MINNETONKA, Minn. - School officials and students from Edina High School hope a sincere apology will help heal the rift caused by a weekend prank carried out against a conference rival.
The student body at Edina High School found itself caught in the crosshairs of a social media firestorm after the senior rock at Minnetonka High School was vandalized over the weekend.
A group of Edina students painted the rock green and white, and tagged it with the words "Edina" and "Hornets."
What the vandals didn't know is that Minnetonka students had previously painted the rock as a memorial to Kennedy Maddox, a popular graduate who drowned in Lake Minnetonka this June.
EHS Principal Bruce Locklear told the Edina Patch that he was "very disappointed in the individuals responsible for this inappropriate behavior."
In fact, a pair of student leaders felt so bad about the incident and the rift it has caused that they hand delivered an apology Tuesday afternoon. Miles Lerner and Mark Handberg brought a letter to the office of Minnetonka Principal David Adney, in an effort to heal the wound.
"Just because a few students decided to go out and do an act like this, that doesn't mean it represents the school or Edina in any way," Lerner said.
It was obvious Adney welcomed the gesture, and his pride in the two young men was readily apparent. "This was really a class move on behalf of these two young men and Edina High School," Adney told KARE 11.
"I don't think people realize what a close relationship Edina and Minnetonka have," the Minnetonka Principal continued, "so this is not representative of what usually goes on."
The rock has been around since the early 1980s for Minnetonka seniors to paint as a touchstone for their final year of high school. It has already been painted back to Minnetonka Skipper colors.
Edina's principal says the wheels are already turning towards enacting discipline against the students involved in the vandalism.
(Copyright 2012 by KARE. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. )