In the aftermath of the controversy in Washington D.C. over a viral video that shows Covington Catholic High School student Nathan Sandmann, donning a MAGA hat, in a stand-off with Nathan Phillips, an Omaha tribe elder, the school has come under significant public and media scrutiny.

While many believe Sandmann was just smiling at Phillips and defending himself, it clearly shows from the published photos and videos that he was smirking and mocking Phillips.

The students who were in Washington D.C. for the ‘March for Life’ anti-abortion rally, broke into chants after asking permission of a chaperone to counter many vile words that were hurled at the teens by a small group of Black Hebrew Israelites, identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.

According to Phillips, who was in the nation’s capital for the Indigenous Peoples March and witnessed the back and forth, he walked up to the Covington Catholic students while beating a drum and chanting, trying to create some peace between the confrontation.

While some Covington Catholic supporters deny the students behaved inappropriately on the National Mall and have even applauded their conduct, the scene came as no surprise to others who have questioned the behavior of the school’s students in the past.

Because of this confrontation, many skeletons have fallen out of Covington Catholic’s closet. A photo from 2012 surfaced on Twitter showing Covington Catholic mocking a black player on the opposing team, George Rogers Clark High School.

The photo showed a basketball game at George Rogers. Many students from Covington Catholic were photographed wearing black clothing and painted their faces black. This is known as ‘blackface’. Blackface is typically a form of theatrical make-up used by non-black performers to represent a caricature of a black person.

Well before the controversy over the January 2019 viral video, the photograph was posted on the BluegrassPreps message board, a message board for Kentucky prep schools, as part of a discussion on whether or not The Colonel Crazies’ treatment of in-bounders, players making an inbound pass, should change. The thread included posts from several individuals defending both the antics and the wearing of black paint as well.

According to alumni, Covington Catholic is known for its zealous chanting. They say the school takes pride in its sports. But to some opponents at past games, students’ actions can feel abrasive, and for the most part racially insensitive.

Based on comments found on the BluegrassPreps message board, the intent of the black body paint was not racial but was instead a school tradition related to “blackout” games, during which fans wore black to support the team.

But it’s appalling that none of the students, teachers or staff have learned of the historical offense of blackface. Even the recent scandal whereby three Virginia politicians, including their governor, have worn blackface.

Phillips was quoted as saying he tried to extend an olive branch by asking everyone to “sit down and pray together”, but said the reaction he got was: “Instead, they responded to hate with hate.”

Instead of prayer how about some self-reflection?