Post Malone delivered a heartwarming video message to students who were grieving over the passing of their principal - and it really has affirmed that he's one of the nicest guys in show business.

PS 56 in Staten Island lost their principal, Phil Carollo, who died after a sudden heart attack. The beloved educator was a huge Post Malone fan, and students at the school wanted to arrange a special tribute for what would have been his 50th birthday this past Friday.

"What's going on PS 56 family. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss, and I heard that Principal Phil was a fan of my music, and I'm sorry for your loss," Malone said in the video. "I just wanna say I'm so happy and blessed that I can make an impact in somebody's life and that I hope you guys keep kicking a -- and I love you all very much and keep rocking and rolling, I love you very much."

Check out the poignant video tribute here:

A teacher at the school, Linda Acevado, had set up a petition to ask that Malone share a message on the principal's milestone birthday, which, of course, the rapper was happy to do.

Needless to say, it was an emotional moment for everyone at the school - students and teachers alike.

Carollo succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 49 on March 1. He was survived by his wife of 17 years, Erin Carollo, and their two children, Sophia, 15, and Giovanni, 10.

This comes several weeks after Malone was caught on camera wishing an autistic fan a happy 21st birthday as he dined out in Los Angeles.

Andrew Schumacher was out in Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills on March 11 for the milestone celebration with his friends and family.

They never thought they'd be seated at a table next to the 'Stay' performer - and yet that's exactly what happened!

Speaking to FOX 11, the young man's mother, Nicole, explained that another table had sent a bottle of sake to the rapper's table, adding that "he was so kind and walked over to thank them and then walked over to our table."

"He was so incredibly kind and patient with our son who has autism. Andrew has a hard time speaking and Austin was so natural and sweet with him," Nicole told the outlet.

Featured image credit: Paul Smith / Alamy

Despite the progress made by and for the LGBTQ community in recent years, people of this demographic can still face extreme adversity even in the most accepting parts of the world. Just yesterday, for example, actor Jussie Smollett was harmed in a homophobic attack, and, earlier this month, the White House announced that it was continuing with its plans to ban transgender people from serving in the military.

With all these negative things happening for queer people, then, it's refreshing to hear some positive news.

Students of Hingham Middle School in Hingham, Massachusetts, brought tears to their teacher's eyes earlier this month when they performed a song they'd been secretly rehearsing for his upcoming wedding. Christopher Landis, the school's choir director, was in the middle of his wedding rehearsal to his now-husband, Joe Michienzie, when he was surprised by dozens of his students singing a rendition of The Beatles' All You Need is Love.

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Speaking to the Huffington Post, Landis said that he was initially a little confused when he saw a number of guests with video cameras, but his bemusement quickly turned to joy when he realised what was going on.

"I saw the first student come in and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ but I don’t think it hit me until all of these students came in and they were smiling and all dressed up," he said. "Then I started crying and they started crying."

The teacher was especially touched by the gesture as, though he has worked at Hingham for six years, he had always referred to Michienzie as his "friend", rather than his partner or fiance. He wasn't sure how his students would react to him being in a same-sex relationship, and thought it would be safer to keep the information to himself.

When some of the students found out that Landis was getting married though, two of the mothers of pupils from the choir decided to organise the surprise for the teacher before his special day.

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The footage of the performance has since been viewed almost a million times on Facebook, and has attracted thousands of supportive comments from people who support equal rights.

"Awe! My favorite part though is at the end when, with so much pride, he announces “these are my kids!” So amazing," wrote one person.

"Just when you start believing the world is full of hate, amazing kids, teachers and parents blow you away," said another. "Congrats Mr Landis and Joe!"

Speaking to the New York Times, one of the organisers, Margit Foley, said: "He’s the best teacher, and he’s got this great energy, and he makes every school function fun."

What's more, now that Landis' happy relationship is public knowledge, he says he's not afraid to mention his husband anymore.

"There might be a student in that choir that could be struggling at home [or] at school," he said. "To see the love that was in that room lets them know that everything’s going to be OK."

Congratulations to the happy couple, and thank you for showing us that love should always be celebrated in any form.

A Philadelphia principal has been replaced after denying a student her diploma after she danced at her graduation.

Last month, a video went viral showing an 18-year-old graduate named Hafsah Abdur-Rahman walking on stage, and doing 'The Griddy' - a dance that originated as a football touchdown celebration - before accepting her diploma from Philadelphia High School for Girls.

