Senior pranks
Looks like it’s not a good year for senior pranksters – at least not those in my colleagues’ articles from Haldane and Hendrick Hudson.
Did you or your friends commit a senior prank? What was it and what happened?
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going to jail for a prank that doesnt and wouldnt hurt anyone is ridiculous. and NO i wont share if/what I may or may not have done.
Going to jail for a prank that doesn’t and wouldn’t hurt anyone is ridiculous. Going to jail for breaking the law isn’t. Can anybody really deny that the kids broke the law? Last I checked, trespassing is still illegal. There may have been no malicious intent but they still broke the law. The kids screwed up and now they are learning the important lesson of something called consequences. The school system is punishing them in the most effective way: embarrass them and their families. Embarrassed families punish their children saving the justice system from having to do it for them. After that, it’s highly doubtful any criminal sanctions any greater than community service will be handed down.
I think that these young people displayed extremely poor judgement in carrying out this “prank” and that they should suffer some sanctions; however, I believe that subjecting them to felony charges is an overreaction by the authorities. Not allowing them to walk with their class to receive their diplomas and perhaps some form of community service (since their actions cost the community a significant outlay of funds in bringing in the bomb squad, etc.) will hopefully be enough to raise their consciousness.
Chris,
They would be trespassing if they DIDNT go to the school.
If you belong to the school you arent trespassing you are just in it outside of ours. That shuoldnt be a felony.
I think that we all need to take a step back here.
A senior prank.
Not allowing these students to walk in the graduation ceremony is very inappropriate.
Students now are subjected to images and real life circumstances at a much earlier age than any of us ever had to deal with.
Students have to get the great grades, so that they get into the great school, they have to take AP so… blah, blah, and blah.
I wish that more school districts, and parents, put a bit more focus on letting the kids…. be kids.
We are rushing them into adulthood, and as many of you know, once you are there, there is no turning back.
Let’s celebrate kids being kids, let your hair down a bit and celebrate laughter.
The world just might turn out to be a better place if we smiled more often.
I graduated High School over 30 years ago, and I still smile when I think about our senior prank. Then it was hilarious, now it would probably raise a call for psychological testing.
Smile and let’s try to be happy!
I’m all about kids being kids but, unfortunately for them, a lot of those involved are legally adults. If they can’t show proper judgment before going away to college without adult supervision, should they continue to be coddled? And I agree: If you go to your own school, that’s not trespassing. But when you get a key, get in during the middle of the night, and break the law, that’s still illegal. If I got a key to BJ’s, got in during the middle of the night, and tape alarm clocks all over, that’s illegal too. I can say that it’s my grocery store all I want and that it should be considered wrong, but it’s still trespassing. Just because it’s your school or grocery store doesn’t mean you can go in and out whenever you feel like it.
And besides, this is not a result of people going after kids or anything like that. This perfectly describes post-9/11 America. It’s sad but it’s true. People can’t get away with now what they got away with in the past. We have to use extra caution in all situations due to the constant threat of terrorism.
Streaking was once a “prank”. Now it would be considered aberrant behavior.
I do not like the idea of breaking into a school and that should not be given a pass.
To not allow students to attend graduation ceremonies, however, is misdirected anger.
The school district itself should be embarassed that individuals did enter the facility without their knowledge. Maybe the School Administrators should be prohibited from attending the ceremonies, for not designing approprite care and saftey controls into their facilities in this post-9/11 era.
Have the kids do some community service, explain the potential problems with what they did, but don’t ruin their memories of their HS years.
These are the young adults that we want to become homeowners and taxpayers in the communities in which they were raised, which is becoming increasingly more difficult as you may know.
I have not heard that they created any monetary damages.
It is a prank,and they may now understand how things are post 9/11, but just as “political-correctness” is something that has gotten too far out of hand, now is the time to enjoy life and a good laugh once in a while.
I think the only damages incurred so far will be paying those who responded, court costs, and embarrassment to all parties involved (students, school system, teachers, community, law enforcement, justice system, etc.).
