7/31/2019 Leesburg High Schools Switch Things Around _ LoudounTimes

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Monday, May. 21, 2012 by Laura Peters | 17 comments | Email this story

A Loudoun County seniorlooks confused at her newHeritage High Schoolsenior classmates, asDwight Pendleton dashesto his new assigned seatin his new school for theclass period. T imes-MirrorStaff Photo/ Laura Peters

It took about three weeks to make the spreadsheet, collect the students, switch the parkingpasses and hand out the school maps.

Loudoun County High School senior Ben Messina came up with a plan to switch the seniorclasses of Loudoun County and Heritage high schools for a class period as their 2012 seniorprank.

According to Patrick Stump, a senior at Heritage, Messina and corresponding Heritage seniorOwen Gotimer set up a Facebook page to invite seniors from both high schools to switch thingsup and confuse their teachers for a class period.

Evan Kelly, a substitute teacher for the day, wasnt entirely prepared for the mix up. As he calledout roll to a class almost entirely made up of Heritage seniors, each senior took the identity ofthe names being called out that was until Kelly started passing out tests.

Ultimately giving up for the class period, Kelly succumbed to play a movie for the students.

I think its pretty creative and its funny, Constantin Fabian, senior at Heritage said. Somepeople switched with people they knew and other people were assigned people. We got it

approved by the principal.

Bill Oblas, principal at County even welcomed the Heritage students on the morningannouncements.

This is like the fourth year in a row that theyve pre-scheduled, pre-planned their senior activityand they sort of run it by you, Oblas said. I think thats the kind of kids we have they run it

by you before they d o it.

Previous pranks include hanging bras on the front lawn because the school had thanked theseniors for their support for the past four years. Oblas said that in 2010, students camped out in20 tents, to be the class of 20 tents for 2010.

Weve had a for sale sign put up on the corner of the property with my picture there, saying[the school] was for sale, Oblas said. Weve had forks stuck in the ground, plastic forks, theremust have been a thousand of them. They said, put a fork in us were done. Its always cute

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Leesburg high schools switch things around

7/31/2019 Leesburg High Schools Switch Things Around _ LoudounTimes

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29/12 Leesburg high schools switch things around | LoudounTimes.com

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ideas.

Many students said that the whole point was to confuse the teachers and the prank didntdamage anything so there wouldnt be repercussions.

Lesley Reed, a Heritage senior, said that one of their assistant principals did the switch with thesenior class.

According to Oblas, there were about 126 students participating in the prank. He told Messina tomake sure each student had specific instructions when coming into the school, like where theclassroom was and where to park.

But, it was noticeable of who was out of place. Heritage students gathered in clumps or

wandered the ha lls in confusion, but some County staff members were aware of the prank.

I sent a note out to faculty last night to ask them to take advantage of it and have the studentsshare a little bit about Heritage High School with their classes, Oblas said.

Oblas said activities like this serve as good team building exercises, and its also the last big eventtheyll do together before they graduate.

Well something like this is a lasting memory. As long as it doesnt create damage or disruption,its a good positive memory for kids. I would imagine that one of the things that students talkabout when they graduate and they come back for their five-year reunion, for some of them thesenior prank is a memorable experience, Oblas said. In a lot of cases it brings the class togetherand unifies them. Because, for one last time they get to do as a class and as a group prior tograduation and weve got one more activity and its going to be something thats fun and itsrelated to the school and its sort of a team building for the class, especially when you get 126students that do it together.

Heritage seniors PatrickStump, left, andConstantin Fabian, right,laugh about sitting in aLoudoun Countyclassroom and confusingthe substitute teacherthat doesn't know what todo with a class thatdoesn't attend the school.Times-Mirror StaffPhoto/Laura Peters

Comments

Wed, May 23 at 12:41 PM by Nova native | Report this comment

I graduated a couple years ago from County and all I have to say is that you arenot allowed to get away with anything at that school. Pranks are lame because

we are required to go by Oblas to do them, or risk severe repercussions. Basicallyanything that would cost us our ticket out of Leesburg is not worth it. Dont

blame us, blame the administration with a stick u p their asses.

Wed, May 23 at 11:58 AM by withheld | Report this comment

Senior pranks are only supposed to make it in the newspaper if someone getsarrested. Not having permission is why its called a prank. There is a hugedifference between pulling a prank and breaking the law. The notion that

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