By Joe Wilson, Staff Writer

The bell rings and students file out of the school toward the parking lot. As they approach their cars, one student gets an unpleasant surprise in the form of Cheez Whiz coating the door handle. He wipes his hand in anger, uncertain about who has done this or why. He only knows one thing:

This means war.

Prank wars are a time-honored method for high schoolers to trick their friends, get an adrenaline rush or just stave off boredom during the tedium of the school year.

Senior Eric Royer enjoys the excitement of a successful prank.

“It’s a fun and thrilling thing to do with friends, and the person being pranked will probably get a good laugh out of it, too, as long as it’s nothing malicious,” he said.

There is a fine line between good-humored pranks and ones that could be considered mean. One unwritten rule is that one should never cause permanent damage to property while pranking.

Assistant Principal David Small is there when a prank does go too far.

“I have, on occasion, dealt with pranksters,” he said. “We only deal with issues that occur at school or are somehow brought to school.
“Usually it is harmless, but sometimes it crosses the line where folks/feelings get hurt or property gets damaged,” Small added of pranks at school.

To avoid these issues, Small recommended that when pranking, students “be safe, be smart and use the Golden Rule.”

Besides following those guidelines, Royer had some tips for successful pranks.

“It should be quick and inexpensive, but really visible,” he advised.

For those driving to the scene, Royer suggested parking a long way away to avoid identification.

Evading identification is crucial to any successful prankster. Revealing oneself to the victim of the prank is a surefire way to be the victim of retribution. Even worse, if an authority figure finds out about such activities, there can be serious consequences.

In order to prevent these consequences, one Reynolds student with significant experience in pranking wished to remain unnamed.

To pull off a successful prank, “You have to be creative,” the student said. “The more surprising the prank is, the better.”

For experienced pranksters, coming up with a creative new prank is often the most difficult part. For novices, however, there are a number of good pranks that can be pulled off without much difficulty. “Doughnutting” is an ever popular nuisance to victims, as are Cheez-Whizzing and car painting. All of these can be achieved with minimum planning and skill and are relatively harmless. Just remember: If you are caught, expect payback.

If you are considering going out and pranking someone, just go out and do it. You’ll most likely have a great time and blow off some steam while you’re at it.

“My favorite memory of pranking is the first time I doughnutted someone’s car,” said the unnamed student. “Not really because of the result, because of the adrenaline rush”

Pranking, of course, brings with it some inherent risks. To avoid negative consequences, Royer gave this simple rule.

“Don’t get caught.”