Ellen DeGeneres graced invitations for the eighth grade graduation dance at St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School in Newtown, but principal Nancy Matteo has apologized to parents and ordered them returned so she can destroy them. 
 
 Ellen DeGeneres graced invitations for the eighth grade graduation dance at St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School in Newtown, but principal Nancy Matteo has apologized to parents and ordered them returned so she can destroy them. 
 
 Nancy Matteo apologized for using a picture of Ellen DeGeneres on an invitation. Matteo said it was wrong since DeGeneres "lives her life outside the teachings of the Catholic Church." 
 
 She is demanding students to return the invitations to be destroyed. 
 
 The principal of a Catholic school in Bucks County is apologizing to parents for using a photo of Ellen DeGeneres on an invitation to an Oscars-themed graduation dance, and is demanding students return them to be destroyed. 
 
 It was "completely wrong" to use DeGeneres' picture because the lesbian celebrity "lives her life outside the teachings of the Catholic Church," St. Andrew Elementary School principal Nancy Matteo wrote in an email to parents on Tuesday. The text of the message was provided to Philly.com. 
 
 The email doesn't specifically mention DeGeneres' sexual orientation. She famously came out in 1997 and married actress Portia de Rossi in 2008. 
 
 She first hosted the Academy Awards in 2007, becoming the first openly gay entertainer to do so. DeGeneres also hosted March’s ceremony. The image on the graduation-dance invitation appears to be a promotional shot of DeGeneres holding an Oscar statue taken in advance of this year's event, and the top of the invitation reads "Live from the red carpet." 
 
 In the email, Matteo says she was "obviously NOT thinking" when she let the invitation to the June 8 dance be distributed with DeGeneres’ photo. 
 
 "Perhaps I was distracted by the Oscar," she wrote, calling the entertainer a "poor role model." 
 
 "A role model, as defined by Webster's Dictionary, is a person who is unusually effective or inspiring in some social role, job, position, etc.," the email says. "This does not describe her at all. We work so hard to be good role models and then I go and do something stupid!" 
 
 Matteo declined to comment for this article. 
 
 She said in the email to parents that students needed to return the invitations featuring DeGeneres to school and new ones would be issued. 
 
 "I need every single invitation returned and I will personally destroy them," wrote Matteo, who in 2002 became the Newtown school’s first lay principal, according to its website. 
 
 She added: "Once again, I am sorry for my lack of forethought. I look forward to receiving the old invitations and distributing new ones." 
 
 Msgr. Michael Picard, the pastor of the parish, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
 
 A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the principal apologized on her own accord after parents questioned the photo. 
 
 "All Catholic schools in the Archdiocese are firmly rooted in Gospel-based values and the teachings of the Church," spokesman Ken Gavin said in a statement. "As such, it is expected that any promotional materials developed by these schools would feature images and themes that correspond with their core mission and identity. That approach is logical and our school families have a right to expect it." 
 
 In several recent incidents, Catholic schools and students have asked the "Ellen" show to highlight their causes. Last year, 11-year-old Caroline Pla appeared on the show after starting a petition to let girls play in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Catholic Youth Organization football league. Archbishop Charles Chaput later decided to permit girls to play after Pla started a petition and raised awareness about the issue. 
 
 And earlier this year, staff and students at a Buffalo-area Catholic school protesting the school’s planned closure wrote to "Ellen" in a bid to have the show air their fight. 
 
 Contact Emily Babay at 215-854-2153 or ebabay@philly.com. Follow @emilybabay on Twitter. 
 
 Contact the Breaking News Desk at 215-854-2443 or BreakingNewsDesk@philly.com. Follow @phillynews on Twitter. 

 In the immortal words of one Rodney King, “Can we all get along?” Apparently, when religion gets in the way, maybe not. 
 
 Need proof? Look over there, in inane Iran, and over here, in silly Philly. 
 
 In Tehran, people were arrested this week for appearing in a YouTube video set to the Pharrell Williams song “Happy.” Their crime? Apparently, dancing — though maybe you’re not supposed to be happy in Iran either. 
 
