The freezing cold water hit sophomore Emily Untch’s face while she was sleeping, waking her up. She heard the laughter of her brother and cousins as she watched them run away, leaving her to clean up their prank.
Students plan activities for April Fools’ Day as the date approaches to build stronger bonds with their friends and family by pranking them.
“We have a lot of different variants of students. We have the stoic, the shy, the energetic, the class clowns and some friend groups. They really like to mess around with each other. Then it spreads onto the school itself,” sophomore Emily Untch said.
Although the exact origin of April Fool’s Day is unknown, it is assumed to have begun in the 16th century when King Charles IX shifted the New Year from late March to Jan. 1. People who clung to the old calendar were considered “April fools.” The first prank recorded was in 1561 when nobleman Eduard de Dene sent his servant on an absurd errand. In other countries like France they call the “fool” the “April Fish,” pranking them by pinning a fish on their friends’ backs.
According to Fox 9, “Over the years, jokes have ranged from pranks among friends to large-scale hoaxes from respected organizations.” This holiday is full of pranks and laughter, which can be fun for some, but others might see it from a different perspective. For some, the pranks become obnoxious or even dangerous.
“April Fool’s Day has changed quite a lot. The old pranks were the water prank, of course, and sleeping in your teacher’s yard. But it has significantly gone up to some of them, definitely beginning to be dangerous,” Untch said.
In elementary schools it is more common to do class pranks, but now it is not as common. Common pranks that are easy and unharmful to do at school could be the “Brown-Es” prank, giving friends E cutouts of brown paper, giving friends “mint oreos” using toothpaste on the inside, or hiding sticky notes on the back of your friends.
“I like that most pranks that I can pull, I get a laugh out of it. It’s fun, and then when I get pranked, it’s also funny. Overall, it’s all fun and games,” freshman Tristan Sanchez said.
In the past, some students have gone extreme for April Fool’s Day. Sanchez likes to prank his siblings.
“Two years ago, I dressed up a skeleton with an all-black suit, and I put LEDs in the eye sockets, and I put it in my sister’s closet. She woke up that morning and saw two glowing eyes and ran out of her room screaming, That was probably not the funniest, but that was the most effective,” Sanchez said.
Sophomore Luke Eriksen also enjoyed pranking on April Fools’ Day and has done many pranks in the past.
“When I was in eighth grade, my teacher, Mr. Springer, had a microwave in his classroom, and I asked Mr. Nash, another teacher in the room, if I should hide it. I moved it, took the microwave, and I just took it up on a shelf and did that like five times over.” Eriksen said.
This year, April Fool’s Day is during spring break. Students planned pranks ahead of time.
“I am a stilt walker, so I own three-foot stilts, and I will be dressed up as a clown and will prank my cousin’s girlfriend, who’s new to the family,” Untch said.
For many students, April Fools’ Day remains an opportunity to share laughs and build memories.
