Senior pranks have been a staple of high school culture for decades, a final hurrah for graduating students who feel as if they need a little extra attention before they leave. But at Lake Forest High School, the risks and repercussions associated with these pranks have sparked a debate about whether it’s time to retire the tradition.
In the past few years, there have not been any very prominent senior pranks, partially due to the dean’s diligent campaign to prevent them, which includes an email sent to seniors and their parents and a column written in The Forest Scout,.
Two years ago a few students tried to bring back the senior prank with a slip-in slide that ended before it could even start.
“They poured soap and water, and it was just a mess,” Dean Mrs. Laura Clegg explained. “Had we not stopped it, kids could’ve seriously gotten hurt, cracked skulls, broken bones. It was during the passing period at the end of the day, so students were slipping and falling as they walked through.”
Mrs. Clegg does not want to be seen as the villain who prevents seniors from some traditional fun. Instead, she says her hate for the senior prank comes from a love for the students.
“The last thing I want to see is my favorite kids not to walk at graduation because of a silly mistake,” she said. “But we’ve had situations where students faced suspension or were assigned manual labor, like setting up chairs for events, instead of being excluded from activities.”
This brings up the idea of harmless pranks being a replacement, but Mrs. Clegg understands the true impact of a “harmless” prank.
“I always say there’s no such thing as a harmless senior prank,” she said. “Even something like ‘forking’ the lawn—sticking plastic forks into the grass—may not hurt anyone physically, but it creates unnecessary work for our custodians who work hard to keep our school beautiful. It’s about considering the ripple effect of your actions.”
Instead of ending the year with a prank, Mrs. Clegg encourages seniors to leave a positive legacy.
“There are so many ways to create something meaningful,” she said. “You could organize a ‘thank a teacher’ day or write notes of encouragement to underclassmen. Leaving a legacy is more impactful than a prank, which often comes off as a middle finger to the school,” Clegg said.
Most seniors might not want to hear this as they may be planning a prank of their own, but the truth that it might be the end of the senior prank could hurt.
As the time remaining for seniors at Lake Forest High School dwindles, seniors face a choice: continue the tradition of pranks and face the repercussions of getting caught, or redefine what it means to leave their mark.
