On May 18, Powell High School and Cody High School collaborated for a senior prank: the seniors invaded the opposite school.

This prank was highly unusual and had mixed success. Some students didn’t even make it into the building, while others stayed for several periods. 

“I got there [to Cody High School] at 8:30 and was there until 10:30,” senior Ethan Frame said. “It was some Powell senior’s idea, I don’t recall whose. It wasn’t super successful because most people got kicked out within 20 minutes, but it was still a good idea and a good time.”

One person who was “pranked”—though “impacted” may be a better word— was Mrs. Erin Beavers, who was regularly scrambling between classes, attempting to wrangle stray Cody kids on the loose in the hallways. 

“Most of them were found pretty early, but a couple were still left,” attendance secretary Erin Beavers said. “I always try to make sure I know all the kids in the building. I went and was just looking in the rooms, looking for ‘stowaways.’ The last kid who was here took off running, so I chased him down the hallway a little bit, but he was a good sport about it.”

Meanwhile, in Cody, several students were met with closed doors and not allowed inside. Apparently, somehow, the staff found out and tried to prevent the invasion. Despite their best efforts, a few lucky PHS seniors managed to sneak onto campus successfully.

“I thought that the idea to switch with Cody was a pretty unique one, and it sounded fun,” senior Nathan Preator said. “I was just another student who was gonna show up in Cody. I didn’t really have a role, but it was fun to get to explore and look around in their school. I think I could’ve stayed there a lot longer because the principal and other teachers kept walking past me, but I had a notebook and laptop out, so I think I blended in. They announced that we would be getting ticketed, so I just decided to leave on my own. I think it was a good prank, but it just sucks how fast it got shut down.”

Even as short-lived as it was, the 2026 senior prank definitely raised some eyebrows in Park County. Even more surprising, given the rivalry of the two schools, was how respectful everyone was, hopefully strengthening the Panthers’ relationship with Cody through working together to achieve the ultimate senior prank.

“I think our kids who were over there were respectful,” Mrs. Beavers said. “I think all the kids involved from both schools had great collaboration, which I thought was pretty cool because of the rivalry.”