Revenge prank veers off course
A group of Marlborough students were sent home while an investigation was carried out after a revenge prank on a rival school.
About 30 senior students were given their marching orders from Marlborough Boys’ College after attacking the girls’ college across town with eggs and cling wrap.
It was initially thought the year 13 boys smashed windows and covered the building with paint, but a meeting between the school, the boys and their parents, revealed that damage was carried out by vandals not from the school.
The students returned to school for two days before going off on study leave ahead of exams.
The prank, at the end of October, was supposedly in response to an earlier attack in which the boys’ college was covered in chalk, cling wrap and eggs by students from Marlborough Girls’ College.
Marlborough Boys’ College principal Wayne Hegarty said the boys were neither suspended nor stood down, but the school had decided to use the incident as a ‘‘learning opportunity’’.
‘‘We wanted to put a stop to the pranks, it wasn’t about disciplining them but educating them,’’ Hegarty said.
‘‘We brought the police into the meeting to talk to the students about the law, and the consequences of what could happen when a prank turns into vandalism.’’
Marlborough Girls’ College acting principal Jo Chamberlain said her school had not made a formal complaint with police, instead ‘‘the two colleges are working together … to best support the ongoing learning of our students’’.
‘‘There were elements of the girls [end-of-year celebrations] that we weren’t happy with … we don’t condone silly decisions that will be harmful to people or property, and we communicated to our students we believe in celebrating the end of a journey, and having fun, but stressed the importance of making sound decisions,’’ Chamberlain said.
Blenheim police said they were aware of the incident, but were not conducting any inquiries.
The antics between the two schools included a ‘‘grundy run’’ when about 70 year 13 boys ran across Marlborough Girls’ fields in their underwear, while the girls hurled water balloons at them.
It was said the goodnatured antics were ‘‘pay back’’ for the girls’ own ‘‘grundy run’’, but also for a good cause as they raised more than $120 for Movember.
Meanwhile, two high school pranks resulting in injuries made headlines last week.
A Hamilton Boys’ High School pupil required stitches when he was hit by motorbikes driven by Waikato Diocesan School for Girls students wearing only underpants, shoes, and helmets.
And in Wellington, a baby boy was injured when a group of students threw a balled-up rotten sandwich directly at his head.