Graphic | Aubrey Eckroth

SPRING SHENANIGANS

Steve Madler shares insight on senior pranks

FEATURE | October 2025

What are some past pranks?

Having completed my 30th year in education, I have seen several different “pranks”. Some have been extremely witty, and others have been downright destructive, which isn’t considered a prank at all.

At the risk of generating ideas for the next generation of students, I will answer this by saying senior pranks have been around for a very long time all over the country.

Many are well executed and maintain good-natured and well-intentioned fun. Some are over the top and incur big expenses for those involved or the taxpayers, so we work diligently to deter students from getting themselves into these types of situations.

Have any pranks been destructive?

Yes. Actions that involve vandalism, destruction of property, defamation of character, of school personnel, etc. would all be investigated, and consequences would follow these actions: School consequences would involve out-of-school suspension and the loss of participation in the graduation ceremony under our code of conduct policy.

From a legal standpoint, criminal mischief has an escalating degree of charges based upon the dollar value of damage caused. Defamation is considered a Class A Misdemeanor.

From a defamation standpoint, the student could face civil liability as well, which means there is the potential of getting sued by the victim.

Another piece which would come into play is a newer law in North Dakota, which states: if a person is involved in criminal activity and is wearing a mask to conceal their identity during the crime, it is a Class A Misdemeanor.

As an example, the students involved in the prank last year showed up with masks on. If their actions would have turned into criminal behavior, they would have received charges for the criminal actions and an additional charge for using a mask to conceal their identity.

How does a prank get approved?

For the past several years, leaders in the class have come to administration asking about the appropriateness of things they were planning.

The litmus test we use is what was mentioned previously. If it fits that guideline and there is a plan in place for cleanup, we give our blessing.

A well-executed prank would be one that does not cause harm to anyone or the building and does not require a lot of cleanup on behalf of school staff.

We want students to enjoy their final days at CHS, and we want them to have fun. If we can work together with class leaders and, in turn, class leaders influence their class, we will get the kinds of pranks that all can laugh about.

How could a student make a safe and school-appropriate prank?

The simplest way for a student to make a good decision is to ask themselves: ‘If I do this, would I be comfortable telling the most influential person in my life what I did?’ If they would be embarrassed to talk about it with their role models or if they would experience utter humiliation if loved ones found out, it is obviously not an appropriate prank.