The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

The student news site of Peddie School

The Peddie News

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Opinion: No Such Thing as Too Far for Pranks?

By: Jesse Zhou’16
Staff Writer

It has been a nationwide tradition at most high schools that the graduating class pulls a prank near the end of the year. Pranks have ranged from the stink bomb, which makes the air vents smell, to filling up the hallway with cups of water. They are a somewhat sadistic but always entertaining way to pay homage to an institution that has nurtured students through adolescence.

However, recently, the senior prank caused much dissent and controversy within the faculty and the students. On Apr. 9, during a Community Meeting that seniors were not required to attend, a group of students took backpacks from the theatre to the chapel, where they arranged them to spell out “LOL” (laugh out loud) on the chapel steps. Yet, during this process, faculty members noticed and intervened, making students return the backpacks to Kerr field, thereby derailing the prank.

The faculty should have let the seniors have their fun, as the pranks are usually harmless and inconsequential shenanigans that cause no actual damage to anyone’s property. This year’s prank only involved people’s backpacks. The faculty overreacted since they feared that the moving of the backpacks would cause much disruption. In fact, even after moving the bags back to Kerr field, there was still much confusion as to whose items were whose. Those who are against a senior prank must understand that while this is a learning institution, students can still have good-natured fun. Things like a moved backpack are not that big of a deal and it is all in good fun. Even underclassmen can appreciate this sentiment. “As long as I get my stuff back, I don’t really care,” Victor Leo ’16 said.

We can apply this mode of thinking for any future senior pranks. I agree that pranks should be allowed with a bit of oversight from faculty members to make sure nothing gets out of hand. But one must keep in mind that the purpose of the prank is only to have some fun with fellow classmates. As long as it does just that, then senior should be allowed to continue with their plans. Thus pranks should be allowed, because they encourage a lighter atmosphere and let students take their mind off their work for a brief moment.

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