By: Nicholas Riggs and Oliver Musters

    The senior prank: a final farewell for high school graduates. Four years have culminated in this moment: a chance to leave your mark before graduation. Recently however, the prevalence of these humorous antics has drastically reduced. Despite them dying out at MRHS, senior pranks have undoubtedly made an impact within the school community and in popular culture.
  High school seniors have exclusive activities throughout the year, and senior pranks are a popular, often unofficial and student-led way for the graduating class to leave its final mark on their community. With each year that a prank doesn’t occur, it is less likely to happen in subsequent years. A key part of the high school experience is tradition, and without continued observance of this tradition, the senior prank as we know it may die out completely.

   “I feel like a lot [of pranks are] based on tradition or lack thereof. If the year before doesn’t do [a prank], it’s probable that the year after doesn’t do one,” MRHS graduate and art teacher Mr. Sinn commented. 

    In addition, senior pranks serve to both end the school year on a lighthearted, entertaining note and celebrate the seniors’ progress via schoolwide festivities. Despite this, the senior prank must tread the delicate line between innocent humor and harmful activity, since if the line is not treaded properly, the prank will take a turn towards harmful extremes. 

   “There was a prank when I graduated in 2009. We saran wrapped the entire school; the inside, outside, commons, desks, [everything]. A lot of saran wrap was purchased. Our [prank escalated too far when] someone spray painted part of the parking lot,” Mr. Sinn stated.  

   While senior pranks have been performed within past years, it is less likely that the Class of 2026 will revive the tradition, as there seems to be no widespread plan for an all-encompassing class stunt. However, despite that students have considerably redefined how they celebrate the end of the year, a smaller scale prank could still take place.
  “I plan on celebrating through senior week, hanging out with my friends. As a senior prank, I want to fill the commons area with a pool of water and goldfish,” senior Gabe Summerfield said. 

   In spite of their waning prevalence, senior pranks still have left a mark on the MRHS community and society as a whole. Love them or hate them, senior pranks are an endangered part of the high school experience, one of which maintains relevance in spite of waning popularity. Whether or not the tradition becomes extinct, their lasting legacy will never be erased from the school community’s history, hopefully influencing student culture even in its absence.