Southern Colorado admins not laughing at this senior prank; major security concerns raised

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Several Southern Colorado students may still be facing serious charges following a senior prank gone wrong.

“We didn’t mean any harm by this situation.”

May 4, 18 students, six from Woodland Park High School and 12 from Manitou High School, planned to swap places at school.

“We were just going to switch senior classes. Woodland Park would come to Manitou and act like us, and Manitou would go to Woodland Park and act like them,” explained Nohla Christiansen, a Manitou Springs student who participated in the swap. “We didn’t mean any harm by this situation.”

According to Nohla, almost everyone’s parents signed off on the prank, and a few teachers were in the loop.

In a statement released to 11 News, Interim Superintendent Eric McMartin said in part after hearing rumors of Woodland Park students in their school:

“School administrators and staff members immediately did a sweep of MSHS and the SILC building to see if there were students on campus that should not be here. We discovered three non-MSHS students in one of our classrooms after which they were escorted to the front office. School administrators also intercepted three additional non-MSHS students trying to enter the high school through the locked Common’s door; the students were told to leave campus and they complied.”

At WPHS, the 12 seniors split into two groups.

“So, six of us went one way, six of us went the other. We went into a classroom and the teacher was like, ‘Oh, why are there so many Manitou kids here?’ and we told her what we were doing, and she left, so we decided to leave her classroom and split up again,” explained Nohla .

After their second split, Nohla says the ran into Woodland Park’s principal.

“He told us, ‘Go into this room or I’m going to arrest you. You’re going to go to jail.’ We thought he was joking, then slowly all the rest of the kids went into that room and then we realized he was being serious,” explained Christiansen. “He said that it was a serious charge that was going to happen and that he was going to have cops come in and stuff. So, later, about three to four cops walked in and then that’s when we all knew it was really serious.”

After missing two blocks of school and watching the other pranksters return from Manitou, each MSHS senior was talked to and ticketed by police with a notice to appear in court.

“We were told we were going to get a trespassing charge because it put kids’ safety into harm,” said Nohla adding again that they meant no harm by this prank.

“I thought it was a silly prank.”

In a statement released to 11 News, Woodland Park School District said in part:

“Woodland Park School District (WPSD) wants to make it clear that the recent incidents involving seniors from WPHS attempting to attend classes at Manitou Springs High School (MSHS), and vice versa, were not taken lightly by the school administration...

In collaboration with law enforcement, the school administration took swift and appropriate action to address the situation and prevent any similar incidents from occurring in the future.”

“I thought this was kind of silly and lighthearted, but it just didn’t turn out that way,” said Savannah Christiansen, Nohla’s mom. “I think if I would have processed it that way, I wouldn’t have let her go, but I thought it was a silly prank.”

Multiple people, including parents and teachers, have reached out to 11 News regarding this prank and the way the two schools handled the situation, claiming legal action against one set of students was unfair and harsh.

“The principal at Woodland Park blew the whole thing out of proportion. Scared the kids, was rude to the kids, didn’t give them the chance to explain themselves,” said Savannah.

Update: As of May 10, the DA has dropped all charges against the students.

Ticket issued to senior pranksters to appear in court. (Aleah Burggraff)

“On the morning of May 5th, rumors were reported to school administrators of a possible “senior prank” where students from another school district might be entering Manitou Springs High School without permission and attending classes pretending to be MSHS students.

“School administrators and staff members immediately did a sweep of MSHS and the SILC building to see if there were students on campus that should not be here. We discovered three non-MSHS students in one of our classrooms after which they were escorted to the front office. School administrators also intercepted three additional non-MSHS students trying to enter the high school through the locked Common’s door; the students were told to leave campus and they complied.In many high schools there are senior skip days and pranks that occur.

“Interim High School Principal, Anna Conrad, hosted a meeting with the entire senior class right before spring break explaining that the choices students make around these activities can have an impact on their futures. She also told them that taking part in these activities may have consequences up to and including not being able to walk at graduation, and sometimes even more serious legal consequences.

“The 12 Manitou Springs High School students who took part in this senior prank received school discipline, and this conclusion was agreed upon by the school and district administrative team.We viewed this incident as an infringement on school safety. School safety is everyone’s responsibility including staff, students, parents, and community members. With current events happening around the country that put student’s safety at risk, we feel that the consequences were appropriate in maintaining a safe and secure school environment. We expect our students to set a positive example not only in the classroom but while out in their communities.”

Eric McMartin, Interim Superintendent Manitou Springs School District

“Woodland Park School District (WPSD) wants to make it clear that the recent incidents involving seniors from WPHS attempting to attend classes at Manitou Springs High School (MSHS), and vice versa, were not taken lightly by the school administration. While we recognize this was intended to be a harmless prank, it is important to acknowledge that such behavior can potentially expose our students to risk.

“As a school community, we are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all students. In collaboration with law enforcement, the school administration took swift and appropriate action to address the situation and prevent any similar incidents from occurring in the future.

“WPSD remains committed to maintaining a safe and positive learning environment for all students and appreciates the expeditious actions taken by our high school administrators and local law enforcement.”

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