If you haven’t seen these ducks going around school, you must be either living under a rock or just not coming to school. These ducks are everywhere. And if you haven’t seen these ducks around,  let me explain. 

There are roughly around 100 ducks going around the school, all with a QR code on the bottom of them. I had the delight to find my hands on one of these ducks at the beginning of the week, so I obviously scanned the QR code, and the next thing I knew, I got Rick Rolled.

Being Rick Rolled is when the 1987 recorded song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley is played. It usually appears when there is a seemingly unrelated link that takes you to the 2009 music video. And once that has happened, you have officially been “Rick Rolled.” 

One of the masterminds behind the Rick Rolling at Pella High is Cameron Knox. He and his friends decided to bring some lightheartedness to the high school after a  couple of stressful weeks leading to the end of the year.

“It is such a stressful environment to be in right now because of finals, people are getting ready for college and figuring out what they are doing next year,” Knox said.

Finals for everyone can be really stressful, and with seniors graduating, going off into the real world, everything can seem overwhelming, so with these ducks, I believe that it can bring a little bit of joy into some people’s day.

“[We] just came up with this senior prank that just leaves a little bit of positivity,” Knox said, “A little boost of energy.”

A good thing about this senior prank is that it is easy, flexible, and not as messy as it has been in the past. It is just a simple, harmless prank, that at the same time is very hilarious and relatable.

“There is no harm in it. It’s not damaging property; it’s not annoying anybody. It’s just, Rick Rollin’ ‘em.  And everyone gets a duck, so it’s just a win-win!” Knox stated.

I truly went into this interview, thinking that this was just going to be some stupid prank, that had no meaning to it. I thought that some kids were just trying to have fun. But at the end of the interview with Knox, I realized that it was a little more than that. He and his friends saw the stress in the school and tried to make it better. You may not know who they are, and they may not know who you are, but they definitely care about you, and their only goal is to make sure you have a great day.

“I just want to bring out a little bit of peace amid the chaos, just make someone’s day a little bit better, a little bit easier,” said Knox. “If I can make one person a little bit happier, my day is much better.”

Well said, Cameron. Very well said.