This is the time of year when high school seniors around the country celebrate the end to a dozen years of education by pulling pranks. Usually, at least in the 1960s sitcom world in which I live, this results in a lot of grumbled “kids today”s and a spike in the general level of fist-shaking from local business owners. But a Chick Fil-A in Virginia seems intent on breaking that cycle, by embracing the theft of its topiary bovine by local teens.

According to what we can tell from the few e-mails we’ve received from some residents of Loudon County, VA, a handful of seniors at Loudon County High School thought it would be hilarious to swipe the cow-shaped plant from outside the Chick Fil-A and place it outside of the school.

But rather than freak out about it and start calling for curfews and ankle bracelets on everything under 25 years of age, the restaurant posted a photo of the prank on its Facebook page along with the note:

Those silly seniors! We’ll get them for this…they’ll be eating a chicken sandwich 3 times a day every day for the rest of their life!!!

And seeing an opportunity to turn the prank into positive PR, the Chick Fil-A in Leesburg sent out someone in cow costume to hug it out with the pranksters in front of the school.

The very cynical voice in the back of our heads — the one that smokes behind the gym during lunch and always has to be told to take off his sunglasses in class — is whispering that this could all be a publicity stunt cooked up well in advance of the prank. But we’re going to ignore him for right now.

Thanks to Shelagh, Robert and everyone else who sent in this tip!

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.