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Photo by Westwood Minute/Darlene Wong Cancell. Staff at Westwood High School discovered two swastikas drawn in pencil on two desks in a classroom on Monday, December 15, 2025.
12-20-2025 12:20am
Westwood High School, Police Investigate Swastika Graffiti Discovered on First Day of Hanukkah
Darlene Cancell
Editor
An investigation has been launched after two drawings of swastikas were discovered at Westwood High School on the first day of Hanukkah, Monday, December 15th, according to a message that officials of Westwood Public Schools sent to the school community the following day.
According to Westwood Police, the swastikas were drawn in pencil – one larger, and one smaller – and appeared on two desks in a classroom at the high school.
They are believed to have been drawn in the recent past before the start of the school week, but were discovered by school staff on Monday, wrote Principal Amy Davenport in a message to the school community. The desks were immediately removed from the classroom, she said.
“It is particularly upsetting that this discovery comes on the heels of our week-long Inclusive Schools Week celebration, and in the wake of the terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia, on the first night of Hanukkah,” wrote Principal Davenport.
“While the graffiti had limited exposure to the larger student population, it is important to acknowledge an incident like this, and come together to show our shared commitment to respecting all people, identities, races, and cultures. This graffiti does not represent our beliefs as a school community, and I know you join me in asserting every student’s rights to feel safe and valued here,” she said.
According to Principal Davenport, as part of a multi-day investigation, hundreds of hours of video surveillance of classrooms has been reviewed and interviews have been conducted of students and staff.
Principal Davenport called the investigation “ongoing” and said, “We strongly encourage any students who have information about this to come forward to the WHS Administration or another trusted adult in school.”
Westwood Police believe the drawings first made an appearance sometime between Thursday, December 11th
and Sunday, December 14th. Police note that the Support Block (“S-block”) teacher who uses the space was able to provide police with a short list of names of those students who are believed to have had the opportunity to draw the images. According to the WHS handbook, S-block is the daily, 35 to 40 minute flexible period assigned to all WHS students during which they can work individually, collaboratively, or with teacher or departmental support on academic work or social-emotional growth.
According to police, each of the handful of students identified has denied responsibility for the drawings. The students did, however, admit to seeing the images in advance of Monday and not reporting them.
Police also note that along with the two images of swastikas, numerous representations of a coupled “6” and “7” were also drawn on the classroom desks.
In Superintendent Piwowar’s message to the larger school community to inform it of the high school incident, he expressed, “I am also disheartened by this news, and want to reiterate our district’s commitment to creating an inclusive, supportive, and respectful environment for all members of our school community that is free from hate, antisemitism, and racial discrimination.”
