The light is on. Long after the cheering stops, the fans depart, the referees are cleaned up and headed home and the visiting team buses turn on to Route 202, headed back to their respective towns, the light in the northwest corner office window is on. The light belongs to ConVal Regional High School Athletic Director Kevin Proctor.

A ConVal alum residing in Antrim, Proctor has been manning this office perch for what will be two full years at the end of this coming spring semester. Since July 25, 2021, “K Proct,” as the student body often affectionately refer to him as, has poured his heart and soul into his alma mater and its struggling athletic and neglected sports culture, which was in dire need of an infusion of passion, energy, and support. Proctor seems to be the first at the school, welcoming dreary-eyed students upon arrival, and often last to leave long after the sun has set and most everyone else has the left the building.

He is creating a sports culture that he cares deeply about, sacrificing time with his own family and children to spend time supporting the children of others and their athletic endeavors. He is often seen at games filling in for absent scoreboard-keepers, announcers, chain crew members or cameramen. Not so often seen is the all-too frequent moments when he is walking the sidelines at 10:30 or 11 at night picking up trash and collecting forgotten lost-and-found items from the rain-soaked bleachers after a Friday night football game, or speaking in private to an athlete struggling with adversity and needing a caring ear and some words of wisdom.

All of this after a day filled with his actual obligations of game and practice scheduling changes, budget reviews, supporting coaches and needy and demanding parents, and I am sure countless other bureaucratic items while consistently fighting for what is best for all of the student-athletes under his watch.

It is still unnerving that on Friday, March 29, I was informed that Proctor’s contract for employment would not be reissued for the upcoming year starting in the fall of 2024, with no reason on information provided to him or the coaching staffs of all teams. As a coach, a parent, a taxpayer and a member of a community that I was under the impression cared about its youth and their development, this is rather alarming and disheartening news for obvious reasons. Proctor is the sort of person that you want your kids to be around, that you feel lucky to have on your side and that you go to bat for when something like this happens unjustly and unfairly.

The athletic director position at ConVal job posting received little to no candidates when advertised two years ago in spring of 2022. Under heavy pressure from his peers, Proctor applied for this vacant position just before fall sports season got underway in fall of 2022. Since then, he has been the epitome of what ConVal administration want you to believe is their mantra –“We are … ConVal.” It is a mantra that is meant to portray ownership, school pride and community. We as parents and community members ask what more could we possibly ask for.

Once again, we are left with a feeling that this administration, the third-highest-paid in the entire state (according to New Hampshire Department of Education Division of Education Analytics and Resources), has no idea the actual culture of our schools, are severely out of touch with the student body and what it needs, and does not listen to what the community says.

In 2013, the acting athletic director, Jon Hall, was asked to and did step down over missing funds in the amount of $1,000. At the time, he was a longtime faculty member and coach, and there was no clear evidence of any wrong doing except for the missing funds. After the investigation was completed, he was found innocent, but no public apology was issued by the district. The whole situation unfortunately left a tarnished and blemished mark on his reputation and professional profile.

There seems to be a culture over the last decade of forcing valuable faculty members out of their position with no reasons given or made public. In 2013, Athletic Director Mark Swasey was hired to fill the vacant position and ushered a very successful period of three to four years for ConVal teams and was redeemed at a high regard by most of the community members. He was let go without reasoning and went on to coach Franklin Pierce’s women’s basketball program.

This article is written to provide insight and to demand accountability for what many believe is yet another mistake made by our School Board and superintendent. Again, we the parents, coaches, students and community can all easily see the value of this incredible member of our high school. It is our collective hope that we can continue to look up to that northwest corner office window after a win or loss and when the parking lot is empty and see that the light is on.

Bradley Davis is a Peterborough resident and one of the organizers of the petition effort protesting the non-renewal of Athletic Director Kevin Proctor’s contract.