A senior prank had St. Viator High School fielding phone calls from parents concerned that their teenagers might receive a body cavity search prior to the school’s prom.

Using St. Viator’s 50-year anniversary stationery and envelopes, an intrepid student sent a letter to the homes of the school’s senior class claiming that due to “issues in the past regarding illicit materials being brought into the prom banquet hall and post-prom cruise,” two mandatory body cavity searches will be performed before the prom and before boarding the cruise.

The school immediately received phone calls from parents, St. Viator president, Rev. Mick Egan, said, but added “the great majority of our parents knew immediately this was a prank.”

Egan quickly quashed the rumors when he sent an email to parents Friday informing them the information was false.

“People called and asked if this was true,” he said. “ If I thought it was true, I would be upset as well.”

Egan said body cavity searches are not something St. Viator High School would do and they have not had problems with illicit materials at prom.

In 2007, though, the school did implemented a mandatory drug test each year using student hair strands.

The school is looking for the culprit, who they believe stole the stationery, but so far do not know who sent out the letter, which was signed “The Saint Viator staff.”

“It’s such a small school you pretty much know everything that happens and who did what,” senior Melanie Wood said.

But so far she has no idea who sent it out.

Most students outside the school Monday thought the prank was hilarious and said they knew almost instantly it was some kind of prank. The letter was uploaded to Facebook and made its way quickly through the networking site, winding up on several websites.

“I thought the senior prank was hilarious,” senior Emily Depner said. “After having a food fight, no one thought that anyone would try to pull something again,” she said referencing an incident involving students that happened earlier this year.

She said her mother thought it was funny, but her stepfather took it seriously and nearly barred her from attending prom if the letter was true.

Egan ultimately thought the prank was not disruptive, saying high schools across the country have senior pranks.

“It’s nothing unusual,” he said.