Allegations Shake Central Catholic High
Lowell Sun
Central Catholic High School fired an administrator on Tuesday due to allegations by a former student that he drugged and raped him in Lowell 11 years ago. The student, who graduated in 2008, recently came forward with the allegation against Andrew Nikonchuk, 36, who lives in Lowell. The incident allegedly occurred in 2006, according to the student. Two other staff members are also being investigated for misconduct and have been placed on administrative leave, according to a newsletter sent out to students' families by the school on Thursday. The alleged victim recently responded to another person's Facebook post that was supportive of Nikonchuk using the hashtag #ImwithNiko. The victim, who on Facebook said he was 15 at the time, said Nikonchuk was his best friend and described the night of the incident, when he had been at Nikonchuk's home. He said he and Nikonchuk had been drinking beer, smoking marijuana and playing video games. He said that Nikonchuk "guilt tripped me into sleeping in the bed with him" and that his former teacher had crossed the line. He said Nikonchuk threw his leg and arm around him and later offered him Powerade. He wrote that he didn't remember taking a third sip before blacking out. The victim said the next morning he felt strange that and his relationship with Nikonchuk became distanced. He ended his comment saying, "this man, my old friend, probably shouldn't be working with kids. Nikonchuk, who was the assistant principal for curriculum and instruction at Central Catholic in Lawrence, was a former teacher and CCHS graduate. He also graduated from Harvard University. Central Catholic spokesman David DeFillippo told The Eagle-Tribune said Nikonchuk may have drugged and raped the student. DeFillippo did not respond to repeated requests by The Sun for further comment. School officials said Wednesday he violated policies pertaining to appropriate social boundaries between students and faculty. "The alleged incident did not occur on school property. This matter continues to be investigated. No other accusers have come forward," Christopher Sullivan, the school president, wrote in an email to The Boston Globe. The school says it reported the allegations to the Lowell Police Department and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan. Ryan, through a spokesman, declined to comment Thursday. A notice to families sent out by Sullivan Thursday stated that two school employees have also been put on administrative leave for separate incidents. "In the wake of Nikonchuk's dismissal, two more allegations of staff misconduct have come to my attention," Sullivan wrote. "I want to assure the Central community that in neither case were students alleged to be physically harmed. Both staff members have been placed on administrative leave while we fully investigate each allegation." According to the email, one staff member "is alleged to have posted compromising photos of himself on an adults-only, password protected website." A second staff member, an administrator, allegedly "sent inappropriate messages through a social media site to a former student who had graduated in 2016" last month. "While we continue to assist the authorities with their investigations into the allegations made against Mr. Nikonchuk, we have also begun the process of learning all the facts pertaining to the two allegations described above," Sullivan said in the email. Lowell Police Superintendent William Taylor could not immediately be reached for comment. Nikonchuk has not responded to requests for comment. According to The Globe, Sullivan sent out a letter to school alumni, urging anyone with relevant information to contact his office at 978-682-0260, ext. 611. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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