ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Friday marks the first day of classes for Marietta City Schools — including the district’s sole high school, which kicked off the new year with its own twist.

Students at Marietta High School arrived Friday morning to toilet paper draping trees and blanketing the parking lot and building, a longstanding tradition held up by the senior class each year.

Stephanie Pelez, who lives nearby, stopped to snap some pictures. She said she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“It looks like they spent thousands of dollars on toilet paper,” said Pelez. “It looks like every student came out and rolled it. There must be a lot of seniors.”

School officials say it’s not considered vandalism, and the seniors are responsible for the cleanup.

“It’s a tradition. The kids love it,” Marietta High School Principal Marvin J. Crumbs said.

It wasn’t just the seniors who were busy. The whole school was booming with activity, and bus arrivals were staggered to cut down on congestion.

“It went as smoothly as we thought it would be,” Crumbs said. “We have some things that we will change on Monday morning, but they’re easy tweaks.”

Safety also continues to be a top priority this school year. The district has implemented new security measures, including a weapons detection system across Marietta High School, Marietta Middle School, Sixth Grade Academy and the Woods-Wilkins campus.

The school board unanimously approved the installation, which cost $550,000.

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