*In har, har, har news, an Idaho student’s graduation prank went viral on TikTok in early June after he tripped and tumbled dramatically off stage while collecting his diploma … and some laughter.
Jory Anderson, a student of Thunder Ridge High School, told Storyful he wanted to “end his high school career with a bang” and put a smile on his classmates’ faces during the ceremony on May 31.
“Nobody really knew except a couple of kids and teachers. I didn’t want people to know it was deliberate,” Anderson said. “It happened so fast, but I remembered getting up, trying to put my hat on, and couldn’t get it back on so I just jumped back on the stage,” he added.
Footage recorded by Anderson’s sister, Jade, captures the audience gasping as the prankster convincingly dives to the ground before clambering back onto the stage to cheers.
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Jory Anderson’s lighthearted prank reminds us of a starkly different graduation incident recently at Baraboo High School in Wisconsin, which certainly wasn’t even remotely funny.
In that situation, a father rushed to his daughter’s graduation stage to prevent her from shaking the superintendent’s hand, citing personal history with the official. According to TMZ, the Baraboo PD police report revealed that the father (who’s white) had “past issues with Rainey [Briggs] and dislike[d] him.” The father allegedly did not want Briggs, the Black superintendent, to have the satisfaction of shaking his daughter’s hand.
Briggs filed for a restraining order and noted in the documents that his relationship with the father was “random.” He was taken aback by the incident and sought court-ordered protection, which was granted temporarily. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.
While Anderson’s prank was meant to bring joy and laughter to his classmates, the Baraboo incident highlights how graduation ceremonies can also be stages for deeper, more troubling personal conflicts.
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