A palette of ancestral skills

finely honed over the years and deployed with feverish anticipation: 

1- Find the palettes (do not get caught by the cops, kill-joy bastards)
2- Hide the palettes (do not get caught by the cops, kill-joy bastards) from rival gangs
3- Bundle a small number of palettes, ready for transportation (do not get caught by the cops, kill-joy bastards)
4- Be careful! Delicate operation! Transport the palettes to a central location (do not get caught by the cops, kill-joy bastards).
5- Stash the palettes in preparation for the big day (do not get caught by the cops, kill-joy bastards)

Timing is everything. Centralise all your palettes too soon and you increase the risk of seeing them caught by the cops (kill-joy bastards) or rival gangs. Leave it too late and you could end up with a micro bonfire and become the laughing stock of the neighbourhood. 

These young lads knew what they were doing. They were operating with military precision. Each step was carefully planned. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a plan B, C and D. All tasks were carefully distributed according to abilities and skills. A project manager, as designated by his peers as the most likely to see the enterprise to a successful conclusion, oversaw the whole process while keeping his troops motivated and focused on the successive milestones of the project. 

I reckon that they learn more essential life skills in the two weeks leading to Halloween than during the rest of the whole school year...