‘Moms Were Going Crazy’: Why Pranks At All-Girl Catholic School Went Too Far

Parents whose angry protests over the cancellation of an end-of-the-school-year event spurred police calls are getting more details about the pranks that prompted administrators’ actions at the all-girl Catholic high school in Farmington Hills.

Mercy High School annually holds a “moving up” ceremony that includes a full day of festivities, but administrators pulled the plug on the May 22 event because senior pranks got out of hand and were “mean spirited,” Mercy President Cheryl Kreger wrote in a letter to parents, the Detroit Free Press reports.

In her letter to parents, Kreger said the students had trashed restrooms, leaving toilets inoperable; pushed furniture together in the cafeteria and bound it together with duct tape and plastic; and taped feminine hygiene products throughout the building, among other things.

In the past, senior hijinks haven’t been personal, Kreger said, but some of the pranks this year targeted specific staff members.

“It was determined that it was not something that could go unnoticed or without a response and consequences,” she wrote.

You might also like:

• Teacher Isn’t Laughing Over Visine Prank

The Free Press reported that police were called after a mob of angry parents began yelling at school administrators for canceling the event.

A 2011 graduate of the school, Emily Moreau, 21, was at the school that day and described the scene that caused the school to call police:

“The moms were going crazy, screaming at the administration. They said their daughters earned this. There was at least 30-plus mothers. When it got out of hand, the cops were called.”

Eventually, about 100 upset parents were part of the ruckus.

Farmington Hills Police Chief Chuck Nebus told the newspaper that police left without filing charges. The altercation was verbal only and didn’t escalate to a physical confrontation.

Tell Us:

• What’s an acceptable prank? When does it go too far?