page 2 [news]
Former volleyball coach convicted
After week-long trial, Terry Wright found guilty on all charges by [paige cornwell] Former East volleyball coach Terry Wright may face a maximum of 28 years in prison after being found guilty Thursday on all counts of having inappropriate relations with his players. At the least, Wright will face 12 years in prison at his sentencing, which is expected to occur in six to eight weeks. At that time, the judge will decide if the sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively. He was convicted of raping a woman when she was 13 or 14, and of aggravated indecent liberties with her when she was 14 and 15. In addition, he was found of having a consensual but unlawful sexual relation with a second woman when she was 16 or 17. Although consensual sex is legal in Kansas if both people are over 16, it is illegal when one person is a teacher or in a position like a teacher and the partner is under 18. Last Monday, the 19-year-old East graduate who made the allegations testified that Wright, who was her volleyball coach, first touched her inappropriately the summer before her freshman year, and the contact occurred about
25 times until she was a sophomore, when he began having a relationship with the second woman, “The Kansas City Star” reported. When asked by defense attorney Tom Bath why she hadn’t reported anything before, she said that she told her family after reading a book about the importance of confessions and of being honest with people. On Tuesday the second woman, who is also 19 and a graduate of East, testified that Wright is currently her boyfriend, and although she informed Wright that she liked him while he was still her coach, he told her that they should wait until she graduated. The mothers of both women testified, along with a DNA analyst and a dozen witnesses in support of Wright. Assistant district attorney Scott Roth and Bath gave their closing arguments Thursday morning, and jury deliberation began immediately after. Less than four hours later, the jury reached a verdict. Wright had been a volleyball coach at East for eight years before he resigned last year.
What’s new with... ... School Changes
... Gymnastics
The administration has currently made a significant change in school policy: the new tardy policy. • First Tardy: Teacher discretion • Second Tardy: Teacher discretion • Third Tardy: Teacher detention and call home • Fourth Tardy: Referral to Administration and Friday School • Fifth Tardy: Referral to Administration and In-School Suspension “I’ll be looking, thinking, and listening these next few months to see if anything else needs to be done,” Swift said.
On Sept. 16, East will host the annual gymnastics invitational for the sixth time. Teams from all over Kansas will come to compete, making it the second biggest meet rivaled only by the state competition. The new capital cup warm-up style will be used. This involves warming up in the small gym then rotating into the main gym for competition. The team is expected to be very competitive this season with returning letter winners and to end strongly.
... J. D. Christie J.D Christie, the all-time leading scorer in basketball at East, who signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Evansville, has left the team and university to enroll at KU. “His heart just wasn’t in it,” Diane Christie, J.D’s mother, said. “I just want people to know that nothing happened to make him leave. It was his decision.” Christie, who averaged 30 points and 10 rebounds a game in East’s miracle run to the state championship game last year, is done playing
basketball. At least for now. He says he wants to focus on academics only. As for walking on for the Jayhawks, “it’s not on his radar right now,” his mother said, but it could still happen. Christie has joined the Phi Delt fraternity at KU and says he wants to graduate with a business management degree. “It’s just where he sees his future and career path going,” Mrs. Christie said.
Above: Assistant district attorney Scott Toth (left) and defense attorney Tom Bath (right) approach Judge Peter Ruddick during the trial to discuss an issue. Below: The defendent, Terry Wright, watches the trial. He was the volleyball coach for eight years before resigning, and is now on trial for rape and having aggravated indencent liberties. Photos courtesy of Greg Peters
Time it takes to pay the crime: • First count: Rape under the age of 14 147-165 months • Second count: Aggravated indecent liberties 55-61 months • Third count: Consensual but unlawful sexual relations 5-7 months • He could serve a maximum of 28 years. information courtesy of defense attourney Carl Cornwell
Compiled by [nick ratliffe], [bernadette myers], [erin morrisey]
... Kansas Driving Age
The graduated license proposal named “Cody’s Law” was opposed last spring. This law would have increased the age in which a full license could be obtained to 18. A government panel aimed at making roads safer is expected to make recommendations on a variation to Cody’s Law. These ideas include restricting night time driving and limiting the number of passengers in the car of new drivers. Currently Kansas is one of only five states without any of these restrictions.
... Esmie Tseng Charged with stabbing her mother to death last summer, Esmie Tseng will be approaching her fourth month of a 100 month sentence. She is serving time in the Topeka Correctional Facility for Women after pleading guilty as an adult during her trial in May.
... SAT results SAT results were released last week revealing that women have outperformed men on the writing section for the first time in 35 years. Also revealed was the closing gap between scores of the highest and lowest income households, especially in the critical reading area.
... Shakespeare Club A club that was unsuccessfully tried two years ago is making its comeback this year. “[The Shakespeare Club] just never took off,” sponsor Jeanette Bonjour said, so two seniors thought they would give it another try. The club meets after school to watch Shakespeare-based movies, eat food of the period, and of course read Shakespeare. At the next meeting on Sept. 7, the people who came to the first meeting are supposed to bring two more people. The group of five members has already grown past its previous size, which is encouraging to the revivers seniors Amanda Levy and Abby McCrummen. “We started because everyone just loves Shakespeare,” McCrummen said.
the [harbinger]
... Literary Magazine Every semester, a magazine, called The Voice, displaying the work of the Writer’s Workshop class is distributed. This year, English teacher Jeanette Bonjour is taking over the job of putting the magazine together. She wants the magazine to be predominantly student run and possibly extra-curricular. There is a meeting Sept. 13 to discuss plans for it with anyone interested in helping.