Sunday, January 28, 2024

The Cooper Caper of 2010, aka Driving a Car Into LCHS

The front of car sits on the inside of a building with a tiled floor. Behind it is doors to the outside, framed in marble, and an american flag. A banner of the doors say "LCHS."
Cooper Caper of 2010

This year is the 70th anniversary of the opening of my alma mater, Loudoun County High School. While I don't have plans (yet?) to do anything to celebrate that fact, I thought I would share another one of my favorite stories from my time in high school. It's been shared online before, but I've never written about it here: enjoy The Cooper Caper of 2010!!



During the 2005-2006 school year, English teacher Ms. Toni Rader purchased a Mini Cooper car. She thought it looked small enough to drive right into Loudoun County High School. So on a teacher workday (and after receiving principal approval), she tried to do just that. The car ended up being a smidge too big to fit through the doors, but the attempt was documented in the yearbook.

From inside a building, looking through an open two-door doorway. A black car sits just outside the threshold. A tree with green leaves can be seen in the background.
Picture from LCHS's Lord Loudoun 2006 yearbook
Mini Cooper trying to fit through the school's double doors.
Yearbook caption: "Mrs. Rader trys [sic] to fit her new Mini Cooper into the school on a teacher work day. Unfortunately, her plan to drive through the main hallway back-fired when it didn't fit."

Fast forward four years, I was working on a self-appointed Drama Club project that involved going through every LCHS yearbook to date (some things never change) when I came across the picture. I shared this find on my Facebook wall, tagging Ms. Rader for more information. "Well, if it hadn't been so new, and if I'd pulled in the mirrors, I think it would've fit, [but] I chickened out," recalled Ms. Rader. But now four years later, the car wasn't as new and Ms. Rader was up for a second attempt.

On a drizzly August 13, 2010, the Mini Cooper drove up from the bus loop.

A black car driving between two planters in a pedestrian walkway area from the parking lot.

After folding in the side-view mirrors, it was go-time! The car inched through the double doors, but the mirrors still prevented it from proceeding fully into the hallway.

A black car is 1/3 of the way inside of double doors. A lady holds out her hand towards the left side-view mirror, which is touching the open door.

After backing away from the doors, the building engineer removed the Mini Cooper's side-view mirrors.

A man is leaning over, removing the right side-view mirror on a black car.

A woman with glasses is driving a black car.
Ms. Rader driving her car towards the school

This time, the car fit through!

A black car is 7/8's through a double doorway.
Success!!

Once in the building, the car was turned off so its exhaust wouldn't set off any fire alarms. With the car in neutral and Ms. Rader steering, the group that had assembled helped push the car down the hall. When it reached the foyer, it was time for photos!

A black car sits parked in a hallway intersection

A black car is parked inside a building. People mill about.

Looking down a hallway at a black car parked in the middle of it. A woman is crouching down, facing the car.

A black car is parked in a building. A desk name plate (which reads "Mr. Oblas") rests on the hood of the car.
Principal Oblas' desk name plate on the car
(He was out of the building at the time)

At one point, the car was repositioned to look like it drove out the front doors!

Two women hold open double doors to a brick building. A black car is within the dim interior. The doorway is framed by a broken pediment and white Tuscan columns.
"Wouldn't it be cool if it could go out the front?!"
(But it couldn't, and didn't)

After a successful caper, we turned the Mini Cooper around, carefully avoiding walls and columns, and pushed it back towards the exit.

The roof of a black car is pictured in a hallway lined with lockers.
POV: taking a photo while also pushing the car down the hall

A black car is exiting a building through double doors.
Driving out the doors

A black car is driving past two planters in a pedestrian area, towards a parking lot
Driving away...

And so the Mini Cooper drove away, into the distant parking lot, never to be seen inside the school again. Yet, some say on rainy days, you still can hear the wet rubber tires rolling down the hall.

Moral of the story: Do that ridiculous thing that makes you happy. And if at first you don't succeed, try to do that ridiculous thing again.


THE END!

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