However, the teenager's excitement quickly turned into heartbreak after she was not allowed to accept her degree on stage by the school's principal, Lisa Mesi.

This is allegedly because Mesi warned students about specific protocols they had to follow on the day, but Abdur-Rahman contended in an interview with WHYY: "If they thought that I shouldn't do 'The Griddy' across the stage and do the Girls' High traditions, nobody should have been able to wave or blow kisses or do period signs because I feel like that's the same thing.

"I feel like that's unfair," she added.

Watch the incident below: 

According to a Facebook post shared by the teen's grandmother, Renee Hadiyah Reid, the family confronted the school's administrators after the ceremony but were led away by police. Reid penned: "He told us he didn’t think it was ok. He said the best way to get them was through the media and alumni."

Reid also revealed that when the family found Abdur-Rahman after the stage incident, they could tell that she had been crying. "One thing about me I am gonna show up for mines!!", the grandma declared.

"I promise the letters they will be receiving in the next few days won’t be in the principal’s favor!!", she continued. "As educators, you are NOT supposed to humiliate these children. You are supposed to change the trajectory of their lives in a positive way."

The publication also shared that the School District of Philadelphia released a statement after the video made the rounds on the internet.

"The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates. We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future," they said.

Furthermore, Abdur-Rahman told the outlet that the assistant superintendent of the school reached out to her and her mother and apologized for the incident.

It has now been reported by ABC6 that Philadelphia High School for Girls has announced a leadership change following the graduation controversy.

Janis Butler has been named "substitute principal" - according to a letter shared with the school community - and she will take over from Mesi, who had been the principal since 2019.

Philadelphia School District Associate Superintendent Tomás Hanna described the move as "temporary," and said: "Dr. Butler is excited to support the school community to help set the stage for a successful 2023-2024 school year," as cited by the Inquirer.

"While this is the only information I can share at this time, I am committed to providing updates as additional information becomes available," she added.

It has not been revealed whether Mesi will be returning, the circumstances under which she left, or any further information.

Featured image credit: ImagesBazaar / Getty

In a controversial turn of events, a Louisiana high school principal has applied for leave after revoking an honor student's scholarship endorsement due to a video of her dancing.

Walker High School principal Jason St Pierre faced a whirlwind of backlash after penalizing an honor student over a video that reportedly showed her dancing next to a friend who was "twerking" at a party, the New York Post reports.

Kaylee Timonet - the student in question - faced unexpected reprimands after a video of her dancing at an off-campus homecoming after-party was shared on social media. The video, which was filmed and shared by DJ Savage who worked the event at Livingston Parish Country Club, captured Timonet dancing behind a friend who was reportedly "twerking".

Despite the video being deleted, the impact it has had on Timonet is still being felt.

DJ Savage, defending the students, stated: "How those kids were dancing was not bad. I have seen much worse. It was genuinely kids having fun."

Walker High principal Jason St Pierre was met with criticism over his decisions. Credit: Livingston Parish Public Schools

However, the school's perspective was drastically different. Timonet recounted a distressing meeting with Principal St Pierre, during which she says she was accused of not "following God’s ideals". She told Unfiltered with Kiran: "They basically told me I should be ashamed of myself... which made me cry even more. I felt like my life was over."

In a further blow to the young student, St Pierre withdrew her application for a coveted scholarship, which is awarded to only two students each year. "All I was doing was having innocent fun. I was mortified," lamented Timonet.

On top of this, Timonet - who boasts a 4.2 GPA - was also removed as Walker High School student government president.

The student's mother, Rachel Timonet, expressed her dissatisfaction with the school’s handling of the situation. Frustrated that she was not present during the initial meeting with her minor daughter, she told Unfiltered: "They had other people dancing in that video also that are on the dance team that nothing happened to.

"He said she was punished because she is the ‘hood-ornament’ of the school."

The doting mom also took aim at the principal for allegedly questioning her daughter about her religious faith, saying: "It’s a public school, not a private school. He has no right to discuss any sort of religion with my child."

Additionally, speaking to WAFB, the mom says there was nothing wrong with her daughter's dancing, adding: "I was physically there watching her do it, so if I would have thought that it was inappropriate in any way [...] I would have corrected my child."

