The Academy has seen its share of interesting stories over 59 years– some of which are too crazy to believe. Of the four following stories, two are fictitious and two are true. Can you tell the facts from the fiction?

ELKINS INVADERS

The tradition of the senior class donating a gift to the Academy dates back to the late ‘70s, but not all the gifts have lasted . One such example comes from 1984, when the senior class chipped in to buy a “Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga” arcade machine for the Elkins room, then a communal room for students. The machine proved to be an immediate success with students. Faculty members, on the other hand, were not as fond of it. “It soon became very irritating,” English faculty member Steve Allen said. One particular opponent of the arcade machine was former Head Chef Roy LaGore, who claimed all the noise was disrupting the kitchen. The machine lasted until the spring of 1985, when the Academy sold it.

THUNDERBALL

Despite being an Academy mainstay for decades, the Brown Hall pendulum is nevertheless constantly meddled with by students, pushed aside by so many that correcting its path would be all but a futile endeavor. But a few decades ago, before the Science Building was built, a few physics teachers came up with a creative solution. “They hooked up the cable to a 110 volts plug,” science faculty member Kevin Fowler said. “Every time students would reach out and grab that thing, it would give them a jolt.” The voltage of a typical household current, 110 volts, would not seriously harm the victim, but it did certainly get their attention.

HAMBURGLARS

Before the Internet, Academy students took to pranking to occupy their time. One famous incident involved students stealing a fiberglass Mayor McCheese statue from the McDonald’s on Academy and San Mateo. After discreetly loosening the nuts which bolted the statue down over the course of several days, the pranksters used a truck to haul the Mayor up to campus. Unbeknownst to the students, the statue was valued at $2,500, and they had just committed grand theft. The students immediately returned it on the terms that the manager would not press charges. “They brought it back, and [the manager] was so grateful,” 8/9 Division Head Don Smith said. “He gave them all cheeseburgers.” A similar incident involved a restaurant’s plastic cow being stolen and placed on the roof of a West Campus building.

FAUX-REIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT

As Smith recounts, senior pranks have only gotten more complex over the years. His personal favorite comes from the mid-’90s, when Smith was acting as the Interim Head of School. One day, a senior brought along Vadim, an exchange student from the eastern European nation of Moldova. Vadim, however, was not from Moldova. In fact, he was an Albuquerque native and fellow senior from La Cueva high school who had the day off. Over the course of the day, the fake student attended classes, spoke broken English, and educated teachers about Moldovan culture. “[The faculty members] knew something was up, but none of them said anything,” Smith said. “They were all playing along with the joke.” Today, a picture of Smith shaking hands with Vadim is visible on the school storyboard in the East Campus Administration Building.

THE HOMECOMING GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Every year, students gather after the Powderpuff football game to watch the bonfire and roast marshmallows. But the tradition, which has existed since the late 60’s, has only been reinstated within the past decade. The first iteration, which took place on what is now the Music Building, ended after 1987’s bonfire flared out of control. Strong fall winds spread the fire to a nearby branch, and the entire tree soon caught ablaze. The students evacuated to the parking lot, but the threat was still present. “We were all worried that the fire might spread to Brown Hall,” Fowler said. The fire was taken care of, though the tree could not be salvaged. In subsequent years, the bonfire was replaced with homecoming skits. The tradition was brought back in 2005, for the school’s 50th anniversary, and has stayed- although the fire department usually attends the event, lest the events of ‘87 happen again.

NEED A LIFT?

Today, Subaru is known for their lumbering SUVs, but surprisingly enough, they used to make small cars. In the late 80’s, former science faculty member Bill “Scooby” Claybocker had one such vehicle– one light enough that it could easily be lifted by four men. Not wanting to miss out on a golden pranking opportunity, mischievous seniors capitalized on this fact by occasionally picking up the car and placing it around campus. In at least one instance, his car was carried into a pit near McKinnon Hall (where the fountain now stands). Some might consider this to be car theft, but Claybocker didn’t mind. “He would never miss a beat… he would always say, ‘Oop, they moved my car’ and he never really acknowledged it,” Fowler said. “It was good fun.”

SOLUTIONS

ELKINS INVADERS: False. The Elkins Room used to be a communal room, but it never hosted an arcade machine.

THUNDERBALL: True. Physics teachers were notorious pranksters– often holding prank wars amongst themselves.

HAMBURGLARS: True. A picture of stolen McCheese posing with the former Head of School can be seen on the school storyboard.

FAUX-REIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT: False. This story is about as real as Vadim– Moldova, however, is a real Eastern European country.

THE HOMECOMING GAMES: CATCHING FIRE: False. Trees haven’t burned during the bonfire, but the fire department would rather be safe than sorry.

NEED A LIFT? True.