Pinnacle Classical Academy student goes viral after Jan. 6 costume wins school contest

A local charter school student's photo is going viral after dressing as a Jan. 6 insurrectionist for a school costume contest.

A photo of the student dressed in a furry hat with horns, face painted red, white and blue, and proudly toting a cardboard podium with the seal of the United States House of Representatives on it, was posted by a Pinnacle Classical Academy teacher on the teacher’s personal Facebook page. The 11-year-old boy is pictured in two photos, one of him standing in front of the school and another shows him inside the building.

The costume was a replica of the outfit worn by Jacob Chansley, one of the men who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Chansley is currently serving a three-year prison sentence.

The photo was shared by Pinnacle Classical Academy Athletic Director, Brandon Gosey, who stated on his personal Facebook page that the child won first place in a costume contest.

“Tonight, one of my students won 1st place in his age group for the best costume. He’s a free thinker with his own opinions and beliefs. Every child deserves the same opportunity,” the post reads.

Gosey’s Facebook account could not be found Monday. He is also a member of the Rutherford County Board of Education and a former teacher at Burns High School.

“He is not employed with Burns High nor anywhere within Cleveland County Schools,” said Greg Shull, Cleveland County Schools spokesperson. “He left our school district in June of 2021.”

Shelly Shope, headmaster of Pinnacle Classical Academy, said the costume contest was a parent-sponsored event held last week.

"There were no uniform requirements for the evening," Shope said in an email to The Star. "I spoke with the child's parent this morning and she confirmed that there was no malicious intent with the costume - he really just loved the hat. I have also spoken with Mr. Gosey who reported that he removed the post immediately."

She said she has had one email from a parent to which she responded directly.

"This is an 11-year-old child whom I don't feel has a meaningful understanding of the January 6th incident - but had a love for a hat he thought was cool. This situation has been dealt with and is closed with our parents," Shope wrote in the email.

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She did not respond when asked if Gosey will face any type of disciplinary action or whether it violates a school social media policy to share students' photos on personal accounts.

Since being posted by Gosey, the photo has made its rounds on the Internet.

The post was featured on an Instagram account called homegrownterrorists which features examples of anti-semitism, fascim, far right nationalists and insurrectionists in cities and towns across the nation. According to the bio on the page, the site has been referenced in the New York Times, Vice and Washington Post,

The post featuring the photo, which was created Sunday, had more than 23,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments by Monday morning. The post was pinned, which means it will stay prominently featured at the top of the page.

One person listed the contact information for the school’s administrators.

Some expressed concern about a child’s photo being shared and slammed on social media.

Most of the comments criticized the parents for allowing and encouraging the costume.

The child's mother declined to comment.

As for Gosey, this isn’t the first time the educator has faced criticism over a social media post.

In 2018, he issued a public apology after sharing a meme mocking Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who made allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

The meme insinuated that Ford couldn’t have been sexually assaulted because she wasn’t attractive enough.

Multiple people called for his resignation from the board.

"I am very sorry for sharing the facebook post,” Gosey said in an email to a media outlet. “In hindsight, I should have taken more time to consider the message that was being sent by the post. Had I taken that time, I would not have shared the post. I never intended to be disrespectful to anyone. I realize now that the post was offensive, unprofessional and inappropriate. While I can't "Undo" any action I have made at this point, I hope my community members will accept my apology."

Messages left with Gosey, Rutherford County Board of Education Chair, Phillip Morrow, Pinnacle Classical Academy board chair, Debbie Clary, were not returned.

The Star chose not to share the photo used in the posts.

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Post of Pinnacle student's Jan. 6 insurrection costume goes viral