High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : A Day Fool of April Pranks

April Fools’ has come and past, and who’s the biggest fool at last? Hot Topics wonders, “What’s the best April Fools’ joke you’ve ever fallen for?”

“I thought I was adopted. My sister had kept telling me and wrote up fake documents. I believed her and cried for an hour until my mom came home and told me it was a lie. My sister got in big trouble that day.”

Suzanne Fagins, 17,

senior, Buena Park

“The best joke ever pulled on me was last year, when they told me I had left the iron on in my room and I burned all the carpet.”

Lilly Villa, 15,

freshman, Sonora

“I’m always opening my mom’s mail, so on April Fools’ Day she left a letter out. Of course I opened it, and inside it said not to open up any more of her letters.”

Alec Bethurum, 15,

sophomore, St. Margaret’s

“In my class a person passed around a note saying, ‘Look at all the footprints on the ceiling.’ I fell for it and looked up.”

Alan Ackley, 15,

sophomore, Buena Park

“We were at Epcot Center and our friends were late to dinner. When they finally got there, they told us there was an alligator on the Monorail track. We forgot that it was April Fools’ Day.”

Kelly Smith, 14,

freshman, Santa Margarita

“When I was in third grade on April Fools’ Day, I had oatmeal for breakfast. I always put sugar on my cereal, so my older brother and sister switched the sugar with the salt, so I had really salty cereal! I cried.”

Jodi Kidd, 16,

junior, Valencia

“My dad convinced me that a box of dog biscuits was a box of Crackerjack.”

Clat Stockton, 16,

sophomore, Costa Mesa

“It’s probably when my friends made me believe there was a rotten egg in my locker. It was really smelly, and when I opened it, all this confetti and gooey stuff fell on me.”

Stephanie Kramer, 17,

senior, Marina

“I was in the third grade and my teacher wrote all over the desks, threw paper everywhere and sponge-painted footprints on the wall. She said it was aliens, and I believed her.”

Chad Kenan, 15,

freshman, Sonora

“A friend had gotten a suspension slip and she had the principal sign it. She told me that I was suspended for a day for acting out in class.”

Nina Astari, 16,

sophomore, St. Margaret’s

“The throw-up trick.”

Tricia Wilson, 16,

sophomore, La Habra

“When I was 12 my cousin called me on the phone and said he was someone from a radio station and that I had won $200. I really believed him. He finally started laughing really hard, and I figured out who it really was.”

Tia Mullens, 15,

freshman, Buena Park

“When my mom, who was nine months’ pregnant, came downstairs and told my dad and I that she was going into labor.”

Gavin Mantey, 16,

sophomore, Santa Margarita

“When I went into my room, my furniture was gone.”

Chris Anklin, 16,

senior, Costa Mesa

“The funniest April Fools’ joke that I have fallen for is when my brother came in around 3 in the morning and told me it was time for school.”

Michel Coach, 14,

freshman, Sonora

“This girlfriend and her boyfriend said they got married, and the parents totally believed it.”

Thaegra Nevitt, 15,

freshman, St. Margaret’s

“When I was in sixth grade, my teacher came into class with a fake cast on her wrist. She said she slipped and fell in the kitchen. Everyone, including myself, believed the whole story. She didn’t tell us the truth until the end of the day.”

Aron Karney, 16,

junior, Buena Park

“My friend’s sister, who worked for a talent agent, called me and told me that a bunch of stars were in her living room. I totally believed her.”

Tiffany Voss, 15,

freshman, Santa Margarita

“When my teacher announced we had a big Advanced Placement test.”

That Chiem, 17,

senior, Costa Mesa

“It was in fifth grade, and the teacher told our class that we weren’t to have school that day. We were really happy, and then she told us it was April Fools’ Day.”

Stuart Scruggs, 17,

senior, St. Margaret’s

“When I was 14, my aunt from Fresno called me and said she won the Lotto. I was so excited until five minutes later, when she called me again and said, ‘You actually believe that?’ ”

Rachel Barrera, 16,

sophomore, Buena Park

“I’m not a fool, so I’ve never fallen for one.”

Cyndi Nguyen, 18,

senior, Valencia

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

What’s the most daring and dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

Responses gathered by Karen Shelley (Buena Park), Edison Leung (Costa Mesa), Elaine Ust (La Habra), Gail Altman (Marina), Brooke Lyons (St. Margaret’s), Katie Elftmann (Santa Margarita), Stephanie Johnson (Sonora) and Laura Kim (Valencia).