The Toronto Catholic District School Board has issued an apology after a quote misattributed to Adolf Hitler was featured in a picture display at a Grade 8 graduation ceremony.

The quote, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” was included in a video display of graduates at Holy Rosary Catholic School.

The quote was attributed to Adolf Hitler in the display, though its actual origin is unclear.

In a statement provided to CP24, the TCDSB said that staff have since spoken with the student who provided the quote and believe they “made an honest mistake” and did not intend to reference Hitler, whose Nazi regime was responsible for the murder of millions of Jews.

“We are deeply sorry that this happened. Upon learning that this individual’s name was used by one of our students, the school removed the quote and the name referenced in the material,” the statement reads. “The parents and school staff spoke with the student and believe the student made an honest mistake by copying a quote found online. The student has expressed sincere apologies for not knowing any better.”

The TCDSB says that staff are “deeply upset” that the misattributed quote was not caught sooner and was allowed to be featured during the graduation ceremony.

They say that staff are committed to ensuring that such an incident “never happens again” and will use it as an “opportunity to review the importance of research and fact checking with students as well as Holocaust education.”