Senior prank for the ages turns tables on the tradition

Principal told "hold the bucket," but not why


You normally hear of the bad senior pranks that involve damage or destruction, but seniors at one Kansas high school have turned the idea of the senior prank on its ear.

North High School senior Emily Jones told her principal to hold an everyday bucket in the hallway of the school, The Wichita Eagle reported.  Originally, he was not going to have any part of it, but after prodding from a school secretary, principal Sherman Padgett reconsidered and  the payoff for changing his mind will stick with him forever.

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He took his post, waiting for the worst. One senior passed by, dropping a piece of paper into the bucket. Another student repeated it, and then another until about 20 students silently dropped a note into the bucket. In the end, the "prank" was over and Padgett went back to his office, KWCH/CNN reported.

That's when the question was answered and Padgett realized how he has affected his students' lives more than he could ever imagine.

A sampling of what was written:

"You've made my first year experience in America one that I will always fondly remember."  (KWCH/CNN)

(You) "helped me get through my eating disorder and helped me get into therapy" (KWCH/CNN)

"Thank you for the shirt you gave me.  When I didn't have clothes on my back, you provided." (The Wichita Eagle)

Jones told KWCH/CNN that she wanted to do something nice for the principal who has been there since 2006, and came up with the "prank" with her mother.

More students have been adding to the initial notes. Padgett told The Wichita Eagle he plans to keep them all, saying that it was better than a paycheck, according to KWCH/CNN.