What's a harmless bit of fun in one person's eyes may not be so harmless to another.
That seems to be the case when it comes to the undie run by a group of Rotorua Boys' High School senior students yesterday - down the road and into John Paul College.
While the boys were all wearing underwear and there is no suggestion they acted inappropriately (well, other than running through a school in their underwear) it angered John Paul College principal Patrick Walsh.
He said it was distracting for students trying to prepare for exams, it was hazardous for the boys running on the road and it was not something his Years 7 and 8 girls needed to see. He also said local principals had agreed there would be no such end of year pranks this year.
John Paul College Principal Patrick Walsh is angered by the undie wearing boy's antics. Photo/Stephen Parker
With the exuberance of youth, we know these pranks can sometimes go wrong. On Wednesday, a Hamilton Boys' High School student suffered a deep gash to his leg when hit by a girl from Waikato Diocesan School. The incident reportedly involved six girls wearing nothing but underpants and helmets as part of an annual streaking event. Police were looking into the incident.
But in the Rotorua case, no one was hurt and the incident was over relatively quickly. Rotorua Boys' High principal Chris Grinter would not comment yesterday, so it's unknown if the boys involved broke any school rules or will face repercussions.
While Walsh had the best interests of his own students and the Boys' High students at heart, in my view he may have over reacted slightly on this one.