The Livingston Parish News reported an overwhelming show of support for Timonet, as fellow students rallied around her. Social media became a beacon of solidarity, with slogans like "Let the Girl Dance" and "I stand with Kaylee Timonet" circulating widely. T-shirts bearing the same slogans were even sold in her support.

Following this groundswell, St Pierre, in a Facebook post, announced the reinstatement of Timonet to her student government position and his renewed endorsement for her scholarship. "Our student government members are held to a high standard of student behavior," he acknowledged, adding that the standards should be reflective of a collective opinion.

Following substantial public outcry, he has also now applied for a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year.

"First, let me say that I have apologized to the Timonets and I am hopeful that my scheduled meeting with Kaylee’s mom will rectify this situation and allow Kaylee to enjoy the remainder of her senior year at Walker High School," St Pierre said in his statement.

"I will be reinstating Kaylee’s position on the Student Government Association. The SGA was created to give students a voice in their school and their community, to promote leadership qualities, and to represent their school with pride, enthusiasm, and respect.

"Our student government members are held to a high standard of student behavior. While I stand by that premise, I do believe that standard deserves the input of not just myself and top administrators, but also those student leaders. I hope to create a path moving forward where we can work together to create clear expectations for all.

"I will be reinstating my scholarship endorsement for Kaylee. At Walker High, we strive to place our students first in every decision so they may be prepared for whatever career path they may aspire to take, and I believe my action will assist in doing that."

However, despite the principal's apology and corrective measures, Rachel Timonet remained skeptical of its sincerity given the time it took, emphasizing that the scholarship's deadline passed on October 3.

"It’s too little, too late... the damage that he’s done to her is done," the mom told WAFB.

Amidst this storm, Kaylee has found solace in the overwhelming support, adding: "The video was not inappropriate whatsoever... seeing that my accomplishments were still noticed means the world."

Featured image credit: Google

A California high-school teacher was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after an Instagram video, which was later posted to Reddit, appeared to show her forcibly cutting a student's hair during class while singing the national anthem.

52-year-old Margaret Gieszinger is a science teacher at University Preparatory High School in Visalia. In videos of the incident, Gieszinger, is seen chasing students with scissors between desks while belting out the Star Spangled Banner. She is then filmed standing in front of a student, cutting sections of his hair, before throwing them behind her.

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The bizarre sequence of events took place in first period during Gieszinger's chemistry class. Students say the teacher came into class with a pair of scissors, and declared it haircut day.

"We think she's going to try to be funny and be like 'Oh did you really think I was going to cut his hair?' But she did cut a hair off, and she started singing the Star Spangled Banner and she was singing it really loudly as she ceremoniously tossed a chunk of hair behind her," said a student who wishes to remain anonymous.

The student says he was sitting in the back of the classroom, and ran to the main office for assistance.

"I hope I never have to see her at the school again, because I know for a fact I can never see her as a respectable authority figure in my life," he continued.

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The video continues to show Gieszinger grabbing another girl's hair, before the remaining students fled the classroom. While students say they don't know know what triggered her behaviour, they did claim that she had a similar breakdown earlier in the week;

"I know that on Monday she had another freak out because a test was missing or something. She accused the students of taking the test."

College of the Sequoias Police have arrested Gieszinger on suspicion of corporal injury to a child.

Her bail has been set at $100,000.

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The Tulare County Office of Education have since released the following statement regarding the incident:

"The staff at University Preparatory High School and the administration at the Tulare County Office of Education are deeply concerned for the students who were subjected to the disturbing behavior in Margaret Gieszinger's class yesterday morning. To support all students on the UPHS campus today, we have sent top counselors from our mental health services program. They will continue to be available to the students as long as necessary.

We take very seriously the safety of the students in classrooms and on the COS campus. We move decisively when questions of inappropriate and unprofessional conduct are brought to the attention of UPHS administration. In this instance, we promptly removed Ms. Gieszinger from her classroom and worked closely with the COS Police Department. We are reviewing all available information and will take the most severe employment action appropriate. Ms. Gieszinger will not return to her UPHS classroom.

A highly-qualified substitute teacher has been placed in the classroom for the remainder of the semester. UPHS administration will work closely with this teacher until a replacement teacher is hired.

At this time, we cannot discuss further the details of this matter out of respect for due process, student privacy rights, employee privacy rights, and law enforcement's ongoing investigation. We appreciate the prompt actions of the COS Police Department, and appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as we continue to handle this unfortunate incident."