If your school is more relaxed, you may be able to get away with pulling a harmless senior prank, but not all schools will look the other way!
Do not put fish in the toilets or pool (as the chlorine of the pool will kill them). [3] X Research source
Keep in mind that most of the time, the bigger the prank, the more people you’ll need to pull it off.
For example, it’s not funny to pull a prank that mocks a teacher or a student at the school, or put Vaseline on the floors to make them slippery. The former makes someone else the target of your joke, and the latter can result in someone falling and getting seriously injured. The definition of “harmless” may vary among schools. A classic senior prank of filling cups with water and placing them in the hallways might be harmless if your school has an outdoor campus, but may cause water damage and irritate the janitors in an indoor campus.
Some faculty members or administrators may even let you into the school during hours when you’re not supposed to be there. If you get permission from the staff, stick to the prank you said you’d be doing. Don’t lie to them and pull a different prank, or start semi-rioting while on campus and break everything. This has legal ramifications for both you and the school faculty. Be prepared to make modifications to your prank if necessary. For example, if the school administrator requests that you don’t use a particular item that you were going to use, be willing to take that out of your prank.
If they have friends who might have some good ideas or things to contribute, let them join you too.
Avoid classic “pranks” like egging, spray-painting buildings, or toilet-papering the school. It’s difficult to clean up after and can get you in trouble. As a general rule, don’t have your prank involve any sort of bodily waste. This has gotten people arrested. [5] X Research source
The time. When will the senior prank be unveiled to the school? It’s one thing to pull a prank during school hours, but if your prank requires some extensive setup before school, you’ll also need to figure out when you can get in without a teacher spotting you (if you don’t have staff permission). The budget. A more elaborate prank will probably require more money, and if school property is damaged, you may have to pay for it. Who’s with you. Is your plan to split up among the school or work in groups? Is someone the ringleader and others just the supporters, or is the work of the prank divided up equally? Transport. If you need to get to the school at an unusual time to set up your prank, you’ll need to figure out how to get there and back. Can you walk, drive, take public transport, or get a ride with a friend? Backup plans. What will people do if your entry route is locked, someone gets trapped in a room or injured during the setup, or you (or someone else) gets caught?
If you don’t want to get caught pulling your prank, steer clear of days when there will likely be school administrators patrolling campus after-hours - for example, nights where your school’s football team is having a game. You’ll also want to avoid any days where you know your school is having a visitor, such as a guest speaker. This can make a really bad impression not only on you, but on your school as well. Be prepared to change your date at the last minute, especially if a good part of your prank is executed during the school day. Sometimes, the school board or another public official may show up unannounced to conduct an inspection or observe something. This too can leave a bad impression on both you and your school.
Don’t count on getting your supplies at the school. Using school materials for your prank can be considered theft. [6] X Research source Bring the aluminum foil from home - don’t take it from the Home Economics room!
Have a way to communicate with them on campus, especially if you’re going to be working on the prank at night or in separate spaces. Texting via (preferably silenced) cell phones, perhaps in a pre-made group chat, or using old-school walkie-talkies are good options.
Preferably, your prank should be completed before sunrise.
If you’re working with others, you may want to agree ahead of time on a meeting point after everyone has finished their part of the prank so that nobody lags behind.
Don’t do this with a certain if you know that they won’t find it funny. Do it with a teacher who is known to be laid back.
If you want to prank the administration, too, try putting tags or cards on the objects saying that students who find the object should bring it to the principal or vice principal. You can even write that the administrator will give a prize (which will confuse them), or that the student has to do something unusual (e. g. doing the Cha Cha Slide). Don’t hide anything that would actually be needed, such as computer equipment - this could get you in trouble, as it disrupts the school day.
Get music to play on the school intercom or in a classroom at a time when this wouldn’t normally be expected. Going on the intercom can usually be accomplished with permission from your school administrator, while playing it in a class would usually need teacher permission. Have the seniors burst into a musical number or begin playing instruments at an odd time. This should be a fun, lighthearted school appropriate song that everyone (or most people) knows. Hire someone to play an instrument. You can just hire someone to do something such as play the bagpipes in front of the school, or take it a step further and hire a marching band to play all around the campus!
Be careful not to wrap up things that generate excessive heat, such as a computer - this could be a fire hazard.
Play “Never Gonna Give You Up” or an equally notorious song over the intercom. Put in lighthearted fake announcements, such as “All freshmen must obey the seniors” or “It has been decided that the graduating class of (insert graduation year) will forever be the best class this school has ever had”
Have everyone hand the principal an item when receiving their diplomas. Common items to use for this are coins, marbles, Legos, or even jingly bells! If you’re in a big school, chances are the principal will have to be putting the objects in their sleeves before long. Bring cardboard cutouts of celebrities or cartoon characters wearing graduation caps. Place them in the lobby or even in the back of the auditorium. Organize a flash mob. During the weeks leading up to graduation, learn a song and dance routine. Try and talk to a speaker ahead of time and have them say or designate a word or phrase in their speech that signals the performance to begin.
