Some of the zaniest episodes in WJ’s history have come in the form of Senior Class Pranks. Almost every year since the late 1950’s, with varying degrees of commitment, the senior class has banded together to perform some unique acts of tomfoolery to cement their legacy at the school, or at least create some memorable chaos.
The most famous and mysterious example of historical senior prankery was the “Cow on the Roof” stunt, in which a group of seniors in the early 1960s allegedly led a grown cow onto the roof of the school. According to the legend, because cows can walk up flights of stairs but not down them, the cow had to be removed from the roof with a crane.
Another legend of pre-graduation mischief was the “Cow in the Courtyard” prank of the early 60s, the name of which is largely self-explanatory. This incident differs from the roof prank in its higher veritability; although no first-hand accounts have survived, alum Robb Austin ‘68 insisted on the validity of the tale during an interview with the Pitch in 2018.
Because no solid archaeological or journalistic evidence of these cow-related shenanigans exists in the Pitch archives, we may never know if these stories are myth or fact. However, much evidence exists of the most common form of senior prank in the history books: vandalism.
On several occasions in the past 70 years, seniors have completely trashed the WJ school building as their chosen sendoff. These waves of destruction varied greatly in their severity; most examples of vandalism were a mild annoyance for the school, while others led to serious consequences.
In 2002, a horde of seniors under police supervision decorated the school with, according to the Pitch, “Slogans, autographs, and swathes of toilet paper,” a prank which, while frustrating for the school, led to only minor consequences for those involved. In 2022, however, a particularly catastrophic episode of vandalism led to several students being forced to do community service and one being barred from walking across the stage at graduation.
Perhaps as a consequence of the havoc wreaked by the class of ‘22, the senior prank has become a much less significant tradition in recent years. Although minor pranks have occurred in the past four years, including a fully-fledged tailgate by seniors in the athletic circle on one occasion, It appears that the ambition for disruption which motivated previous classes has not continued into the modern age.
Will the tradition of the senior prank make a resurgence in the coming decades? Only time will tell.
