On Friday May 23, the back parking lot was transformed into a dog park. As a senior prank, dozens of seniors brought their dogs to school with them—one student, not to be left out, brought his pet gecko—surprising both administration and teachers.
The stunt was planned on the Class of 2015 Facebook page the week leading up to the event. “I walked into the [back parking lot] with my dog, Lucy, and was pretty surprised with the amount of people who brought dogs and other pets,” said senior Alex Finci. “It was hilarious seeing all of the dogs running around the [parking lot] and the campus.”
Walking into the parking lot, one could see dogs—both on and off leash—and crowds of students swarming delightedly around the animals. “Two of my friends put their dogs in the front seat of one of their cars, and they were sitting in the driver and passenger seats and it sort of looked like they were high schoolers getting ready for the day,” senior Lauren Lampl said. According to Lampl, the prank was planned with the intention of being funny and not destructive. “It definitely got its fair share of laughs and a few raised eyebrows,” she said. Many of those raised eyebrows came from members of the administration, who told students to keep their pets off of campus and take them home once school started, or risk suspension.
Some pets did manage to sneak their way onto the campus, making an appearance in the AIM classrooms in the student center and a few other classrooms.
According to an announcement by Principal’s Secretary Mary O’ Leary during the daily bulletin, some students experienced allergic reactions caused by the dogs, so the pets had to be removed from the campus immediately. Although not everyone enjoyed the prank, “in the end, Lucy and I had a great time,” Finci said.