Current and Former Rockville High School Students Throwing Support Toward Principal

A movement has taken shape among current and former students on behalf of principal Eric Baim.

Baim on Friday was charged in Berlin for driving under the influence and failure to obey a traffic signal.

He is due in New Britain Superior court on July 27 and school system officials say no decision has been made on his future. He is currently working at the central office on administrative leave.

Here is what the students had to say via a flood of e-mails into Vernon Patch on Wednesday:

"Rockville High School has already lost our resource officer, Officer Middleton, for no fault of his own and he was widely respected. To lose 2 authority figures over the span of a few months would dramatically effect students at RHS. I feel that this should be taken into account when considering the fate of our administration."
- Quinne Murphy

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"Mr. Baim is a great guy, and a great principal. He supports every sports team at the school. I'm on the softball team, and he went to many of our games, including all of our states games. He does support us students. He is a very funny and nice guy. You would always see him in the hallways joking around with a different student between every class. He knows many of the students' names at the school, which I think is a good thing and shows that he is a good person and takes the time to get to know everyone. He and I would joke with each other in the hallways all the time last year. Last year was my first year going to the school, and I didn't know him at first, but now, I know him, and I know that he is a great person. He makes sure that every student in our school is always safe. He's a great principal and no one could replace him."
- Stephanie Kurowski

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"He is always there for the students attending school events. Whenever I walked by him and Officer Middleton in the hallway they would both always be talking and joking around with a different student. He also knows lots of the students names, which is fairly hard to do considering there are so many kids in our school. He is definitely a great principal."
- Sarah Vincze

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"Mr. Baim is really good at his job. He is reasonable and kind, but also disciplines when necessary. He's the kind of person who any student can feel comfortable talking to about anything, and that's the kind of principal a school needs - someone you trust. Our school would be a lot worse without him."
- Alyssa Condon
 
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"I got to know Mr. Baim this past year on a more personal level through the various activities I have taken part in at the High School: Class Government, the Wall of Honor, NEASC, etc. and through these events I can truly tell that he is dedicated to making Rockville High School the best it can possibly be.

For example, Mr. Baim helped organize the Wall of Honor ceremony, an important event at RHS that inducts alumni into the RHS Wall of Honor every year. Mr. Baim helped myself, as well as the other students on the Wall of Honor Committee, with our selections and our speeches. He was also very reassuring before I went up to make my speech to the audience, helping me calm my nerves.

As a student rep on the school's NEASC committee, I have also seen firsthand how Mr. Baim worked very hard to ensure that our school gets the accreditation it needs come 2014. He is always available to answer any questions people have about the NEASC process and is great at clearing up the sometimes confusing requests that NEASC makes.

Mr. Baim also makes time for his students in issues unrelated to organized school events. After some other students and myself had some concerns about the direction the school was going in terms of "tracking"(a term for leveling students) Mr. Baim made time after school to meet with us and listen to our concerns.

Mr. Baim has been a great part of Rockville High School, these past couple years, and I truly hope he stays a part of it."
- Matthew Bilmes

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"Mr. Baim was one of the best things that could've happened to RHS. He cleaned up a lot of the messes that can be made in that school. He did a lot for our school by making sure it was safe - making sure no potential harm could be made in our school by checking the cameras and walking around the school. He made a connection with many students and some students even went to him for advice, which isn't usual for a high school student to do. Mr. Baim and I once talked about our school and our sports. He would ask us, student-athletes, how to get more fans to go. The reason why he cared was because he was a high school student who played sports and he knew how much fans meant to a sports team. He cared for a lot of things most principals don't even mention to their students in their school. He would ask us how our day was or ask the seniors their plans for after high school. Some of those simple questions made someone's day better or helped the students connect better with him, it's the simple things he did to make our school days easier. We could joke around with Mr. Baim and he would joke right back because that's who he is and always will be. He is one of the many adults in RHS I would call a good friend, adviser and principal.
- Tyler Green

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"For the past four years I have held great respect and admiration for Mr. Baim. The job of a high school administrator, especially at Rockville High School, is never easy and is never finished, but Mr. Baim always made it look easy. While most people are quick to underestimate Rockville High, Mr. Baim always emanates pride for the school, compassion and respect for the students, and love for his job.  Over the years, he gave me countless handshakes and hugs at award ceremonies, allowed me to pie him in the face at the most recent pep rally, encouraged me to write an essay entry for the Governor’s Scholar Award for which I was one of 30 finalists, joked around in the hallways, gave me a tear-jerking hug at graduation, and ultimately inspired me to take pride in my school and in myself. He is one of the greatest and most admirable people I know, and I have come to love him and everything that he has done for the school."
- Chelsea McDonnell

