Alumna of the Philadelphia High School for Girls have thrown their support behind school principal Lisa Mesi, after a 17-year-old student was denied her diploma after performing a short dance during a recent graduation ceremony.
"The Alumnae Association and our Board of Directors fully support Principal Mesi. She is a compassionate leader and outspoken advocate for our little sisters. We are fortunate to have her shepherding our alma mater through incredibly difficult years – through city- wide budget cuts, policy changes and a global pandemic that magnified every obstacle the faculty, administration and our dear little sisters have faced," former students wrote in a statement.
On June 9, during a graduation ceremony, 17-year-old Hafsah Abdul-Rahman performed a short "Griddy" dance -- a simple foot-shuffling dance that is popular online -- on her way to receive her diploma.
At that time, principal Mesi declines to hand Abdul-Rahman her diploma, but, NBC10 has learned that students were warned before the ceremony that families were asked not to cheer, clap or shout while students walked across the stage to receive their diplomas at risk of students not receiving their diplomas.
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Abdul-Rahman's dance elicited a few chuckles from the crowd. The teen said she knew this, and the alumna association cited this rule in it's decision to side with the principal -- even calling media coverage of the incident "click bait."
"The current media tempest regarding the temporary withholding of a diploma to a few students during the June 9, 2023, graduation ceremony is headline grabbing and click bait. It does not reflect in any way the overall tone and tenor of the day. At the onset – and previously shared with all students, families, and other attendees - Principal Mesi clearly communicated the guidelines and regulations for the ceremony with an added dose of warmth and humor.
In the future the Alumnae Association is open and available to work with the school community as they continue to examine and evolve our traditions," the association's statement states.
Also, Abdul-Rahman was not the only child penalized in this way for similar actions at the graduation ceremony.
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A district spokesperson told NBC10 that, after the ceremony, all of these students, including Abdul-Rahman, received their diplomas off stage.
