FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. — A North Georgia principal raced to a school cafeteria to break up an apparent fight. But the tables were turned on the unsuspecting school official when students broke out into a chorus of “Happy Birthday.”
Bobby Davis, a first-year principal at Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe High School in the metropolitan Chattanooga area, was summoned to the school’s cafeteria on Thursday, WRCB reported.
When the principal grabbed a student whom he believed was “fighting,” seniors in the cafeteria began laughing and chanting and then hugged Davis.
The startled educator then jumped into the arms of one of the perpetrators as the gathered students sang “Happy Birthday,” according to the television station.
The clip, including Davis’ reaction, has since gone viral on social media.
“They got me good,” Davis told the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Saturday. “I got a frantic call about a massive fight in the cafeteria, and I was thinking, ‘Oh, no!’ It’s just so unlike our school culture, but I was hurrying as fast as I could to get there.”
“They got me good,” Davis told the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Saturday. “I got a frantic call about a massive fight in the cafeteria, and I was thinking, ‘Oh, no!’ It’s just so unlike our school culture, but I was hurrying as fast as I could to get there.”
Students pulled the elaborate prank Thursday, intending to show Davis how much they cared about him. The principal has deep ties to the school as a 1994 graduate. His first teaching job was also at his alma mater, where he taught English in 1999. After working at Heritage Middle School for 13 years, Davis returned to Lakeview Fort Oglethorpe as an assistant principal in 2023 and was promoted to principal to start the 2025-26 school year, the Times Free Press reported.
The video took on a life of its own, Davis said.
“I’m not a social media person. I have zero social media accounts,” Davis told the newspaper. “People are sending me bits and pieces and talking about how good it is, but I had no idea. It has been cool as far as the comments I’ve seen. I love it when people are saying good things about LFO.
“The reception has been really cool. At first it was just faculty and students messaging me to say how cool the video was, but then it got posted to social media and just took off. Someone called earlier (Saturday) to tell me how many millions of views it had and that it was just growing and growing.”
Davis proved to be a real warrior about the situation -- after all, the school’s mascot name is Warriors. But he was good-natured after the well-conceived prank.
Usually I’m pretty aware of what’s going on, but they got me good,” he told the Times Free Press. “I fell for it, hook, line and sinker 100%. I had no idea. But it’s been really cool.”
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