Tradition and toilet paper, two things that go together at Marietta High School.
Each year on the eve of the first day of school, Marietta High School seniors toss toilet paper all over the school. Tuesday evening, they gathered in the parking lot with white rolls and water bottles in hand. After nearly three hours of hurling the bathroom staple at trees and the main sign, the seniors rolled out at about 10 p.m., leaving a paper-filled campus in their wake.
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Credit: Katelyn Myrick/AJC
Marvin Crumbs, Marietta High’s principal, said that the tradition spans back before he became principal on June 1. In fact, Marietta’s seniors have been launching bathroom rolls since the ‘60s. Back then, students had to sneak out in order to pull their prank. The district’s now embraced it, allowing for students to have a “senior prank” experience without anyone getting in trouble.
Toilet paper vandals covering their campus with it isn’t anything new, but in most places, pranks like these aren’t sanctioned by the district.
Here’s the thing. In Marietta, the principal’s in on it. In fact, he’s the one who threw the first roll.
“It’s no longer a prank, it’s a tradition,” Crumbs said.
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Students aren’t leaving a huge mess for the custodians though. They’re tasked to clean up all the fun by Friday. One way that they get rid of hard-to-reach toilet paper is by using a fire hose to get it to drop to the ground, said Crumbs.
They’re also careful not to leave every inch of campus covered. The Marietta Student Council made sure that the trees on Whitlock Avenue weren’t touched, in fear of it causing an accident.
“Their thoughtfulness and their awareness, it stood out more so than even the fun that they had,” said Crumbs.
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
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