Hundreds of students, educators and staff members gather at San Dieguito Academy’s main athletic field Sept. 25 in a demonstration of unity against hate after a reported antisemitic incident on the Encinitas high school campus. (Photo by Edwin Mendoza, San Dieguito Union High School District)
San Dieguito Academy students, teachers and staff members sent a message of unity against hate Sept. 25 in response to a reported antisemitic incident last spring.
They gathered at the main athletic field on campus last Monday to form a giant heart to demonstrate the values of kindness, respect and belonging. The idea was sparked by senior and Associated Student Body member Jonah Lupien, who is also the school’s student representative on the San Dieguito Union High School District Board of Trustees.
“In the past few weeks, we have seen within our school what we often see within our nation,” Lupien said in a district news release. “We have seen the breakdown of dialogue, the spreading of hate, and a division of community.”
School and district leadership have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after eight freshmen were allegedly caught in an aerial photograph forming a human swastika on one of the athletic fields last May, an incident that was reported at the time but wasn’t addressed until the start of the fall semester, according to North County Pipeline, which broke the story.
The incident was brought to the Board of Trustees’ attention during public comments in September when a parent said his child was the target of the image while the student was flying over the campus as part of a flight lesson.
The family, who are Jewish, and its representatives have called the incident a hate crime. The organization PeerK12 has since filed a formal grievance with the district, according to a Sept. 18 statement.
In reaction to the report, student leaders “wanted to show that San Dieguito Academy will not stand for hate and that kindness, compassion, and belonging define who we are,” Lupien said in the district’s news release. “As students, we want you to know that this action is the start of something, not the end. We will not stand for hate. We stand for kindness and compassion.”
Lupien said that what started as an idea from chatter among students grew into a campus response that drew hundreds, according to the district.
“I had worried about apathy, but seeing students come together to promote kindness and compassion erased those fears,” Lupien said. “Today, I felt embraced and supported by my peers in a way that was deeply inspiring.”
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