To punish these students by not allowing them to participate in graduation only makes a bad situation even worse. Let the judicial system do what they need to do (however, felony charges seem a bit harsh). The students have been told by the Administration that participating in graduation is a privilege that they will now lose as a result of their behavior. I always thought that the graduation ceremony was a right or reward of completing all academic requirements to receive the diploma. On another note, whether the students are guilty of breaking and entering is in question. They apparently used a key that went missing possibly a year or more ago and the Administration, which was aware of this missing key by their own admission) never corrected this issue (changing the locks to the HS). Sure glad it wasn’t in the hands of some picked on, bullied, disgruntled student . Just imagine the scenarios that could have taken place with this Administration’s poor judgment!
This is very disappointing to hear that this could have been avoided by the school administration taking more appropriate action at the time. Parents should attend the very next BOE meeting to question the Superintendent and the Board as to what immediate actions have been taken to ensure the safety of that building now that it has been demonstrated that it has been comprised and that additional non-controlled keys may exist.
If there are consequences for the students, then the consequences for the administrators should be disclosed simultaneously.
First off, i would like to say that this prank was never intendedd to be a bomb threat. The seniors simply thought that it would be funny to have over 100 alarm clocks go off during the last day of school. The only reason the clocks were wrapped in duct tape was so no one would be able to reset them.I do agree that it was wrong of them to break into the school and they should be punished for that, and only that. They should not have to have jail time or miss their graduation ceremony. And as for the 60 kids forced to do five hours of community servise just for contributing $5 to the purchase of the clocks, they should not be getting punished at all. How would they know that the kids would break into the building. If anyone should be punished, it should be the administration. If they knew a key had gone missing, they should have changed the lock.
You take responsible for your action.
It called growing up.
If you have wronged someone, you do not have the right to determine your own punishment.
Suck it up. You do the crime, you pay the time.
it was clearly a prank. it is rediculous that they have to go through all the trouble of going to court,paying fines, and possibly going to jail.. it is rediculous espically because EVERYONE knows that it wasnt meant to scare anyone. Not being able to cross at graduation shouldnt have anything to do with the situation. Isnt being charged with a felony enough? its taken way out of hand. and for the people who chipped in maybe just a dollar. how did they know what was going to happen.. they didnt. some seniors who planned on planting the clocks everywhere asked for a few dollars, they helped out. This who situation is rediculous. i am going to the seniors graduation, and i wont see my 2 best friends cross because of this crap. its taken to such a far extent. but in 5 years maybe 1 we will look back and laugh at how dumb the administrative system is. I am hoping they atleast get on the MTV show. High school pranks, scandals, and controveries. in a few years theyll loook back and class of 2007 is known for a crazy-ass prank that got the bomb squad and dogs to the school!
Just set the record straight the prank was not intended to be a “fake bomb prank” as it is portrayed in the article. It was just so all the alarm clocks would ring at the same time as an obnoxiuous disturbance.
the problem today is that every one is so securoty conscious. to the point that we are losing our feedoms and that everything becomes a criminal act. wake up everyone 1984/F 451 have arrived. we are now under totalitarian rule. just look at what rights we have lost in the last 5 years.
back in the day you would have gotten a suspension from school, not arrested. lets be real you all know it to be true. if the cops caught ya they would give ya a scare and you would have to pay for the damages. but charge ya?! for what?
It’s a shame that we live in such a paranoid, alarmist society. The kids who broke in to the school should be punished, as should the administration officials who decided having a set of keys to the school out there somewhere was not a threat.
It’s a shame we can’t vote people like the Superintendant or high school principal out of office.
Kids are kids, and kids do stupid things so they can grow up and learn from their mistakes. The administration seems to have forgotten that.
If the administration of Hendrick Hudson High School had taken the correct action in providing the students with the highest level of security (their responsibility, I believe) by replacing the locks when they became aware of a missing key thereby compromising school security, the key used by the students would not have opened the school. I do not believe any of the 19 students would have then broken into the school by other means and the prank would have continued as was originally planned early in the school day on Monday. This entire situation mostly likely would have never occurred.
wait a second. if you have a key. you havent broken in…
;-]
having the key means maybe you were supposed to..
