17-year-old girl arrives at school’s prom in COFFIN, leaves classmates shocked (Photos/Videoa)

A high school student who wants to be a funeral director surprised her classmates by arriving at her prom in an open coffin.

Megan Flaherty, of New Jersey, shocked friends when she turned up at Pennsauken High School's junior prom on Saturday in the back of a hearse...Scroll down for video

The 17-year-old lay flat on her back in a navy gown in the prop coffin, which slid out of the back of the vehicle.

Her dramatic arrival prompted outrage from some critics, who branded her actions 'classless and distasteful'...Watch Video after the cut

Others accused her of 'mocking the dead