MIDDLEBURG, Pa. — Forty mischievous high school seniors at Midd-West High School, about one-quarter of the graduating class, broke into the school Wednesday morning to cover the building’s surfaces with petroleum jelly and move furniture before leaving their calling card: The words “Class of 2015” written in soap on windows.

The incident is the latest in a spate of over-the-top senior pranks making headlines in recent weeks. 

The students will learn today whether they will be allowed to participate in Midd-West’s Friday graduation commencement.

Middleburg police Chief Tony Jordan said his department responded to a tip around 2 a.m. Wednesday and caught one student driving away from the school.

The unidentified student admitted he participated in the senior prank, Jordan said.

No charges are being filed against any of the students who participated in the incident because the school district determined there was no permanent damage, Jordan said.

“It’s a senior prank,” he said. “This will be handled by the school.”

Surveillance cameras at the school captured images of the students in action, Superintendent Rick Musselman said Wednesday morning.

The students also attempted to make a homemade slide in a stairwell, covered trees with toilet paper and stuck forks in the ground outside the school.

Musselman spoke with the seniors about the “disrespectful” behavior early Wednesday. He will inform the 40 students today whether they will participate in the graduation ceremony.

Seven of the 40 students spoke privately with Musselman on Wednesday afternoon and admitted they didn’t consider the consequences or that their actions were illegal.

“They were very apologetic,” he said, particularly after they learned that custodians had to come in early to address the mess.

The seniors had earlier dedicated a page in the yearbook to the head custodian.

The contrite students cleaned lockers smeared with the petroleum jelly, apologized to the custodial staff and spoke with the junior class to let them know their actions shouldn’t be repeated.

Board President Victor Abate agreed that the students shouldn’t be charged with a crime because they didn’t intend to cause damage or harm.

However, Abate is troubled that they were able to get inside the building by taping over the lock of a door before leaving school Tuesday afternoon.

Jordan confirmed the students gained access to the high school by making sure a door was “unsecured” before school ended.

“That someone was able to gain access to the school like that raises some serious concern about security issues for me,” Abate said.

The school board will review that aspect of the incident when it meets Monday night.

Despite the seriousness of the break-in, Abate hopes it doesn’t keep the pranksters from donning a cap and gown Friday.

“I would like to see all students participate in the graduation ceremony,” he said. “They all have worked very hard for so very long, it would be a terrible misfortune if any student would have to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lapse in judgment.”

Marcia Moore writes for the Daily Item in Sunbury, Pennsylvania.