;-]
For all of you who are saying this is the school’s fault: that is about as STUPID as blaming a rape victim who was “asking for it” because of what she was wearing. THEY BROKE INTO THE SCHOOL. Breaking and entering is a crime. It is unbelievable that no one is willing to take responsibility for that. This community needs to wake up.
Dear Bella,
As points of clarification:
-It is inappropriate for young adults to enter a premise without authorization (with or without keys).
-It is reprehensible that adults (Administration who are compensated for their employment) were aware that their building’s security was compromised and apparently did nothing to deal with the issue over the entire period of time that they were aware of this condition.
Each issue stands on its own; however, the lack of action by the administration was clearly contributory to this incident. In fact, their failure could have created a very real problem with very serious consequences
Trying to whitewash this administrative failure by throwing the students in front of this issue as a “human sacrifice”, is bad behavior by adults who should know better.
I am an alum of Hendrick Hudson. The year I graduated, some kids in my class brought in horse manure from a nearby stable and jammed the locks with toothpicks, along with the standard toilet paper on trees and shaving cream renditions of genetalia. Of course, this was in the wonderful idyllic times of twin towers standing tall, weirdo kids slaughtering jocks, and no one caring about anything that went on in the Middle East. Those kids got to walk, charges weren’t pressed, and that September, they went on with their lives to their respective colleges. Of course, it helped their cause that a good majority of them were BOE kids and/or had parents that rubbed shoulders with those on the BOE, in addition to their parents being able to afford good attorneys if need be. If they had lacked that (power and money), their story may have been a different one to tell.
I completely agree with Michael’s opinion regarding this incident. The kids played a dumb prank, they had access to a key that I doubt any of them were authorized to have (that could constitute as breaking and entering/trespassing, not completely sure), used duct tape, which is now synonymous with any sort of bomb-making, and cheap clocks found at the nearest Wal-Mart. However, those keys had been missing for a year and the district didn’t do anything about it? How expensive could changing the locks be for the district, especially when that audit turned up an extra million or two? I thought the cheapskate days were over when Bocassi retired (BTW, thanks for making part of my alma mater look like a barn).
The administration has much to answer for in this incident; their hands are far from clean. In a recent JN article, Mr. Tito Davila talks about punishment and terrorism (key words to get the public on his side) and that “these kids should know better”. However, he, the one of all sagely wisdom, has no comment when it comes to the failure of the district to replace the locks when a key went missing for a year (you think after a week or two, it’s not going to show up). Of course, Principal Mackin plays dumb when he’s been on staff for around five years at the high school (well enough time to witness five years of the act of depraved criminality known as the senior prank).
Relating this to terrorism is just another means to breed a system of fear into civilians by people with some sort of authoritarian stance. The more I hear cops carry on about a “post 911/Columbine/tradgedy of the week” world to compensate for their overreaction (couldn’t this incident been handled in a more low-key way without all the sirens?), the more it sounds like an empty excuse for their excessive behavior (yeah, I’m sure international terror operatives want to blow up a school in Westchester County). It’s even worse when the media blows it out of proportion and attempts to brand the incident as a general indicment of “kids today”. If you honestly can’t remember why kids would want to pull pranks, then what do you remember from adolescence?
Sometimes I feel like I have stumbled into a warped version of Satre’s “The Flies” in this world. I honestly hope that these kids aren’t sacrificed to save some Keystone Administrators’ hide. Fine the kids, make them do community service (only the ones directly involved), but don’t lock them up on felony charges and throw away any chance they may have for a future because of the administration’s ineptness that made it very easy for this prank to be completed and the cops pulling all the stops and whistles. But then again, it is Hen Hud we’re talking about…
QUICK EDIT: In one of my sarcastic statments, I meant to say “before weirdo kids slaughtered jocks”...
