As the school year comes to an end, high school students have begun to enjoy several year-end traditions such as prom, graduation, and every prankster’s favorite: Junior vs. Senior Wars.
While many teens look forward to indulging in pranking their peers and teachers, many schools are dreading the toilet-papered houses and egged cars.
In recent years, the community has seen an uptick in vandalism and property destruction associated with the tradition and school officials are encouraging parents to warn their teens against participating in the pranks.
Joy Griffin, director of marketing, PR, and communications for Gainesville City Schools recently spoke to AccessWDUN about how this issue has grown in the past few years.
“We're aware that this time of year, there are senior and junior pranks that are occurring, but it's not school affiliated or sanctioned in any way by the school,” she said. “We see it happen as a nationwide trend, actually.”
In most schools, students who participate in the wars work on a point-based system with Juniors and Seniors competing to earn the most points. Throughout the course of the week, students may roll the houses of teachers and faculty members to earn bonus points. Typically, students send in pictures of their handiwork to an anonymous account that posts the pictures on social media and keeps track of which class is in the lead.
While the majority of the accounts state they are not affiliated with the schools and threaten to take points away from students who cause damage to properties. It does not always stop some from taking pranks too far.
Griffin explained that when students severely damage property in the name of the rivalry, they could face consequences with not only the school but the law as well.
“Our high school administration has discussed and discouraged this behavior,” she said. “And we know that typically, it's good-natured and harmless. But we want to be sure that our students don't go too far. When there's property damage or physical harm to someone, then there can be criminal or civil charges that are outside of our school jurisdiction. But we have to rely on the adults at home after school hours to reinforce this message and ultimately hold their students responsible.”
However, schools are not the only ones trying to prevent this behavior.
In a Facebook post from the Hall County Sheriff's Office, the organization noted that in recent years, vehicles, homes, and landscapes have been significantly damaged by eggs and paintballs. Some pranks have even been classified as trespassing or breaking and entering, which are considered criminal charges.
“Parents, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office is appealing to you to discourage your students from participating in these activities,” the post read. “We get it – you may not know where they are at every moment, but please have a discussion with them about the potential consequences of their actions.”
HCSO also said that many homeowners are prepared to file charges against these acts and in years past, several students have been arrested for participating.
The department told homeowners who experience vandalism or property damage to call 911 or the department's non-emergency line at 770-536-8812.
