WASHINGTON, DC — High school students attending Sidwell Friends School, an elite school that has hosted the likes of Sasha and Malia Obama, projected swastikas and racist names during an afternoon assembly on Wednesday, according to reports.
The Washington Post reports that during afternoon assembly there was an interactive portion that involved using the online game Kahoot, which lets people build their own quizzes to answer questions. Students used their cell phones, and the answers were projected onto a large screen.
The problem was that two of the students’ usernames included swastikas, and several other usernames had racist references to Asians and Native Americans, according to a letter the school sent to parents as quoted by the Post.
“I am disappointed, dismayed, and deeply sorry that such an incident could take place at our School,” Bryan Garman, the head of the school, wrote in the letter, the Post reported. “Racism and anti-Semitism will not be tolerated in this community.”
The school will conduct an investigation to identify the students responsible for the racist messages.
Sidwell Friends is one of D.C.’s most elite schools, educating the children of the rich and powerful in the city. President Barack Obama’s oldest daughter has graduated, and his younger daughter still attends the school as a senior. Presidents Theordore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton also had children attend the school.
“Sidwell Friends School is a dynamic educational community grounded in the Quaker belief that there is ‘that of God in everyone,'” states their website. “Individually and collectively, we challenge ourselves to pursue excellence in academic, athletic, and artistic realms. We are committed to the joys of exploration and discovery. Differences among us enhance intellectual inquiry, expand understanding, and deepen empathy. The Quaker pillars of the School inspire active engagement in environmental stewardship, global citizenship, and service.”
PHOTO: WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 19: (AFP OUT) A Secret Service agent stands watch on top of the Sidwell Friends School while President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama met with their daughter Malia’s teachers October 19, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Obamas met with both their daughters’ teachers early in the morning.
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