Dearest Bella-
You obviously don’t have children that currently attend HHHS. I have two children at that school and I am enraged to find out that this administration knowingly compromised the security of this school for the greater part of this school year. I will not condone what the 19 students did (and I am not sure you can call it breaking and entering when you have a key, possibly just trespassing), but I expect some answers from this administration concerning their lack of judgment. I am not blaming the school administrators for the actions of the students, but, come on, these guys get paid $150,000-200,000+ to do a job, which includes providing a safe, secure building for out HS students.
Their cranky and rude because they did not have a nap
They fail because the teacher st&*ks
They rape because the victim was a slut
They kill because the victims picked on them
They steal because life was cruel
They cheat because they are under pressure
They do drugs because their friend is a bad influence
They get speeding tickets because the cop was a ba%$#rd
They trespass, break the code of conduct because the Administration was at fault
And when they end up dead or in jail its because no one ever made them responsible for their actions
Carol, that’s just about it.
Dear Carol –
Please answer these questions:
1) Is the administration’s reckless & careless behavior separate from the student’s pranks?
2) Should the Administration bear consequences for this reckless & careless behavior, without regard to whatever the “punishment” to the students is?
I am disappointed to see these students are being offered up as “human sacrificesâ€?, when none of this would have ever happened if the locks were changed, when they should have been.
As a parent, I think these questions need to be answered.
Using these young adults as a cover by highly compensated professionals is disgraceful and should not be tolerated.
The majority of the psoted comments are almost as alarming as the actual incident. I hope that most of these are not from parents or adults. These comments are indicative of a society that has sunk into relativism and looking avoid blame for mistakes. The bottom line is these kids made an error in judgement. They probably violated the law and we’ll leave that up to the courts. They did violate the schoool’s code of conduct that I’m sure they and their parents signed at the beginning of the year. This is now an opportunity to learn-yes it is hard and painful, but not the end of the world. How would they have felt if one of the emergency responders injured temselves or someone else as they rushed to the scene?
Rather than blaming the school for lack of security, take the time to reflect that it was your actions that caused the incident. Be greatful that no one was hurt.
Michael, if they found a gun, does that mean they can use it? Just the fact that they found the key doesn’t mean it’s right that they used it in locks that remained there. Why didn’t they give in the key?
And “human sacrifices?” They’re going to get a slap on the hand for this, and they won’t be able to walk at graduation. That’s about right. They broke into a building for which the taxpayers pay. That was really stupid.
Dear A Mom –
Now we all understand what you believe should happen to the students.
Please tell us what should happen to the Administrators.
Thank you.
Dear Michael,
Nothing. They didn’t break into a public building. I’m sure they’ll get new locks now.
Don’t blame others for stupid actions. That’s not what adults do.
Dear A Mom-
Are we to then assume that Administrators (paid Adults) as a matter of safety protocol should only change locks of a school building only after the first time someone breaks into the building, knowing full well that keys are missing?
That doesn’t sound like good protocol to me.
I wonder if the rest of the parents think that approach is good enough for the safety of their children. It’s not enough for me or my children.
Which administrator would have been responsible for reporting the lost keys and deciding whether or not to change the locks? Head Custodian? School Principal? Superintendent? Whomever it is should be severely punished: either suspended or fired.
What if the school were on lockdown and someone with bad intentions was able to get in? To not change the locks is inexcusable.
Michael, I don’t know the ins and outs of how the kids got the keys happened. I think that if the key was missing for a year, and a kid had that key for a year, then that kid was planning this for a long time. Luckily, it turned out the way it did. Did the administration know the key was missing? That brings in a lot of questions.
As it stands now, a kid had that key and didn’t hand it in. I don’t think that says a lot about the kid. As for the administration…I’m sure that’s being investigated. The question at present is the bad judgement of the students. Pointing fingers in every direction doesn’t change that. In fact, it’s just an annoyance.
