Mt Albert Grammar School students win right to last day pranks

Final year students at Mt Albert Grammar School got their wish for a fun last day at school today despite an attempt to ban them.

About 150 Year 13 students marched into the school at lunchtime, defying a ban imposed yesterday to stop what headmaster Pat Drumm called "silly stuff".

Year 13 dean Gordon Smith stood at the gate and welcomed them in, to cheers from the students.

They were ushered on to a playing field where they sang the school hymn and chanted, "We got robbed."

Students cheered as Year 13 dean Gordon Smith welcomed them into the school. Photo / Dean Purcell

They took the chance to carry out the "pranks" that Drumm had tried to prevent, firing off water pistols and throwing eggs into a large crowd of younger students who gathered to watch the fun.

Some boys wore girls' uniforms and vice versa.

Students were ushered on to a playing field where they chanted "We were robbed!" Photo / Dean Purcell

Two police officers were at Rocket Park where the students gathered before marching to school, and a student's mother said she saw a security guard patrolling the school but he was not in uniform.

Drumm said yesterday that he had ordered additional security for the end of year, but said security guards would be there only at night.

Students marched from Rocket Park to Mt Albert Grammar. Photo / Dean Purcell

Student Farah Hadi said the school appeared to fear vandalism, but no one had planned to vandalise anything.

"The most people would do is egg people," she said.

"We feel like our last day at school has been stolen from us."

Another student, Laurence Siva, said he joined the march just "to see what happens".

"I've been at this school five years," he said. "In the five years I have learned so much. It has turned me into a good human being."