Eggs thrown, flares lit and a trip to court: Elite schools under fire for muck-up day antics

Parents of Marcellin College students say a ban on farewell celebrations is a “complete overreaction” after eggs were thrown and flares were lit during muck-up day celebrations.

Marcellin College has taken a hardline stance over the top muck-up day pranks.

Muck-up mayhem is continuing at Marcellin College, with parents blaming the school’s “heavy-handed approach” which included pursuing fleeing students in cars.

But principal Marco Di Cesare defended his actions, saying it felt like a “return to muck-up days of the 1980s”.

“This is not the rite of passage we want for our kids.”

One year 12 parent who spoke to the Herald Sun and said the boys were dressed as Power Rangers from the popular franchise and were on the school’s oval in Bulleen when things “started getting out of hand”.

“The vast majority of the students left after a couple lit flares and a few threw eggs,” he said.

“But when they started running away they were chased by teachers in cars across streets and parks and even across main roads,” he said.

“One ran into a tree while being chased and broke his nose,” he said.

“The school then banned all year 12s who were not in roll-call from attending classes for the next two days,” the parent said.

“They should not have stopped kids from prepping for exams — it’s a different thing from stopping them from attending graduation events.”

“Our perspective is that this is a complete overreaction by the school and whilst things may have gotten out of hand from some students, to punish them all was excessive,” the parent said.

Parents have blamed Marcellin College’s heavy-handed approach for muck-up day mayhem at the school.

Mr Di Cesare said he was “very clear with parents about what we expected and asked them for their support”.

“We were not going to just ignore it when our students were gathering in parks in suits and with masks on their faces which can be intimidating to the community.”

He said there was “really bad behaviour going on.”

Mr Di Cesare said it was a “gross exaggeration” to suggest kids were being chased by teachers, but said some had fireworks and “so it was a duty of care to ensure the community is safe”.

With regard to not allowing students to attend school on Monday and Tuesday this week, he said he had warned this would be a consequence of poor behaviour.

Another parent from Marcellin said: “The school would not allow them entry and that they needed to provide a statutory declaration to the effect they weren’t involved in any antics if they wanted to attend classes”.

Mr Di Cesare said the school took a “hard line approach” this year to call out bad behaviour.

“It’s not good to have faceless men with masks on, wearing morphsuits – it can look frightening. It’s not fair for the public and we’re not going to stand for it,” he said.

“If they’re breaking the law and making people feel unsafe, that’s not behaviour we accept at the college.”

Mr Di Cesare said the school worked with Victoria Police to monitor school grounds throughout the day.

“Some parents may think our approach is heavy-handed but I think bad behaviour needs to be called out for what it is,” he said.

He said muck-up day behaviour was getting worse every year.

“Across Melbourne, behaviour is getting worse. And a lot of principals are scared to speak out because of media attention,” he said.

“Some people say Covid may be the reason, but we need to put that behind us now and not use it as an excuse.”

Emmaus College slammed by cops

A group of daring Emmaus College students wrapped up their school years red-faced after their muck-up day celebrations ended with a costly fee, a public grilling from police, and a court date for one pupil.

Nunawading Highway Patrol officers were in an unmarked police car in Vermont South when they noticed a person’s leg in the back window of a Toyota Corolla hatchback that passed them just before 12pm on Friday.

They signalled the driver of the vehicle to pull over to the side of Stanley Rd, where they found seven school-leavers crammed into the five-seater car – one of which was unrestrained in the car’s boot and another who was unbuckled in the back seat with three other passengers.

The vehicle’s 18-year-old female driver copped a stern warning from the Victoria Police members, before her car was impounded for 30 days at a cost of approximately $900.

She was also charged on summons with having an overloaded vehicle, carrying a passenger in the boot of a vehicle, and passengers occupying the same seat with no seat belt.

Nunawading Highway Patrol pulled over a Toyota Corolla driver to find seven people in the five-seater car. Picture: Victoria Police

However the embarrassment of a bad decision didn’t end there, with Sergeant Paul Egan sharing some details of the incident online to warn other motorists about the consequences of disobeying the road rules.

“Today is a day that is commonly known as ‘muck-up day’. Let me be clear, there is mucking up and there is........ MUCKING UP! – I thought about substituting a letter but thought better of it,” he said in a post to Facebook group Eyewatch – Manningham Police Service Area.

“Nunawading Highway Patrol members were patrolling today in an unmarked vehicle when they spotted a leg in the back window of a Toyota Corolla that was driving past them.

“They discussed among themselves and realised that particular model of Toyota didn’t come with a full size replacement leg in the boot, just a space saver leg that only went to the knee.”

Sergeant Egan went on to explain how he and his partner located not just a “spare leg in the boot” but a “whole body attached to it” and a “spare body stored across the back seat with three other passengers”.

“Now unless you are a clown in a circus, it’s very much against the law to have more people in the car than there are seats,” he said.

“If you decide to do it on a public street, you are still a clown but now one that is in a lot of trouble.”

It’s understood the driver and her passengers departed the school’s year 12 Celebration Day event and were on their way to a nearby “local establishment” to commemorate the end of their school years when they caught the attention of police.

“As I heard a grumpy old traffic cop say to a driver many years ago, ‘you sir, are a headline waiting to happen!’,” Sergeant Egan said.

“The female driver will now be going to court to explain her decision to the Magistrate … (and will have) to find another way to get to her exams.”

The students were leaving the school after attending the year 12 celebration day.

Emmaus College Principal Karen Jebb said the school was saddened to hear about the incident.

“This has been a poor and disappointing decision from a small number of our students, especially after they were explicitly directed to leave cars at home,” she said in a statement.

“Motor vehicle incidents represent a high-risk for young people starting out as drivers, and I thank Victoria Police for their vigilance.

“I congratulate the overwhelming majority of our year 12 students who approached celebration day in a joyous, fun, yet sensible way.”

A date is yet to be set for the student to appear in court.

As end of school year celebrations continue, Victoria Police is urging all students to be vigilant and comply with both school rules and the law when engaging in such activities.

“Police know that finishing school is an important milestone for many young people and a popular time for celebrations,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“We encourage everyone to celebrate safely and responsibly.”

The warning comes after the police were called to other schools around the state in the past week, following reports of vandalism and the destruction of property.

Incidents include pupils covering cars in plastic wrap, zip tying lockers, dressing up in inappropriate outfits or costumes, ripping up turf on the oval and dumping pungent foods in classrooms.

The students responsible for these acts are pupils believed to be from Camberwell High School, Firbank Grammar and Box Hill Senior Secondary College.

Meanwhile students from Scotch College, Parade College and Bentleigh Secondary College were caught up in muck-up day mayhem in previous years.