Carleton students end year in style

First, a few students built a raft, advertising it as a "splendid, lakefront" dorm room. Then others transformed a campus observatory into R2-D2, speakers blasting the Star Wars character's beeps. That same week, hundreds spooned one another in an effort to break a world record.

Carleton College kids are kinda quirky.

They proved that with a quick succession of semester-end pranks, traditions and odd events.

"It's pretty in the character of Carleton," said sophomore Clare Costello, who organized the record-breaking snuggle.

R2-D2 got the most attention. Websites, including "The Official Star Wars Blog," marveled at how, using little more than sheets and speakers, students so accurately re-created the droid's likeness.

Costello made posters, a Facebook page and many personal pleas to gather 529 people in a line where they would nest like spoons. Of course, it was far from simple.

Once folks had passed through a single, supervised entrance, they signed in, stood in line and then, to get a clear photograph from the chapel tower, shuffled that line about 100 feet. Guinness World Records requires all kinds of documentation.

"I never really believed it would work, never thought that people would show up," she said. "When we got to about 200, I realized, 'Oh my gosh, we can do this.'"

Once set, the students had to spoon for 5 minutes.

But halfway in, another campus tradition threatened to ruin it all. A student ran though the crowd carrying the bust of the German poet Friedrich von Schiller.

When that bust goes by, Carls follow.

"Oh my gosh. I nearly had the heart attack of my life," Costello said. "I panicked. I yelled, 'Nobody move!' I thought, if I have to re-create this line of spooning people again ..."