US headteacher apologises for Ellen-themed invitation
By Josh Haggis
The headteacher of a Catholic school in Philadelphia has apologised to parents for using a photo of Ellen DeGeneres on an invitation (pictured below, courtesy of Philly.com) to its Oscar-themed graduation ball.
Nancy Matteo, head of the St. Andrew Elementary School, has even asked students to return the flyers so they can be destroyed, reports Philly.com.
In an email sent out to parents of children at the school, Matteo did not explicitly mention DeGeneres’s sexuality, but wrote of the chatshow host/comedian:
“A role model, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is a person who is unusually effective or inspiring in some social role, job, position, etc. This does not describe her at all. We work so hard to be good role models and then I go and do something stupid!”
“Perhaps I was distracted by the Oscar,” she wrote later, before calling the entertainer a “poor role model”.
“I need every single invitation returned and I will personally destroy them,” she added.
Matteo declined to reply when asked for a comment on the email by Philly.com.
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