Dear DHS Staff, Students, and Families,
As many of you are aware, this past week, at the Deerfield vs. St. Viator girls' soccer game, a fan shouted at one of our players, “Where is your Jewish star?” and “You should put a Jewish star on your shirt.” One of our players bravely spoke up, and the game was stopped to address the hate speech used by the fan. Unfortunately, the fan was not identified. Following the game, the DHS girls’ soccer team, coaches, DHS administration and athletic department, along with DHS soccer parent, Rabbi Prass, immediately responded to condemn and address this behavior with the Illinois High School Association, ADL, and St. Viator. Our goal is to not only investigate the matter fully in order to identify the fan but also to take whatever steps we can to ensure that these hateful actions never happen again.
As a school community, we stand united against all acts of hatred on our campus, in our local communities, and across our nation and our globe. We will stand up and fight against prejudice.
To that end, I want to acknowledge our girls’ soccer players for bravely speaking up in the face of anti-semitism. No one should ever face this vile behavior or fear for their safety and security. Also, a special thanks to Coach Grady, Coach Crane, Athletic Director Nate Flannery, Assistant Athletic Director Molly Tomlinson, and Rabbi Prass for their work in bringing light to the darkness exposed on our campus.
To our entire school community, thank you for your support at every level to ensure our school and community are kind, caring, and safe places for each one of us. May we stand strong and fight fiercely for the fair and respectful treatment of everyone.
Sincerely,
Principal Kathryn Anderson
