Cooper high school trampoline seniors 2009 prank

Blaine Walls, a senior at Cooper High School, pulled off his senior prank based on his basic mantra of mischief. That's why he conspired with his friends to buy a trampoline and arrange for someone to leave the school door unlocked after a choir concert late Monday night. They sneaked in and assembled the giant frame in the cafeteria with a calling card a bold "SENIORS 2009" spray-painted on the bounce mat in Cooper red and blue.

Students arrived the next day snickering. Even some staff admitted they found it a tad funny. But some had a different reaction last Friday morning when they found a scoreboard on the roof of the science building, a goal post uprooted and the ramp to a portable building torn away.

Principal Gail Gregg, who has allowed some senior pranks in the past, called that one more serious. "Sometimes pranks cross the line to become vandalism," he said, noting the trampoline incident that involved different students was just senior high jinks. After news reports aired about the vandalism and Crime Stoppers tipsters turned in information, four students went to Gregg and confessed.

Typically, such vandalism at a school can be considered a felony and carry a fine and possible jail time. Gregg said senior pranks don't have to be destructive, which is perhaps why he has allowed sanctioned funny pranks ideas in the past.

Gregg said he had to turn down one prank suggestion when this year's seniors wanted to drive trucks into the hallways. "The fire marshal wouldn't allow it," he said.

But some seniors, such as Walls, say asking for permission defeats the purpose of a prank. That's why Blake Holder and his friends didn't bother to let anybody know when they planned a midnight cookout on campus with hot dogs and a 40-foot Slip 'n Slide. About 1 a.m., he said, an administrator came and told them to leave, but they didn't get in trouble.

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