 As CNN reported: “Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia ordered the arrests of the three men and three women for helping make an ‘obscene video clip that offended the public morals and was released in cyberspace,’ the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported Wednesday. Authorities forced the young people to repent on state TV.” 
 
 As in: 
 
 POLICE: “Just what were you doing?” 
 
 MISERABLE VIDEO STARS: “Uh, we were dancing and being happy. We’re so sorry. We repent. We promise we’ll never dance or be happy again.” 
 
 #Happiness is our people's right. We shouldn't be too hard on behaviors caused by joy. - tweet from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani 
 
 Fortunately, someone on Wednesday got a clue, and the six were freed, though not the director of the video. Perhaps it helped that Hassan Rouhani — you know, Iran’s president — issued this tweet (or someone did, using his Twitter account; and if it wasn’t Rouhani, stand by for some more fun confessions): “#Happiness is our people’s right. We shouldn’t be too hard on behaviors caused by joy.” 
 
 No, we shouldn’t. But in the name of religion, we apparently are. 
 
 Meanwhile, lest you think the thought police are confined to Iran, we have the case of the “Great Ellen DeGeneres Photo Flap,” right here in the good-ole U.S. of A. 
 
 As Philly.com reported: “The principal of a Catholic school in Bucks County is apologizing to parents for using a photo of Ellen DeGeneres on an invitation to an Oscars-themed graduation dance, and is demanding students return them to be destroyed. 
 
 “It was ‘completely wrong’ to use DeGeneres’ picture because the lesbian celebrity ‘lives her life outside the teachings of the Catholic Church,’ St. Andrew Elementary School Principal Nancy Matteo wrote in an email to parents on Tuesday.” 
 
 Seriously? Yes. And here you thought DeGeneres’ biggest failing was “Open House.” 
 
 But it gets worse: 
 
 “The image on the graduation-dance invitation appears to be a promotional shot of DeGeneres holding an Oscar statue taken in advance of this year’s event, and the top of the invitation reads ‘Live from the red carpet.’ 
 
 “In the email, Matteo says she was ‘obviously NOT thinking’ when she let the invitation to the June 8 dance be distributed with DeGeneres’ photo. 
 
 “ ‘Perhaps I was distracted by the Oscar,’ she wrote, calling the entertainer a ‘poor role model.’ 
 
 “ ‘A role model, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is a person who is unusually effective or inspiring in some social role, job, position, etc.,’ the email says. ‘This does not describe her at all. We work so hard to be good role models and then I go and do something stupid!’ ” 
 
 Uh, no, principal, that wasn’t stupid. What you’re doing now is stupid. 
 
 Ellen DeGeneres is a comedian. She’s a talk show host. She hosts the Oscars. She’s actually really funny. Her act is even pretty clean — somewhat refreshing in this day and age. 
 
 Oh yea, and she’s a lesbian. 
 
 So? 
 
 Some of the kids at that Catholic school are lesbians too. And it isn’t easy for them. And you just made it a whole lot worse, because you and others apparently are sure that God hates gays — or at least that is the message you are sending to those kids. 
 
 Well, some folks in Iran think their god hates dancing, and women who don’t wear scarves. 
 
 All I can say to that is: Folks, if that’s what your god thinks, and demands of you, you need to get a new god. 
 
 Or, if that’s too hard, at least keep your god out of our lives.
– Let's see, Ellen DeGeneres likes to dance, and she also likes to host the Oscars. So it kind of made sense when an elementary school near Philadelphia sent out invitations for an Oscar-themed dance innocently adorned with photos of the celeb. Except: The school is Catholic and its principal remembered belatedly that DeGeneres is gay and thus a "poor role model" for students, reports Philly.com. Nancy Matteo of St. Andrew's school in Newtown issued an email of apology to parents asking for "every single invitation" to be returned so she can "personally destroy them." "A role model, as defined by Webster's Dictionary, is a person who is unusually effective or inspiring in some social role, job, position, etc.," she wrote. "This does not describe her at all. We work so hard to be good role models and then I go and do something stupid!" The LA Times, lamenting in its headline that "you can't be happy in Iran, you can't be gay Pennsylvania," suspects that Matteo is going to regret this move far more than the original invitation.