- The elite Collegiate School in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood is under scrutiny after a May 1 senior prank that mimicked a border patrol checkpoint, according to a report
- A mariachi band reportedly performed outside the school, and students were seen waving American flags
- “We regret that this ‘prank’ took the turn that it did,” Collegiate’s head of school wrote in an email
Collegiate School, a prestigious all-boys institution in New York City that counts the late John F. Kennedy Jr. as one of its alumni, is currently mired in controversy following a senior prank described by some as “cruel” and “disgusting.”
According to Gothamist, which spoke with a Collegiate faculty member who wished to remain anonymous, this year’s senior prank — a tradition at the Upper West Side school in Manhattan — mimicked a border patrol checkpoint, offending several students, teachers and administrators. Collegiate School did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Tuesday, May 6.
Citing the faculty member and a complaint from another staffer, the outlet reported that several students set up a cardboard booth accompanied by caution tape in Collegiate’s lobby on May 1. There, they allegedly asked other arriving students to see their “papers” that appeared to mimic a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.
The scene at the lobby included an inflatable eagle on a motorcycle and U.S. and Texas flags displayed at the entrance, according to the report. Meanwhile, a mariachi band performed outside of the school while other students waved American flags.
The “UWS Mommas” Facebook group addressed the incident in a series of comments that PEOPLE obtained and reviewed. On the day of the incident, one commenter wrote, “What was going on at Collegiate School this morning? It was a strange scene with a mariachi band playing outside next to boys dressed in American flags waving American flags around.”
“It was senior prank day,” another user chimed in. “The seniors decided to set up a border patrol and made all the students go through it at arrival. I can’t imagine how humiliating it felt for the Latino students.”
One person said that there should be consequences for the kids involved. “Colleges should be informed,” they said. “What an incredibly ‘cruel’ prank. This is appalling and I am shocked that administrators didn’t shut it down immediately.”
The staffer’s complaint to school leadership, which was obtained by Gothamist, argued that the students involved should be held accountable.
In an email to the school community also obtained by the outlet, Bodie Brizendine, Collegiate’s head of school, wrote that the prank day was approved and originally themed to the Fourth of July. However, according to Brizendine, “it unfortunately strayed from that plan.”
She wrote in the email that she and other administrators are having conversations with the students about the incident, with additional details expected, according to Gothamist.
“We have an excellent senior class and yesterday’s events do not reflect who we are as a school. We regret that this ‘prank’ took the turn that it did. Every member of our community is valued and important to us,” said Brizendine, the first woman to become head of school in Collegiate’s history.
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Collegiate was founded in the early 1600s, according to the school’s website. A K-12 independent school, the student population is 670.
Besides JFK Jr., other notable figures who attended Collegiate include actor David Duchovny, film director Peter Bogdanovich and businessman Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Tuition at the school for the 2024-2025 academic year is $65,900.
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