With April Fools' Day quickly on its way, you need to be on your toes or else you may fall prey to practical jokes. The tradition of playing tricks and setting traps is centuries old and spans a number of countries. What, then, should you be on the lookout for? Recently, some West High students and teachers were given the opportunity to recall the best April Fools' pranks they have pulled on others, or others have pulled on them.

Game, set, match

"When I was in high school, my friends and I filled someone's locker completely full of tennis balls, and when he opened the door, they all came flying out and we laughed so hard." — Mick Webb, mathematics teacher

It only happens once a year

"My dad told us that at 4 a.m. there was going to be a solar eclipse and he made us go outside in our pajamas." — Veena Pillai, student

It was no accident

"Once my sister and I staged a roller-blading accident, and we pretended that I was all cut up and had broken my arm. After my father got a look of horror on his face we yelled 'April Fools!' but he didn't think it was very funny." — Ciel Hunter, student

Mass panic attack

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"Once I randomized the grades for my class so that the students' names weren't necessarily associated with their grades, and then I posted this grade sheet." — Jim Powell, business teacher

On your mark, get set, go!

"A funny thing to do at a restaurant is to slightly rip open a package of sugar and replace the sugar with salt. After you make the switch, give the salt packet to someone else and say, 'Let's have a contest to see who can chug their sugar packet the fastest.' " — Amanda Loveless, student


Anthony Schrauth is a senior at West High and co-editor of the school newspaper.

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