Editorial: Let senior pranks act as a lesson to other graduates

After 13 years of tests, homework and reports almost 2,000 East Pierce graduates crossed a stage and accepted their well-deserved diplomas.

Missing from the ceremony were four Emerald Ridge seniors who were arrested, and then suspended, for tagging five high schools with the phrases “ERHS ‘08” and “ERHS rules.” Every year, graduating seniors participate in this sort of prank as though that’s part of the rite of passage into adulthood. For example, high school seniors on Bainbridge Island last week spray painted eight police cars, racking up $12,000 of damage.

These are not innocent pranks by 14- or 15-year-olds, but by seniors standing on the cusp of adulthood, ready to tackle life after high school. It’s doubtful these young men intended any great harm, but one of the harsh realities of adulthood is that you are no longer treated like a child. The four Emerald Ridge students learned that when their schools banned them from the graduation ceremony.

It’s a reminder for their classmates, and other graduating seniors: after graduation, your community will see you as an adult; live up to those expectations.