Massive senior prank ‘devolved rapidly’ — and now Texas students have to pay for it

What started as a mostly harmless senior prank involving Post-it notes eventually led to a mass destruction event at a Texas high school.

Because of the vandalism caught on video at Memorial High School in Frisco, students involved could face charges and will have to pay for the damage.

The senior prank occurred on Wednesday, May 18, and the students were given permission to use Post-it notes on the walls of the campus, school officials said in a letter to parents obtained by McClatchy News.

“Staff members were on site to monitor students but the situation devolved rapidly, and the Frisco Police and Fire Departments became involved,” the letter stated. “A small group of those students vandalized the campus to a point that classes are not able to be held at MHS for the remainder of the week.”

Video shows smoke bombs released throughout the school, furniture toppled over or destroyed, and debris filling the hallways. As was originally the plan, the students also plastered the colored Post-it notes along the walls and windows.

School officials said the walls, ceilings and floors of the 30,000 square-foot campus must be cleaned, and “air quality” also was a factor in the closure. It’s estimated the students caused thousands of dollars of damage.

“These two days were going to be our last days to say goodbyes to people we may never see again, say goodbye to our teachers that we care for so much,” senior Abhi Bandi told KXAS. “It’s the whole class that had it ruined just because of a few kids that decided to vandalize the school.”

Despite the final two days of class being canceled, graduation ceremonies are still scheduled to take place on Friday, May 20.

“They canceled school because of everything that happened. And now, I don’t get to see those teachers that were a big part of my life,” student Katelynn Mabrey, who was not involved in the prank, told KDFW. “And it’s just it’s not funny. It’s not cool. It’s just sad.”

A Frisco officer said the police department is investigating the vandalism and is trying to identify who is responsible, according to the Frisco Enterprise.

“The dollar amount of the damage will determine the appropriate criminal charge(s), and as FISD indicated, they intend on pursuing charges when appropriate,” officer Grant Cottingham told the publication.

Some students have been identified, a school district spokesperson said, and officials are “working through the disciplinary process.”

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