction of the group
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the director of the Huron Players.
Joan Doughty said her son asked her to wait until he graduated from Huron High School to air her grievances against the director of the Huron Players for fear of retribution.
“That to me is very telling,” Doughty said. “What kind of environment do you create where students do not feel comfortable?”
On Monday, she and other parents got together with school officials to talk about the Huron Players, the extracurricular theatre group of the high school.
Huron Players' Director Bj Wallingford and Huron Principal Arthur Williams met with three parents to open the lines of communication to help improve the group. The group of parents had originally contacted Williams about meeting with Wallingsford to air their grievances in June, but did not meet until Monday.
Suzanne Biermann, the parent of a current Huron Player, said she was tired of the “adversarial” relationship between Wallingford and parents and was ready for a thaw in tempers.
“We want to be a group that can support you, but we don’t have to be best friends,” she said. “Perhaps we have not been responding to you respectfully, but it doesn’t feel like a respectful relationship. It doesn’t feel that way, and we want to get to that point.”
The meeting was another step in a series of high-tempered moments between the two groups. Parents have expressed concerns over the financial transparency within the group, poor communication between Wallingford and the booster club, unprofessional conduct by Wallingford and other issues.
Wallingford said he had always been open to parents’ suggestions, but hadn't been approached by many of the parents of children within the group. He said most of the issues between himself and parents could have been dealt with if he had been approached.
“I can’t believe some of the assumptions you guys are jumping to,” he said after looking at a written list of issues parents had with him. “So much of this you could just ask.”
Some parents said the atmosphere within the group caused them to hold back their concerns due to fear of repercussions on their children.
The parents also said they were worried about some of the fundraising efforts done by the group. They pointed out a gaming night that may have directly benefited a parent within the group.
Wallingford said he welcomed all the help he can get on the fundraising and business end of the group, admitting his strong point was artistic direction and not business.
“I have not created some system to hide and be deceptive about where money is,” he said. “I’m trying my best to run the group when I know the artistic side and I don’t really know the business side.”
Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.
Comments
Will
Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.
Let's also be fair and remember that sometimes "things like this become very large problems instead of small ones" because of problematic parents.
JackieL
Wed, Sep 29, 2010 : 8:01 a.m.
Listen folks, there are real problems and there are justified complaints from parents about teachers, directors, coaches, etc. My own observation is that schools stone wall parents and wait to see if they will go away. That is how things like this become very large problems instead of small ones. There is not as much supervision of school personnel as there should be.
Chrest
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 11:54 p.m.
Bj's name is still misspelled btw: it's "Bj" not "BJ", and there's a "WallingSford" that you missed after Maura's comment.
Will
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 7:01 p.m.
Did I read this correctly? Three parents met with Bj Wallingford and Dr. Williams? Three parents? The article title and early flow of the article made it sound as if we were going to read about many parents of Huron Players rendering complaints about Bj Wallingford. According to the article, the three parents never approached Wallingford about their concerns prior to the meeting. They apparently even contacted the media to report on this. I feel bad for Wallingford and the Huron Players who are in the news because of poor handling of the parents involved.
drb
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 4:13 p.m.
The strength of the Huron Players comes largely from its leader, Bj Wallingford. As a former HP alum, Bj has never done anything besides encourage his students to do the best work they can. He is an excellent motivator, and cares deeply about his students welfare while also striving to help them maximize their potential in both the craft of theatre and their life as well. As with any organization, there is always room for improvement, and that is the beauty of assembling a team. However it appears that the parent team at Huron are seeking personal benefits (i.e. staging bad publicity stunts so they can gain more control over the group) instead of helping to maximize their child's experience in the program. This article doesn't do much besides expose the corruption of the parent team. The "accusations" against Wallingford seem fairly underdeveloped and thrown together, as though someone is pulling every string they possibly can to shed a negative light on an individual.
Chrest
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 3:20 p.m.
As an HP alumnus myself, I think whatever concerns there were about the "direction" of the group could have been resolved much earlier if someone had just talked to Bj. Huron Players is a tightly-knit group of teenagers, and in a group of students that close, it is inevitable that some of the drama occurs off the stage. I simply cannot understand the thought process of a parent who buys into their child's nebulous fears of "repercussions"; these fears are a manifestation of the same instinct that causes teenagers the world over to hide misdeeds from their parents, even when they get into real trouble. Believe me, I know, I was there. But just because your child has these fears, doesn't mean you need to buy into them. Just because your teen doubts Bj's ability to behave like an adult, doesn't mean you, the adult, need to start behaving like a teen. Fermenting your child's misgivings with other parents who share them might feel good at first, but you're more likely to end up with bile than fine wine. Bj is an artist, but he is also a professional, and he cares deeply about Huron Players and every student in it. I have no doubt at all that if these concerns had been brought to Bj as they arose, they could have been quickly resolved. Instead, we have resentment and frustration on one side, confusion and bewilderment on the other, and bad press for one of the best student clubs at Huron. And Bj's name gets misspelled. Again. I can tell you worked hard to get his side of the story. Anyway, let me give some advice to current and future Huron Players parents: Bj is an artist, and while your teen is involved in Huron Players, so is he or she. Artists work best when they don't have to worry about finances and can just get things done. Help Bj and your teen to just get things done, and volunteer for the booster club, help with the finances, and be supportive during tech week, so that Bj and your teen can focus on what they do best: being artists. Above all, however: if you think something needs improvement, talk to Bj sooner, rather than later. Your child, and Huron Players as a group, will be better for it. Being in Huron Players with Bj was one of the most wonderful experiences of my entire life, and I wouldn't give up the friendships or memories from those four years for anything in the world.
Blackbird
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 2:52 p.m.
Huron has a fantastic program. I was fortunate enough to direct there in the Fall of 2006, and it was one of the best teaching experiences I have had. This communication problem occurs in many extracurricular programs. Often times, instead of having a simple discussion over this issue or that, the parent goes to the supervisor or principal and the whole situation blows up. My sympathies go out to the Huron Players, BJ, and all the talented folks involved. Hash this out, and get back to what you do best: put on plays, and give huge opportunities to hundreds of students each year.
Kyle Feldscher
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 2:23 p.m.
@Maura Thank you for bringing that error to my attention, the correction has been made.
Miss So and So
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 2:18 p.m.
Please double check your facts before publication. The Director's name is Wallingford.
Kyle Feldscher
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.
@Stephen As it says in the story: "Parents have expressed concerns over the financial transparency within the group, poor communication between Wallingsford and the booster club, unprofessional conduct by Wallingsford and other issues."
RobbiesBoyfriend
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 11:05 p.m.
So is the issue Williangsford is corrupt and a scoundrel, or is the issue that the parents at Huron, like the parents at about every school would prefer to keep their issues within themselves, sniping and gossiping about how they would run the buisness, bittcchhing and moaning about other parents, but offering no real substance to anything? sounds like Joan Doughty's son knows his mom is a whiner, nagger, and complainer and just wanted her to hold off until he was gone for her to bore everyone with her ideas on "The Group".
win
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 10:15 p.m.
the issues are whiney parents who like to run the schools. And they will do what ever they can to assert their power.
Stephen Landes
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.
And the issues are?????????????