May 24, 2024, was unlike most school mornings at Sunny Hills.

During zero and much of first period after that, instead of students being in their classrooms, most likely preparing for finals the following week, more than a handful can be seen in the quad.

A few — male and female students — wore blue gloves, the kind that custodians or those in the food industry would wear at their work place.

With those gloves on, they pushed heavy-duty brooms with yellow handles against the moistened concrete in the quad.

They cleaned derogatory writings and drawings and picked up leftovers of toilet paper falling off trees in the quad. They scrubbed remains of eggs thrown at lockers and wiped away more offensive words on certain classroom windows or walls.

Then-junior Dante Rosete recalled his Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher, Chris Vogt, had offered his first-period class a deal many couldn’t resist accepting.

“Our first-period teacher gave us the option to stay in class or help clean for a small amount of extra credit,” Rosete said. “I was personally happy because I got free extra credit for an easy task; the other people thought that it was unfair.” 

Then-sophomore Ayden Currier, who was in his first-period video production class, said he didn’t mind doing some non-academic work.

“I ended up doing the cleanup because my teacher asked who wanted to help,” said Currier, who has since transferred this school year to Rowan County High School in Kentucky. “I am happy they asked because I made friends out of it, [but] the drawings were definitely not supposed to be on school property.” 

Like Vogt and Regional Occupation Program video production teacher Danny Flores, science instructor Mason Morris said he told his students about his concern regarding the senior prank and implored his zero-period class — most of whom were then-sophomore Associated Student Body [ASB] students — to help make the campus more presentable again. 

“I had already prepared a lesson plan for that day, which included covering the final topic of the year and reviewing for the upcoming final exam,” Morris wrote in an email interview. “However, when I saw the mess left behind — including inappropriate and unkind comments directed at staff and teachers on various surfaces around campus — I asked my zero period students … if they would be willing to help clean up during the first 15 minutes of class. 

“Every one of them volunteered, and they did an excellent job removing many of the offensive messages.”

Morris said when his students returned, he took the opportunity to elaborate with them about what they had witnessed.

“I thanked them, and we had a meaningful discussion about why senior pranks should never involve demeaning others or damaging school property,” he wrote in the email. “The students all agreed that kindness and respect should never be compromised for the sake of a joke.”

Principal Craig Weinreich added it was no laughing matter as to how long it took for the campus-wide cleanup to be completed.

“It took all summer last year to clean up some of the stuff that was left over,” Weinreich said. “[Antics that involve campus vandalism is] not encouraged; it’s not condoned, and there will be consequences [if it happens again].”

Nevertheless, the principal has opted not to issue any warnings ahead of time this last month of the school year for anyone considering a similar senior prank or to top the damage last year’s actions caused.

“We have a very nice campus, and you know, unfortunately, people are not creative in pulling a prank, and they come in and destroy something that they’ve been a part of for four years,” Weinreich said. “I’m always optimistic that they’ll make the right choice.” 

ASB adviser David Fenstermaker agreed, fearing that any discussion with students about what happened last year or what could happen this and future years would give it more attention than it deserves.

“When you’re creative and original and funny, and it’s fun, as long as it’s not illegal, it’s usually OK,” Fenstermaker said. “It’s just a very dangerous game that you play when you are in a situation where you’re doing actual [damage], because there’s a monetary value at stake. …When there’s damage, you end up in trouble.”

COULD YOU GO TO JAIL IF CAUGHT DAMAGING SCHOOL PROPERTY?

Morris said he believes students should know what the consequences are for their damaging actions.

“Regarding how we talk about past incidents, I think it’s a balance,” according to the science teacher’s email. “While we don’t want to encourage copycat behavior by giving too much attention to the worst examples, I also think it’s important that students clearly understand where the line is and what the consequences are for crossing it.”

Despite no official warnings to the student body, Weinreich agreed to provide The Accolade the following information in regards to consequences for anyone considering activity similar to what happened last year.

• loss of senior activities
• student fines
• disciplinary actions
• have as many of the class of seniors to clean up the mess

The principal said depending on the severity of the damage, school officials could choose to contact law enforcement, and anyone caught could face criminal charges.

School officials said they believe the prank this school year was much tempered. On the morning of Friday, March 16, some students observed administrators erasing the remains of an act of vandalism on the boys locker room wall that had phrases like “Troy is better” and “Sunny sucks.”

Custodians also reported a possible prank involving unspecified items abandoned in the school pool on that same morning; also, The Accolade sign was vandalized as the word “next” was scratched off in the phrase, “Bringing the next generation of news to you,” outside Room 138. The “d” in the online website’s URL was also removed.

Other faculty on campus who are SH graduates have also been willing to speak to The Accolade about consequences past senior classes have faced because of their antics.

Math teacher and girls basketball head coach Jae Byun said his Class of 2010 suffered the loss of a pageant show known as Mr. Sunny Hills that recognized male seniors. The then-annual event was canceled because someone or some seniors poured oil on the hill road way leading up to the Performing Arts Center.

“My friends were bummed out, but we knew our consequences were justified for our actions,” Byun said. “It was a close friend of mine [who got caught], and I know that to this day he wishes it wouldn’t have played out the way that it did; [he] got expelled and fined a substantial amount from the City of Fullerton.”

A LEGAL AND APPROPRIATE WAY TO PULL OFF A SENIOR PRANK?

What happened to the campus last year has prompted some students to consider alternatives to acts that offend staff or damage school property.

“I would participate in the senior prank event as long as the pranks are harmless and don’t involve vandalism,” junior Sarah Martell said.  

Senior Hannah Saab said an ideal prank would be humorous and still respect school property, like when her International Baccalaureate math teacher, Jeremy Craig, mentioned how the students at his old high school had a party in the school’s pool.

“I’m a bit worried about my senior class,” Saab said. “I’ve talked with many students who also think last year’s pranks weren’t good, so hopefully ours are better and tolerated by the administrators.”