Muck-up day
Encyclopedia
"Muck-up day" is the name given to an unofficial tradition within secondary school
s where graduating final-year students are involved with pranks and other activities on their last official day of school. These pranks are known in the United States
and some other countries as senior prank
s. The practice has been banned within some schools, and replaced with formal leaving activities to ensure students do not commit crimes or vandalise school or other property.
In the United Kingdom
, muck-up days are common in independent schools
and state schools, and members of staff (particularly grounds staff and porters) often unofficially assist the perpetrators.
In Australia
, muck-up days are a common practice in many schools, although their nature has evolved over the years such that activities are usually pre-approved by staff (e.g., a year coordinator) and may not harm staff, students or property.
Common pranks pulled on muck-up days include but are not limited to: adopting unusual or fancy dress, using water pistols, water bombs or shaving cream on each other or on teachers, issuing fake announcements over the public address system, starting barbecues in unusual places, imposing parking levies on the staff car park, issuing staff with detentions or uniform infringements, or simply having a party and popping crackers or throwing streamers everywhere. At some schools that ordinarily have strict uniform policies, teachers turn up in full school uniform on the day, and the students in free dress. Some schools announce a day off for the rest of the school, while others conduct an assembly to formally farewell the final-year students during the day's events.
Incidents such as graffiti, vandalism or harming other students are dealt with in a number of ways, as the students despite finishing school have not yet graduated and, in the case of students enrolled in academic subjects, have yet to sit their exams. In extreme cases, or those involving non-students who turn up on the day, the police may be called. At Scotch College
in Perth
, the Year 12 boys' valedictory dinner was cancelled by the school after some students vandalised and ran partially naked through two nearby girls' schools.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s where graduating final-year students are involved with pranks and other activities on their last official day of school. These pranks are known in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and some other countries as senior prank
Senior prank
A senior prank is a type of organized prank pulled by the senior class of a school, college, or university to cause chaos throughout the institution. The pranks are usually carried out at the end of the senior school year as a going away mark on the school, and in some cases have become something...
s. The practice has been banned within some schools, and replaced with formal leaving activities to ensure students do not commit crimes or vandalise school or other property.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, muck-up days are common in independent schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
and state schools, and members of staff (particularly grounds staff and porters) often unofficially assist the perpetrators.
In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, muck-up days are a common practice in many schools, although their nature has evolved over the years such that activities are usually pre-approved by staff (e.g., a year coordinator) and may not harm staff, students or property.
Common pranks pulled on muck-up days include but are not limited to: adopting unusual or fancy dress, using water pistols, water bombs or shaving cream on each other or on teachers, issuing fake announcements over the public address system, starting barbecues in unusual places, imposing parking levies on the staff car park, issuing staff with detentions or uniform infringements, or simply having a party and popping crackers or throwing streamers everywhere. At some schools that ordinarily have strict uniform policies, teachers turn up in full school uniform on the day, and the students in free dress. Some schools announce a day off for the rest of the school, while others conduct an assembly to formally farewell the final-year students during the day's events.
Incidents such as graffiti, vandalism or harming other students are dealt with in a number of ways, as the students despite finishing school have not yet graduated and, in the case of students enrolled in academic subjects, have yet to sit their exams. In extreme cases, or those involving non-students who turn up on the day, the police may be called. At Scotch College
Scotch College, Perth
Scotch College , is one of Australia's leading independent schools for boys, situated in Swanbourne, Western Australia, Australia. The school is a member of the Public Schools Association and is now a Uniting Church school, although it was founded in 1897 by the Presbyterian Church of Australia...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, the Year 12 boys' valedictory dinner was cancelled by the school after some students vandalised and ran partially naked through two nearby girls' schools.