Senior pranksters leave manure in hallways, cause $2,000 in damage at L.A. school

Students and teachers at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies arrived at their last day of school Wednesday morning to a few surprises.

A part of the annual senior prank, graduating seniors dumped manure in the hallways and soap in the campus ponds and spray-painted "2011" on the wall of the gym at the Mid-City school.

"It was very easy to clean up, but just the idea of coming to school and finding it vandalized — our school is very, very clean and this doesn't happen here," Principal Margaret Kim said. "We were all very, very upset, but we know it was meant to be a prank."

Although the damage and cleanup fees amounted to $2,000, Kim said no permanent damage was done, and everything was cleaned up by about 10 a.m.

Kim said that it would be difficult to learn who committed the prank, but that if she finds out she will ask the students to pay for the damage and participate in some sort of campus cleanup project.

Senior pranks are common at LACES and as long as students don't cause permanent damage, target specific students, hurt someone or commit a crime, Kim said, she understands that it's considered an annual rite of passage for seniors.

"It was horrible and it should not have happened, but a senior prank is a senior prank," she said.

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