Miami school's senior prank went viral on TikTok for all the right reasons
MIAMI - A video posted on TikTok that shows a group of Miami Arts Studio high school seniors sneaking to their principal's home for a slumber party has racked up more than 12 million views. Nothing like it had been done before at the school as a senior prank.
Principal Dr. Miguel Balasera, or "Doctor B" as the kids call him, admits he was completely shocked.
"It's an interesting school, it's a different setting because it's a six through 12, so the kids enter at 11 and leave at 18," Balsera said. "So they kind of grew up here. It's a very family environment. So nobody had mentioned anything, nobody had said anything. Again, it's not a tradition at the school to do anything like that."
Senior Maya De Armas was the mastermind behind the prank.
"I understand that not everybody has the same relationship with their principal that we do," she said. "So not everybody is able to do this, but definitely to just pick something that's not going to be destructive and just going to be wholesome."
As soon as she had the idea, she needed an insider. The principal's son, Max, is a junior at the school.
"So I helped them," Max said. "I told them, 'I'll go practice for a workout with him', and then we will come back and you'll surprise him."
The students were hardly able to contain their laughter as he approached. But when Balsera walked in, the first thing he did was scan the room for his wife.
"I looked for my wife because I know my wife is very protective of our home environment considering I'm a principal and obviously we know these kids so well and my son goes to the school," he said. "So I looked at her to make sure that she was okay with what was happening, and when I looked to the right and she was laughing, then I knew it was it was a well coordinated effort by everyone in the family."
Over the next few hours, the principal chatted with his students.
"We laughed, we took some pictures, and then I made sure everyone went home in a timely manner," Balsera said.
It was a night he will never forget, nor will the students.