As a parent who has been involved this year in the PTAs of two schools (held office in one) and attended many, many PTA meetings, this district was quite vocal about ways to increase our security at all our district schools. There is now staff immediately inside the entrance of all schools and visitors are required to sign in. As I have said before and will say again, I unfortunately think that the students must be held accountable and it is a difficult lesson to learn. HOWEVER, I WILL NOT tolerate the Administration’s disregard for the safety of all students at a school for ANY reason. I expect an explanation of their actions because as a taxpayer in the HHSD, I, along with most of you, pay their salaries. Regardless of the punishment of these students, the administration needs to be held accountable. I am a parent of a student who will complete 5 hours of community service so that the privilege of participating in graduation is returned. He will be made accountable for his actions. Now it is time for the Administration to do the same.
Lynda, who in the administration knew that the key was missing? Just curious.
Is anyone aware of how many administrators, coaches, custodians, groundskeepers etc have keys to these buildings? Keeping track of keys to the multiple doors is next to impossible. Hence, the alarm system, which was set and worked. Parents who teach kids to blame everyone else for their mistakes are not doing their kids any favor.
Both the principal and the superintendent knew the key was missing. Also, Carol, there was staff in the building (who I believe should not have been there on a Sunday evening) when the students entered the building and that is why the alarm did not go off. That is the time gap that no one will talk about. Did you know that? There was staff in the building who had disabled the alarm while in the building. When they departed the building, the alarm was set which was then triggered by the students who were still in the building. Bet you didn’t know that part of the story.
Bottom Line: Parents need to stop blaming the administration, teachers , janitors, and anyone else associated with the school district. These kids made an error in judgement and they are learning a lesson. They won’t go to jail, they’ll do community service and miss the graduation ceremony. That’s it.Hopefull what they will learn will last a lifetime-your actions and words have consequences. In this case the consequences, thankfuly were minimal. For all those parents that are yelling at the administration, let me ask you how you would feel if one of the emergency responders coming to the scene which they thought was an actual bomb scare, got hurt or hurt someone else? Be greatful that did not happen or these kids would be in much more serious trouble. It’s time to move on and teach your children well.
Dear mr-
Please answer these questions:
1) Is the administration’s reckless & careless behavior separate from the student’s pranks?
2) Should the Administration bear consequences for this reckless & careless behavior, without regard to whatever the “punishment� to the students is?
Yes, the students bear responsibility for their actions. It should be appropriate.
Why should the student’s action cause us to ignore the reckless & careless behavior of the administration?
The ADMINISTRATION should also bear responsibility for their actions. It should be as appropriate and proportionate as the consequences to the students.
There are several issues that need to be addressed by the Adminstration of Hendrick Hudson High School:
1. The Administration needs to address why, in this day and age, they knowingly did NOT change the locks to the school when the keys were lost. I find it irresponsible that they lost the keys a year ago and did not change the locks to the school. Why aren’t they addressing this issue? I want to know as a taxpayer in the Hen Hud District. It’s careless behavior on their part.
2. The Adminsitration did not tell the truth about this incident to parents who attended a meeting with them to discuss the school prank. When asked about the prank, they made it seem as though the kids broke into the school, and then the alarm went off. They made a big deal about their wonderful alarm system and that’s why they didn’t need to change the locks in the school when the key was reported missing. They also said that they did not have enough money in the budget to change the locks to the school.
Later, I learned from postings here that the alarm was turned off and there was someone in the building at the time the kids entered the school. Why was someone in the building? Why was the alarm turned off? Where was the person who was in the school at the time when kids were inside on Sunday? Apparently, the students had time to place a large numbers of clocks in the building on Sunday night without someone hearing them or without the alarm going off.
3. Why aren’t people in the Hen Hud School District screaming and yelling and complaining about the Administration failing to provide adequate security for their kids who attend the school, by failing to change the locks?
We as taxpayers pay for the School District to place a guard in the school during school hours. Why can’t they pay to change the locks on the doors, as well? What if a gunman broke in the back door during school hours, by using the stolen key, and caused harm to the students.
I am not going to talk about the break-in in this post – My point is that the Administration needs to answer our questions and be responsible for their careless behavior.
But, it’s obvious to me that the Adminsitration won’t answer us until they get pressure from the community or the parents or from some governing body. Perhaps everyone should write a letter of complaint to someone higher than the School District. Then, we may get answers.
Really nice article you wrote here!