• Newsfeed
  • viral

This High School Prank Is So Elaborate Even the Cops Are Massive Fans

2 minute read

Give these kids a round of applause — and go easy on grading those finals, too.

The seniors at Wisconsin’s Cumberland High School are getting props for a well-executed prank that even impressed the local police department.

According to a Facebook post shared by the local school district on Monday, graduation week peaked when administrators and teachers arrived to school to find what looked like a major accident: a car crashed into a “gaping black hole” on the side of a school building near the principal’s office.

But it turned out the whole thing was an optical illusion. The seniors had taped up a black tarp and scattered spare loose bricks around an old, beat-up car positioned at the wall, creating the appearance of destruction when, in reality, everything was just fine.

“The best part? This prank included absolutely no damage at all to school property, which is why police singled it out,” the school district continued on Facebook, urging everyone to “have a safe and enjoyable week.” Go Beavers!

Fans of the prank from around the country have taken to sharing their admiration on the Facebook post, too. Perhaps this no-harm-done prank approach will inspire other high schoolers around the country in their own end-of-year antics.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com