Melbourne private school replaces muck up day with ‘blessing ceremony’, leading to petition

A Melbourne private school has cancelled students’ muck-up day celebrations so Year 12s can instead count their blessings in a less messy manner, and preps can give them presents.

Plenty Valley Christian College, where muck-up day is being cancelled. Picture: Supplied

A Melbourne private school has banned students’ muck-up day celebrations, and will instead hold a “blessing ceremony” among other teacher-led events.

Plenty Valley Christian College students have signed a change.org petition, expressing outrage that their “cherished event is being callously stripped away from us”.

It comes as year 12 students across the state start to count down their final days of school with traditional muck-up pranks, despite moves at many campuses to tone events down.

Plenty Valley Christian College principal John Metcalfe told the Herald Sun the school “decided to change the focus of muck-up day to celebration day”.

“For a few years now they have made a mess and we want them to end their time at school celebrating instead,” he said.

“I understand that the kids who signed the petition are seeing the end of something that’s been in place for a long time now, but we are going to hold a great celebration for them,” he said.

End-of-year events kicking off next week include a blessing ceremony where the preps will present gifts to the year 12s.

Plenty Valley Christian College. Picture: Supplied

“They have been praying for them for a long time so there is a wonderful connection,” Mr Metcalfe said.

“Year 11s and teachers are also going to feed them lunch. The year 12s can still get wet and run through colour powder but they just won’t be able to mess up the whole school,” he said.

Students who signed the petition called for the decision to be overturned.

“We’ve waited 13 long years to finally have our moment of celebration, only to have it ripped away without proper justification. This ban is not only unfair but also an insult to our dedication and hard work throughout our school years,” the petition, which has attracted 234 signatures, says.

One student who signed it noted that the school “continues to strip our privileges to “set an example” for future year levels they already are struggling to control. First no entertainment in the common room, then phones, our dishes and now this. Truely (sic) devastating”.

Students at Bayside Secondary College dressed up as tradies, Scooby Doo characters Fred and Daphne and football players on their recent Celebration Day. The event was held last month, well ahead of other Victorian schools due to kick off their Year 12 festivities in the coming weeks.

But some Bayside students used the day to get up to mischief, by filling up bathroom sinks with fruit loops and rubber ducks, glad-wrapping chairs, hanging streamers from lights and sprinkling glitter on the carpet.

In a video shared to TikTok, lockers could be seen covered in silly string with zip ties over locks while writing was scrawled on windows and doors.

At Cheltenham Secondary College, end-of-year celebrations appeared to be more civil with students sharing a video of them dressed up as characters from the Wizard of Oz.

A group of girls also participated in the new double ponytail trend, where mostly female students are styling their hair to reflect their younger prep years.

Meanwhile, students at Avila College were getting into the end of Year 12 spirit, with a group of girls filming themselves styling their uniforms with ribbons for the last day of school.