A senior prank, also known as muck-up day in Australia and the United Kingdom, is a type of organized

prank A practical joke or prank is a trick played on people, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.Marsh, Moira. 2015. ''Practically Joking''. Logan: Utah State University Press. The perpetrat ...

by the senior class of a school, college, or university. They are often carried out at or near the end of the

academic year An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...

and are part of school traditions. While most senior pranks are harmless, more severe pranks can include damage to school property and other crimes, which can result in disciplinary or even legal repercussions against the perpetrators.

Common pranks

Common senior pranks include but are not limited to: * Adopting unusual or fancy dress, especially at schools with strict uniform policies * Using water pistols,

stink bomb A stink bomb, sometimes called a stinkpot, is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from being used as simple pranks to military grade malodorants or riot control chemical agents. History A stink bomb ...

water balloon A water balloon or water bomb is a balloon, often made of latex rubber, filled with water. Water balloons are used in a summer pastime of cooling off through water balloon fights. Water balloons are also popular for celebrations, including celebr ...

s, or

shaving cream Shaving cream or shave cream is a category of cream cosmetics used for shaving preparation. The purpose of shaving cream is to soften the hair by providing lubrication. Different types of shaving creams include aerosol shaving cream (also kn ...

on each other or on teachers * Issuing fake announcements over the

public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

* Starting barbecues in unusual places * Imposing parking levies on the staff car park * Issuing staff with detentions or uniform infringements * Putting small

polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It i ...

balls in the air conditioning, thus making it 'snow' in the building * Chalk graffiti * Filling elevators with hay or spreading bird seed in the staff parking lot to attract birds that then deconstruct the cars * Setting up tents and making it appear that the seniors had camped overnight on school grounds * Having a party in a faculty/underclassmen parking lot to confuse the parking situation * Toilet Papering the school or power lines around the school * Changing the sound that the school bell makes after each period

Responses

Incidents such as graffiti, vandalism or harming other students are dealt with in a number of ways, as the students despite finishing school have not yet graduated and, in the case of students enrolled in academic subjects, have yet to sit their exams. In extreme cases, or those involving non-students who turn up on the day, the police may be called. Some schools announce a day off for the rest of the school, while others conduct an assembly to formally farewell the final-year students during the day's events.

By region

United States

The practice has been banned within some schools in the United States, and replaced with formal leaving activities to ensure students do not commit crimes or vandalize school or other property.

United Kingdom

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, muck-up days are common in

private schools A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their financial endowme ...

and

state school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

s, and members of staff (particularly grounds staff and porters) often unofficially assist the perpetrators. Examples of such traditions include stealing the school's clocks as makeshift trophies or removing styluses for interactive whiteboards.

Australia

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, muck-up days are a common practice in many schools, although their nature has evolved over the years such that activities are usually pre-approved by staff (e.g., a year coordinator) and may not harm staff, students or property. At Scotch College in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, the Year 12 boys' valedictory dinner was cancelled by the school after some students vandalised and ran partially naked through two nearby girls' schools.{{cite news , last=Catanzaro , first=Joseph , date=17 October 2009 , title=College cancels dinner after muck up day antics , work=

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, ''The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuousl ...

, url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/6229407/college-cancels-dinner-after-muck-up-day-antics/

References

Australian youth culture Student events School traditions Practical jokes Observances in Australia Education in Australia