By David Lohr
(Continued)
According to a page on the school's website, which has since been deleted, Ward was the 7th grade Language Arts teacher. The same page also said she was a 2001 graduate of Clinton High School and a 2005 graduate of Presbyterian College with a Bachelor of Science in Middle School Education.
Some of Ward's former classmates are already talking about her arrest. Last night, I found a couple of message boards on the Internet where two people who claimed to have attended school with her were discussing the case.
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Allenna Ward |
One former classmate, who identified himself as "JoCoWash," had this to say:
"We knew each other well. The whole family in fact. They were all great Christian people, who I would not see doing anything wrong. One of the nicest families I have ever met... I remember when she freaked out when she heard about a teacher doing a similar thing. She wanted to be a teacher throughout high school and would always frown upon bad teachers.
"I think that fact that she is a Christian and her parents are ministers makes it even worse for her and her family... I thought I knew her well, but obviously she had deep secrets or rooted problems that needed to be resolved..."
Another former classmate, who identified himself as "Jonathan," had a slightly different perspective on the situation.
"So why do I care? Because I went to high school with her. I was friends with her. She was the daughter of a preacher. Back then, ironically, she had a thing for older guys with low IQs, so I'm not sure what turned her on to child molestation. But I distinctly remember her disapproving of my casual attitude toward pre-marital sex, so I find her extra-marital adventures slightly horrifying, slightly ironic, and slightly amusing."
As former friends chatted about Ward online, Koskela met with parents to discuss how the district was handling the matter and to inform them that the district would have mental health counselors available to talk to the students.
As of this writing, Allenna Williams Ward is being held at the Clinton jail on $110,000 bond. Jerry Peace, the 8th Circuit Solicitor, is expected to hear Ward's case, which will be the third female schoolteacher or coach sex scandal that he has handled over the past year.
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