No Monkey Business Allowed In This School.

MayorBob.

Posted to Etcetera on Thu Apr 24, 2008 at 09:19:14 PM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.

"What's funnier than a gorilla chasing bananas through a school? Nothing. It was a harmless prank." - Andrew Leinonen

Leinonen was the ringleader at Zion-Benton Township High School in Zion, Illinois.  He wanted to come up with a prank both "hilarious" and "not damaging property or hurting anyone."  On April 17th the prank took place with banana costume-clad seniors chased through the hallways by Leinonen in a gorilla costume.  The prank was executed as planned without anyone or anything being harmed.  However, four bananas failed to slip by school security types and, after a quick session in the principal's office, the rest of the crew were identified.

The administration didn't think too much of the monkey business and slapped all of them with a seven-day suspension.  The school also threatened to bar them from the prom and graduation if they didn't accept their punishment quietly.  School superintendent Deborah Clarke wouldn't say much beyond "we're basically enforcing our policy" on what she called "serious pranks" - anything further would violate "student confidentiality."  The community disagreed with the punishment as being totally too much for the infraction - the punishment for getting into a fight in school is a five-day suspension.  A group of students was planning a protest.  But Leinonen and the Banana Bunch have opted to serve out the suspension rather than get banned from the prom and graduation.

Let's consider the senior prank for just a bit.  As pranks go, the Zion-Benton stunt seems benign compared to some from out of the past.  Consider, for a moment the bizarre, the crude, the embarassing, the perplexingly artistic, and the traditional.  Time to share your recollections of the best, cleverest, most criminal, lamest, or worst senior prank you ever participated in or heard about.