Despite warnings from Dunwoody High School officials, the police, and even the city’s mayor, the long-celebrated tradition of the “Junior-Senior War” got out of hand this year.
Bags of trash, dirty kitty litter, food, bags of flour, dog food, eggs, and other debris were thrown into students’ yards, and in one case, a homeowner reported that someone dumped a maggot-filled deer carcass in her yard. Yet another reported that her teenager’s tires were deflated.
The Dunwoody City Council discussed the incidents at the Nov. 13 meeting.
“Regarding this year’s junior-senior prank disaster, I sure would like to see if we can make it stop from happening next year,” Mayor Lynn Deutsch said. “Even if the people choose not to press charges, I think we should encourage them to report it because they often know the teenagers.”
The war, which traditionally occurs during Homecoming Week, was in late October. Prior to the event, officials warned students and the community that nothing beyond light-hearted pranks would be tolerated.
In an open letter to students and their families, DHS Principal Tom Bass wrote, “This is not a time to act out, even if you believe it is for fun, by doing damage to the property of other Dunwoody students.”
Bass urged parents to contact law enforcement if an incident occurred and further warned that vandalism at the school would mean “real consequences” for the perpetrators.
In addition, Deutsch warned on several social media sites prior to Homecoming Week that she was worried that the pranks would get out of hand.
“I am concerned that violence may occur. Most of the community isn’t aware of why these things are happening,” she said. “Humans are unpredictable and may choose to protect their family or home.”
At the least, Deutsch said, the responsible parties should be responsible for the cleanup of the vandalism.
“There should be some consequences, especially for the acts that went way above what you would consider a normal junior-senior prank,” she said.
She called for DHS officials to start working on the matter this year to prevent a similar situation in 2024.
