Shocking news has just surfaced about allegations of theft from the Marriotts Ridge food drive for the Howard County Food Bank, and the culprit has left many students astonished. English teacher and 2024 Teacher of the Year Mr. Sullivan has been found guilty on all charges regarding the theft of 500 pounds of food from the food drive. Students share their thoughts through this stressful period for Marriotts Ridge.
Every year, Marriotts Ridge participates in a food drive to donate to the less fortunate, though it seems this year some were more greedy than others. Sullivan has proudly confessed to his heinous crimes of stealing food from the food drive.
“I don’t regret a single thing. I was working late at school, and I was hungry and had no food in my room when a thought occurred to me. There’s a huge pile of food right below my room that was just begging to be eaten,” Sullivan said.
The food from the food drive had been stored in the commons. Unfortunately, it had never been a thought to hide this food from potential burglars.
“It’s not like the food was locked away, if they didn’t want people to take it then it shouldn’t have been open to the public,” Sullivan testified.
New knowledge has been gained that Sullivan was in fact not alone in this felony. Senior and editor-in-chief of The Stallion, Zachary Vernick has been suspended, being the second culprit of the infamous crime, and a twist in the plot that no one had guessed.
“I’ve known Zach for a long time now and I’ve had Mr. Sullivan for multiple classes all throughout high school. I know they like to joke around, but I never would have guessed they would do this,” senior Meghan Larsen commented.
It appears that the two criminals have no regrets about their actions. In fact, they blame the school for being negligent in protecting the donations of food.
“I mean, Sullivan and I were just hungry. We were working late after school on the newspaper, no one was around, so we decided to get a little snack. Then I had an idea. Why stop at a snack when this food could fuel our pantries for months. We got our little snack, saved money on groceries and there was still food leftover to donate,” Vernick explained.
Sullivan and Vernick thought they were in the clear, but it seems video footage of the crime had been documented on the school’s security system. The criminals were dressed in all black, wearing masks in an attempt to hide their identities, though it doesn’t seem to have worked. In addition to this apparent evidence, students at Marriotts Ridge seem to have gained access to the video and begun sharing it with others.
“The video of them stealing is the best thing I’ve ever seen. I always knew Mr. Sullivan had a little crime in him,” junior Ragib Ahanaf emphasized.
This crime is especially devastating to the seniors who voted Mr. Sullivan as the 2024 Teacher of the Year. Just a few weeks ago, the class of 2024 celebrated his victory and surprised him after class. Little did they know that he would end up a criminal.
“I voted Mr. Sullivan teacher of the year and honestly, the fact that he got away with it for so long is impressive, I would still vote for him under the circumstances,” senior Brynne Mellady commented.
It seems students have mixed feelings about their supposed favorite teacher being a one-time criminal.
“I never thought Mr. Sullivan would do this. I mean, the food was meant for a good cause. Even if there was still some left, what he did was wrong, and I hope he pays the price,” junior Simran Singh articulated.
MRHS is still trying to regroup after this tragic incident. Students and faculty are still not in the know about the punishments Sulivan and Vernick may have to face. Though many are hoping for a tough punishment, others are rooting for the victory of their Teacher of the Year and fellow peers in this mess. It looks like MRHS will simply have to wait for what’s to come for the two criminals.