Many Upper Perkiomen High School students and community members are rallying behind health teacher and baseball coach Frank R. Mercon, of Upper Hanover, who was charged with failure to report child abuse after a student allegedly reported a sexual assault to him.
Over 1,300 people have "liked" a "We Love Mr. Mercon" (WLM) Facebook page to post photos and stories of Mercon, and send him well wishes after his arraignment yesterday.
"We support him because of all the things he has done right," one WLM fan said. "Not turn our backs for the one thing he did wrong. We are all behind you Mercon."
The page, which has been up for less than a day, refers to Mercon repeatedly as "one of the best teachers at Upper Perk," citing his influence on the careers, health, and relationships of his students.
WLM fans mentioned famed "Godiva/Hershey's chocolate speech regarding sex and love," and a speech he gave students about drugs and alcohol.
One fan of the page said that Mercon helped him through an addiction as a student, and he was planning on going in to see Mercon because he has been having fears of relapse.
Photos on the page include Mercon with students at graduations, chaperoning high school dances, and coaching baseball.
There is also an air of civility on the page, with one fan posting, "I know Mr. Mercon was well loved by all students and he would want all of you to remain strong, supportive, understanding and united while maintaining respect for yourselves and all of those involved."
On the page, fans are planning to sell a t-shirt for $10 that will say "MERCON CHANGED MY LIFE" on the front, with proceeds going to the Mercon family.
Fans of the page are also planning to attend Mercon's Oct. 19 preliminary hearing at the Montgomery County Court House.
"I can't wait to see the entire Upper Perk student body show up at this," one WLM fan said. "Heck, we might as well all make signs and start chanting Mercon's name"
Mercon is currently out on $10,000 bail, and has not faced any disciplinary action with Upper Perkiomen High School because the case is still in an allegation stage, according to 6ABC.
Upper Perkiomen School District Superindendent released a statement on the district's website, noting that the safety of students is the school's top priority.
While Patch is a place where everyone is free to express their opinion, it is not a place to threaten someone with physical harm.
P. S. Now tell me all my spelling errors Richard H. Cause ur an English teacher aren't you??
These students are just making fools of themselves with their 5th grade reading level posts defending this guy. I thank god my kids aren't at this school and have been taught how to use basic grammar.
Also, please note the following awkward sentence construction on Oct. 5: "I nor anyone is required to support Mr. Mercon." In a context such as this one, "nor" best functions as part of a pair of coordinating conjunctions, so the sentence would best read, "Neither I nor anyone is required to support Mr. Mercon." However, even with that correction, the sentence structure still remains incorrect and awkward because the subject pronoun "I" would best be followed by the verb "am" rather than the verb "is." Ordinarily, I would not be critical of this minutiae, but Richard H. seems to place great value on following the rules, so I am glad to help in that endeavor
You have all this time on your hands.You know what you should be really doing homework and thats not proof reading everyones statements
It is true that Mr. Mercon broke a law by not reporting what he was told; I wish he had handled it better. Similarly, I wish she had handled her attack better by reporting it to the proper authorities in a timely manner. But we all struggle with varied emotions. We are all fallible; that is what makes us human. Life offers complex situations and we do not deal with them in the best ways all of the time.
You may find it helpful "to google" the name Kohlberg and the words "moral development." There are many, but here is one link: http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/kohlberg.htm Richard H. and some other people are clearly an example of what Kohlberg's research defines as "Level 4" morality. People who function at this level believe that "the rule/law is the rule/law." The rule/law is the ultimate "decider" of right/wrong, good/bad, and people violate the rule/law, they must be punished. Those who reason at Kohlberg's "Level 4" are incapable of/choose not to see that things are not always so simple. For people who reason at this level, life is fairly simple: rules/laws are made to be followed; people who do not follow them are wrong; they need to be punished. There are levels beyond 4. I commend you for seeing the complexities of this situation, and realizing that at least some of the time, we need to think rather than unquestioningly "follow." The upholding of rules/laws, does not always provide for fairness, decency, or the best possible outcome, and when this is the case, do people not of the right ... indeed, the obligation ... to speak out, turn the rule/law aside ... and seek real justice. Personally, were it not for the Joe Paterno public lynching, I do not think your teacher would have been arrested. Those in charge are frightened; they do not want to end up like Paterno.
Finally, to those of you whom Richard H. has attempted to belittle by criticizing your spelling and grammar errors, this is simply another example of his Level 4 reasoning. You are breaking rules and Level 4 reasoners find that intolerable. He is unable/or chooses not to understand that what you are saying is more profound than whether you spell it correctly. However that said, I encourage you to believe what your teachers have undoubtedly been telling you for years: people will and do judge you by how you communicate! Whether you are writing or speaking, when you do it right and well, people will respect you and be more impressed by you, and therefore, more willing to hear what you are saying.
Thanks for the laughs.....
I would not have expected you to say otherwise; thanks for the validation.
However, I had Mr. Mercon in 2010 and he really did change lives. I know there have been lives saved by this man, either by offering advice to students, being someone they don't feel intimidated talking to, or simply because of the powerful emotional lectures he gives in his class. I personally believe that IF he is proven guilty he should face some consequences, but losing his job and especially doing jail time seem like a harsh punishment. Richard H- I don't know what you do for a living, and frankly I do not care. You claim to have children, so it seems strange to me that you spend your time online harassing children for their spelling errors while making similar ones yourself and criticizing them for supporting someone who changed their lives. I also don't understand why you even care.
"We support him because of all the things he has done right," one WLM fan said. "Not turn our backs for the one thing he did wrong. We are all behind you Mercon." It seems to me like you should just find a better way to spend your time, maybe spend it with your children or at a job.