Skyline High School seniors stage food fight, other pranks on last day

It was the last day for seniors, and the school’s first graduating class decided to mark it with “spaghetti and brown slop everywhere,” Twitter user Matthew C., @drfuzzyness, tweeted this afternoon. The fire alarm also was pulled twice and "stink bombs" were going off in the hallways, one student said.

"It smelled horrible," said senior Ari Axelrod. "It smelled like sulfuric, rotten eggs — just disgusting throughout the whole day."

Ann Arbor schools spokeswoman Liz Margolis couldn't immediately confirm the report of false fire alarms and stink bombs.

Axelrod said while he wasn't at lunch during the food fight because it occurred during the school's first lunch period, and he has a later lunch period, he saw the "aftermath."

Margolis said Skyline Principal Sulura Jackson told her teachers had heard mention of a possible food fight, so the school staffed the lunchroom with about 25 additional people.

“They sort of had an inkling or a heads up it was going to happen,” Margolis said. “(Jackson) said a kid ran through the common area screaming 'food fight,' at which time some food was thrown.”

Jackson told Margolis she would not characterize it as a “huge” fight. Jackson told Margolis staff members were able to stave off the food fight until the final few minutes of the lunch period. She added nothing occurred during the second lunch period, even though there were seniors at both lunches.

Axelrod said during second lunch, about 10 minutes prior to the final bell ringing, administrators ordered students to clear everything from the cafeteria tables.

"We were told — in kind of a mean, rude way — to throw everything away, get everything off the table and everyone had to be seated," he said, adding seniors walking around signing yearbooks were told to stop.

"The school really was in chaos today," he said, explaining there were chants, cheers and large-scale applause that broke out during lunch and after school.

Axelrod admitted that even though students were breaking the rules today, he and others felt like the student body was unified for the first time in four years.

"I'll be honest ... this was the first day ever since the school has been open that I felt like we were one unit, not four separate grades," he said. "We felt like we accomplished something and kind of had a voice for the first time. A lot of us don't always agree with what goes on at the school and how we're always treated ... the students kind of feel powerless. So today, I guess people feel like we accomplished something together."

Several students tweeted about the food fight after the fact, declaring it “full-scale,” “glorious,” “the hypest food fight” and a “monumental achievement” of the first graduating class.

Chris Nicholson, @ChrisSoBased, tweeted, “I'll be mad surprised if any high school in the country can match the pandemonium of Skyline with a food fight.”

Axelrod agreed the day was chaotic. He said there were four or five police officers there, when typically there is just one. The lunchroom also was arranged differently so that students sat more grouped together and traffic out of the school was directed out of one exit, he said.

"Our school has had (bomb threats) this year and today was the most security I have seen," he said.

Margolis said the building administrators are still “getting to the bottom” of the food fight. One student told AnnArbor.com that one person may be facing disciplinary action as a result of the fight.

Pioneer High School seniors staged a large-scale food fight several years ago. Principal Michael White, said the school has cracked down on senior pranks in recent years. So far it, appears the 2012 senior class even has forgone Pioneer’s annual scavenger hunt.

Skyline High School’s graduation ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. June 11 at Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.