'Wet Wednesday' Antics Result in No Pep Rally

Friday night's Pep Rally at the Homecoming football game against Linden has been cancelled following three days of apparent disruptive behavior at during "Spirit Week," the school's principal confirmed Thursday afternoon.

A massing of students, reportedly mostly seniors, also is shown on a YouTube video apparently taken inside the high school during "Wet Wednesday." Principal Frank Howlett said copious amounts of water were released during that incident.

In response to a question, Howlett said an incident involving a kayak—which others said had been ridden down stairs in the school—had been handled quickly during a previous period when students were supposed to be passing between classes.

"The video takes place during the time when students should have been in class," Howlett said. He said the incident captured on video was "the culmination of three days of disruption by mostly seniors. However, many underclassmen who were directed to class prior to the Wednesday incident did not comply."

Those students can be partially viewed in the video, but most are hidden below the individual who was filming, and are down the connecting hallways, he said.

Howlett said he will email a letter to parents in their online Friday Folders, informing them of the activities that led to the cancellation of the pep rally Friday night.

"I had tried to balance the spirit of the class with the needs of the school but to no avail," the school principal said in the email to Patch on Thurday. He emphasized the spirit week activities, endorsed by the student council and the administration, were not the ones implemented by the seniors involved in the other behaviors.

"On a better note, my administrative staff received many communications of apology from members of the senior class," Howlett said. "They realize that they crossed the line and are accepting of the consequence." 

Meanwhile, prior to the homecoming game, a Senior Tailgate still is set for 7 p.m. on Friday in front of the new gym, according to the school website.

Senior T-shirts will be given out at the tailgating event as well as a catered barbecue prior to the football game.

A Homecoming Dance also is scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. this Saturday in the school's new gym, the website says.

Friday is the last day of Spirit Week, the website says. Students are asked to wear their class colors.

• Seniors wear black
• Juniors wear green
• Sophomores wear white
• Freshmen wear red