Four years of HS Physical Education?

Constituent Question: "Is it true that HS students will now be required to take four years of Phys Ed instead of two?"

Answer: No. According to the Virginia Department of Education, this is just a rumor.

LCPS staff tells me that a similar rumor surfaces every year that the driving age is increasing to 18. The rumors are similar because they probably start with upperclassmen yanking some upcoming freshman's chain.

Senior Class Pranks

I'm in my first year as a high school parent, so I have a lot to learn. This week I learned about senior class pranks when I went by Potomac Falls HS yesterday morning and found that the seniors had staged a takeover of the parking lot. They had a sign directing "underclassmen" back towards the gym. Dozens of them were standing around, lounging on cars, waving the underclassmen cars past. Their cars were scattered chaotically around the parking lot.

I don't know much about this tradition or even about what happened yesterday; I hope people will share more, or tell me if I've heard wrong. Here's a little of what I heard:

• Each year's prank is coordinated with an assistant principal, so it's a surprise but has some prior review by an adult.

• A previous class removed all of the chairs from the lunchroom, with the exception of a few tables that were marked "Reserved for Seniors." The rest of the school had to stand at lunch.
  

• In one year, PFHS seniors built a classroom out of desks. I'm not sure what to make of that one, I get the feeling I'm missing some key info here.
  

My favorite:

• One class put alarm clocks in the ceiling tiles scattered around the school. A few of them were still going off periodically at the start of the next school year because they couldn't be found.