# Senior prank > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Senior_prank > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Senior_prank.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_prank > Source revision: 1352714426 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Organized prank by a school's senior class}} {{More citations needed|date=June 2022}} [[File:Abi09.JPG|thumb|right|A stairwell filled with balloons at a [Gymnasium](/source/Gymnasium_(Germany)) in [Saarbrücken](/source/Saarbr%C3%BCcken), Germany]] A '''senior prank''', also known as '''muck-up day''' in Australia{{cite book|last1=Victor|first1=Terry|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GIuEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA444|title=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|last2=Dalzell|first2=Tom|date=2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134615346|page=444|language=en}} and the United Kingdom,{{cite book|last1=Young|first1=Sheila M.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sfqwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA170|title=Prenuptial Rituals in Scotland: Blackening the Bride and Decorating the Hen|date=2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781793603876|page=170|language=en}}{{cite news|first=Nicola |last=Woolcock|date=16 May 2019|title=Head cancels school prom after girls' last-day pranks|language=en|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/head-cancels-school-prom-after-girls-last-day-pranks-25vzb2bl2|access-date=5 November 2019}} is a type of organized [prank](/source/Practical_joke) by the [senior class](/source/Senior_(education)) of a school, college, or university. They are often carried out at or near the end of the [academic year](/source/academic_year) and are part of school traditions. While most senior pranks are harmless, more severe pranks can include damage to school property and other crimes, which can result in disciplinary or even legal repercussions against the perpetrators.{{Cite web |date=2003-06-05 |title=Students Let Animals Loose in School |url=https://www.michigansthumb.com/news/article/Students-Let-Animals-Loose-in-School-7353133.php |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=Huron Daily Tribune |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Tennessee high school principal suspended, 100 students banned from graduation for senior prank |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/100-tennessee-students-banned-graduation-prank-article-1.2211579 |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=New York Daily News|date=5 May 2015 }} ==Common pranks== Common senior pranks include but are not limited to:{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} * Adopting unusual or fancy dress, especially at schools with strict uniform policies * Using [water pistols](/source/Water_gun), [stink bomb](/source/stink_bomb)s, [water balloon](/source/water_balloon)s, or [shaving cream](/source/shaving_cream) on each other or on teachers * Issuing fake announcements over the [public address system](/source/public_address_system) * Starting barbecues in unusual places * Imposing parking levies on the staff car park * Issuing staff with detentions or uniform infringements * Putting small [polystyrene](/source/polystyrene) balls in the air conditioning, thus making it 'snow' in the building * Chalk graffiti * Filling elevators with hay or spreading bird seed in the staff parking lot to attract birds that then deconstruct the cars{{cite web |last=Sun |first=the Beatrice Daily |title=100 pounds of birdseed irreparably damages new Beatrice field |date=23 May 2013 |url=http://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/pounds-of-birdseed-irreparably-damages-new-beatrice-field/article_b0b0e383-6a58-5a6b-86aa-565dc5934393.html |accessdate=21 June 2018 |publisher=}}{{Failed verification|date=August 2018}} * Setting up tents and making it appear that the seniors had camped overnight on school grounds * Having a party in a faculty/underclassmen parking lot to confuse the parking situation * Toilet papering the school or power lines around the school * Changing the sound that the school bell makes after each period == Responses == Incidents such as graffiti, vandalism or harming other students are dealt with in a number of ways, as the students despite finishing school have not yet graduated and, in the case of students enrolled in academic subjects, have yet to sit their exams. In extreme cases, or those involving non-students who turn up on the day, the police may be called. Some schools announce a day off for the rest of the school, while others conduct an assembly to formally farewell the final-year students during the day's events.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} == By region == === United States === thumb|Part of a senior prank at a school in New Hampshire, in which several doorways were blocked with chairs The practice has been banned within some schools in the United States, and replaced with formal leaving activities to ensure students do not commit crimes or vandalize school or other property.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} === United Kingdom === In the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), muck-up days are common in [private schools](/source/Private_schools_in_the_United_Kingdom) and [state school](/source/state_school)s, and members of staff (particularly grounds staff and porters) often unofficially assist the perpetrators.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} Examples of such traditions include stealing the school's clocks as makeshift trophies or removing styluses for interactive whiteboards.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} === Australia === In [Australia](/source/Australia), muck-up days are a common practice in many schools, although their nature has evolved over the years such that activities are usually pre-approved by staff (e.g., a year coordinator) and may not harm staff, students or property.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} At [Scotch College](/source/Scotch_College%2C_Perth) in [Perth](/source/Perth), the Year 12 boys' valedictory dinner was cancelled by the school after some students vandalised and ran partially naked through two nearby girls' schools.{{cite news |last=Catanzaro |first=Joseph |date=17 October 2009 |title=College cancels dinner after muck up day antics |work=[The West Australian](/source/The_West_Australian) |url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/6229407/college-cancels-dinner-after-muck-up-day-antics/}} == See also == * [Capping stunt](/source/Capping_stunt) * [Practical joke](/source/Practical_joke) ** [List of practical joke topics](/source/List_of_practical_joke_topics) * [Skip Day](/source/Skip_Day) * [Student prank](/source/Student_prank) == References == {{Portalbar|Schools|Society|Education}} Category:Australian youth culture Category:Student events Category:School traditions Category:Practical jokes Category:Observances in Australia Category:Education in Australia --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Senior prank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_prank) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_prank?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.