Crickets, alarm clocks and dropping trou: 5 area school pranks that made history
Ah yes, high school graduation season has arrived.
Tasseled caps are giddily tossed into the air, garishly decorated cakes are cut into and young graduates everywhere are in escape mode, ready for beach week.
It’s a good time of year to reflect on achievements, on dreams realized — and on the school pranks that have made history. Or at least the local news.
2015. The hallways of South Iredell High School. Sounding the alarms.
What happened: Two unnamed female students apparently caused a ruckus Tuesday morning. One student’s father told WBTV that his daughter had placed alarm clocks in lockers. They went off.
The result: Panic. The school evacuated 1,500 students and 200 faculty members.
The aftermath: Everyone was allowed back into the building about an hour later. The two students responsible are in police custody and may be charged with felony hoax by false bomb in a public building.
2011. Myers Park High School graduation. Dropping trou.
What happened: Nicholas de la Canal dropped his pants and split open his gown on the Bojangles’ Coliseum stage during Myers Park High School’s graduation ceremony. The Observer reported that the grad bent over, showing polka-dot boxers.
The result: He was escorted off of the stage and eternally banned from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools property.
The aftermath: de la Canal has since seriously covered CMS news at WFAE.
2009. North Rowan High School hallway. Bug plague.
What happened: It is believed that eight seniors set crickets free in a school hallway. They had a key to the school and released about 450 crickets from a bait shop.
General vibe:
Daily Wrap, September 6th: Rotten Cricket Plague and Volcanos http://t.co/uAY85AI3hi #news #BreakBlog
— Break (@break) September 6, 2013
The result: School officials did not laugh. Not once. The students were charged with damaging school property as well as breaking and entering. They were suspended for five days.
The aftermath: Thanks to custodians and an exterminator, the school got rid of its cricket problem.
2008. Southwest Middle School bus incident.
What happened: Jase Edward “Cubby” Squires, 26, of from the “A.M. Mayhem” show on WIBT radio, climbed aboard the bus at a stop for an on-air prank.
He was allowed on because the driver thought he looked like a child. At the time, he was 5-foot-7 and about 290 pounds… so… really?
The result: No one interfered, but he promptly climbed off again at the next stop.
The aftermath: The bus driver, Shaniece Merchant, who allowed Squires on the bus, was fired by CMS. Squires, along with the rest of the WIBT morning show crew, was disciplined internally.
2007. Hopewell High School. Flyover.
What happened: Two Hopewell students and an alumnus flew a small, rented plane low over the school’s football stadium. They dropped a football and shoes attached to a parachute.
Images courtesy of The Charlotte Observer, Bloomberg News and The State.
This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 12:49 AM with the headline "Crickets, alarm clocks and dropping trou: 5 area school pranks that made history."