Flares set off in Northcote High School muck up day prank
Like something out of a video game, a shocking video has emerged showing a masked youth lighting a flare on the roof of Northcote High School. Plumes of orange smoke are sent into the air as he leaps from building to building. WATCH THE VIDEO
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A masked youth, throwing flares, ran through a Melbourne school, clambered over roofs and climbed barb wire fences in what seems an elaborate muck up day stunt.
At one point a flare is thrown down from a roof to the ground, where a crowd of students are standing.
Footage of the incident at Northcote High School has been posted to a VCE Facebook page and other footage has appeared on Reddit.
Students, wearing Northcote High School uniforms, are seen reacting as the events unfolded.
While some appeared fearful others cheered him on, calling for him to chuck the flare onto the courtyard. This was largely met with cheers but some students can be heard calling him and idiot and disgusting.
The masked youth is seen running through sportsgrounds, climbing a wire fence and mounting portable classrooms before lighting the flares.
It is unclear as to whether the offender is a student at the school.
Some students are scurrying away, others are running around looking to see what is happening and some are filming on their mobile phones as flares are activated on the roof and thrown on to the school ground.
Plumes of orange smoke are seen on the roofs and some younger students look like they are trying to pick up a lit flare.
Students have taken to social media to discuss the incident.
“Year 12s throw flares during lunch time. My jacket gets burnt and stampede follows,” one student said.
Others said there was a “mob mentality” and students started running.
What looks like a teacher on yard duty appears powerless to assist.
“Somebody watched too many Eastern European football highlights,” one person observed.
Another cautioned: “Be careful with s#*t like this, sometimes the school will not let you sit exams at the property.”
Another commenter said it was lucky the school did not catch fire.
“Definitely, if the flare landed in the plants instead of my jacket 100 per cent there would be a small fire, luckily no one was hurt,” one student said.
Commentary on social media has been mixed, some praising the stunt and others saying it went too far.
The three minute video is accompanied by the song No Effect by Hooligan Hefs.
The lyrics by the Aussie rappers, read in part:
“Never Forgive, Never Forget, Twisted thoughts run through my head.
They used to dis, now show respect.”
Northcote HS principal Susan Harrap said of the incident: “I am disappointed by the behaviour of a very small number of our students during last week’s end of year celebrations.
“There is no place for anti-social behaviour that puts others at risk and in this behaviour marred an otherwise positive day. Thankfully no students or staff were injured.”
Northcote High on St George’s Road is a coeducational school with up to 1800 students.
The students had their final assembly and last scheduled classes last Monday followed by a farewell breakfast for Year 12 students last Tuesday. It is unclear when the incident happened but it appears to have been Tuesday at lunchtime.
Friday was a pupil free day for staff professional development.
Victoria Police said they were unaware of the incident.
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The video has been uploaded under a pseudonym Mike Harrap, the same surname as the principal of the school Ms Harrap. It appears to be a combination of footage filmed using a Go Pro and other film by an observer.
The alleged offender climbs a wire fence topped with barbed wire and runs down a laneway.
On October 10 the formal Year 12 graduation was at the Grand Hyatt.
Schools have been trying to reel in muck up day antics and putting on special “celebration day’ events that won’t see other students hurt and property damaged.
Some schools have zero tolerance and threatened students they faced penalties such as not being about to access teachers during SwotVac and having to sit their exams away from the school.
Someone used education department letterhead at one schools to say there would be inspections of penises, circumcised and uncircumcised.
While many schools were able to keep their celebrations under control, some schools had students causing damage.
The banning of mobile phones next year in State Government schools may circumvent students filming such activities.