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"Mr. Baim was a great principal, he got to know not only the kids who got in trouble, but also the kids who were involved and did well in school. He did the best he could with the resources and group of kids he was given and I wouldn't want anyone else to take his place."
- Jenna Sunderland

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"Mr. Baim isn't just a great principal, he's great person, too. Anyone can tell by the way he interacts with the students at RHS that he loves his job and genuinely is invested in the well-being of the school. Whenever he saw me on a game day, he'd wish the band luck for our half-time show. It was nice to know he cared."
- Mikaela Adams

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"I just wanted to say that Mr. Baim truly has our respect. It's hard to gain the respect of an entire student body of teen-agers, but Mr. Baim has it. We love him as our principal because he is always willing to stop and talk with us and listen to what we have to say. If we had an idea of how to improve the school, he'd take it into consideration. He's a wonderful principal and really gives the school a great atmosphere. He cares about the school, but he really does also care about the students. Not every principal or school official cares about the student body the way he does."
- Kelly Monaghan

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"Mr. Baim has truly been the savior of Rockville High School. Mr. Baim has allowed the school to be a safe haven for kids. He is always there if someone needs him and also doesn't hide behind his office door. He is constantly walking around the school, seeing what needs improvement, talking to kids, and really understanding what has to happen to make the school run. He has turned RHS into a positive environment and handles tough situations quickly, accurately, and firmly. Taking away Mr. Baim from the high school would take away the safe environment that kids need and would be taking away a great man from a job he has been great at."
- Olivia Whitehead

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"Mr. Baim loves his job and is good at what he does. He keeps a tight, clean ship and we all respect him deeply. Mr. Baim is the kind of principal that not only approves of students getting involved in activities and the school, but gets involved himself. He cares for the students of RHS, and loves when we succeed. He encourages us to shoot for the stars, and helps us through our journey to get there. Mr. Baim is a wonderful principal and I would say most agree with me."
- Christiane Lee

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"Mr. Baim wasn't just the head principal at our school, he was also everyone's best friend. He was always there for us when ever we needed him and he always kept a close relationship with all of the students. Mr. Baim is by far the best principal a high school can have. I don't know how he is in his office because I haven't been in there in all my years at RHS but he is just the type of guy that you want to stick close to because he wants nothing but the best for all of his kids ... I'm part of the class of 2012 and I'm glad that I had him for my Senior year."
- Chris Watts

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"It’s difficult to gain the respect of students when you are an authority figure, but Mr. Baim didn’t seem to have a problem with that. For the past few years, he’s been such a good principal for RHS. He attended every school function and sporting event that he could, was willing to get a pie in the face in front of the whole school for a Hockanum Valley food drive, and was just an all-around nice guy. There were times when he would sit with us in the senior lounge for a few minutes, just to see how we were doing in our classes. He treated the students with respect, and he got it in return. Mr. Baim is an excellent principal."
- Alyssa Holmes

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"As a principal, Mr. Baim understands the students and faculty of Rockville High School not only as students and faculty, but as real human beings. He shares his warm and welcoming personality to everyone he meets."
- Nadine Ferreri

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"Having Mr. Baim as principal while I was at Rockville High was definitely a positive aspect of high school. He was always so friendly and would address you by name. He gained the respect of so many teen-agers, which isn't always easy. He makes the school a safe place for anyone, and stays calm when anything bad happens. You can tell he really cares about the students, and takes in what they say. He's a great principal and kids like him. What more could you ask for at a high school?"
- Claire Pellino

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"I'd just like to comment on how wonderful Mr. Baim was to have as a principal during my high school career. I've never had a principal that has been so involved and appreciated by so many of my fellow students and families that are a part of the Rockville community. He will always be someone I'll look up to due to his dedication and obvious love for his job, co-workers, and students. In my opinion, he has created a positive working environment for everyone to ensure going to school was a joy to everyone."
- Jennifer Lippmann

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"Mr Baim is a great people person that brings so much positive reinforcement to RHS without Mr Baim at Rockville high school I can't imagine a better principle than Mr Baim. He even takes his time to try and get to know his thousand students each year, overall great guy."
- Patrick Witham