High schoolers reveal they secretly spent night at principal’s house as part of senior prank

A group of high schoolers have documented how they snuck into their principal’s house and spent the night there, as part of their senior prank.

Last month, the St Andrews High School, which is based in Middletown, Delaware, shared the footage of the prank on its Instagram account. The video started off with the head of the boarding school, Joy McGrath, exiting the bedroom of her home, while she was wearing a robe and yellow crocs.

When McGrath discovered the students on the floor of her kitchen and living room, she opened her mouth in shock and stepped back into her bedroom. A few moments later, she reopened the door and left her room, as she greeted her students. “Good morning little bunnies!” she exclaimed.

McGrath proceeded to look around her room, as she asked “how many” of her students were there. She pointed a few students out and told them they were in the “most trouble”, before taking a walk around her entire home.

The video went on to show all the students in their sleeping bags or covered in blankets, as they were lying on the floor and laughing. When McGrath asked them how long they had been there, they told her that they had arrived at her home at 1am.

McGrath was ultimately shocked by this, as she responded: “How did I not hear you? You’re like commandos.” She continued to walk around the room and look at her students, while complimenting their senior prank.

“This is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Incredible!”

St Andrews High School went on to explain the prank in the caption, noting that the “Class of 2023 [got] McGrath good”.

“Last night, the ENTIRE senior class snuck into her house at 1 AM and bedded down for a good night’s sleep all over the first floor of her residence,” the caption reads. “No, she didn’t wake up! Watch to see the big reveal when Ms. McGrath came down for her morning coffee at 6 AM.”

As of 2 June, the video has more than 1.7m likes, with multiple Instagram users praising McGrath’s reaction to the prank in the comments.

“This is the teacher they will still be talking about in 40 years. Cheers to her!” one wrote, while another added: “Her reaction >> you can tell she loves her students.”

A third added: “This is what you call a teacher that is making an impact and doing something right with our youth!!”

During an interview with Today, McGrath explained how over 70 students spent the night at her home with the help of her spouse, Ty Jones. More specifically, she noted that Jones is the one who left the front door of their home unlocked, so the high school seniors could sneak it.

McGrath went on the emphasise how surprised she was, when first seeing the teens in her living room. “I was in shock. They were in every possible corner like sardines,” she said. “It took me a second to realize, ‘This is a senior prank!’”

St Andrews student KaiChun “Austin” Chuang also spoke to the publication, noting that he and his peers came up with this prank after their senior prom. He explained that when McGrath invited him and his classmates “over for breakfast at like 12 am”, a different idea came to mind.

“Someone joked that they wouldn’t mind going to bed right there in the living room,” he recalled. “Then a couple of us glanced at each other like, ‘hmmmm.’

McGrath noted that right after this prank, she and her husband did have breakfast with the high schoolers, before they returned to their dorms. .

With all jokes aside, Chuang praised his principal, as he acknowledged how important she is to him and his classmates. “Mrs. McGrath takes such good care of us,” he told Today. “Whenever people have a problem, they feel comfortable talking to her. She works hard to build trust.”

The Independent has contact St Andrews High School for comment.