Clownin’ Around

How students make their school careers a circusKristenKrauseLifestyles Editorkristen.krause@fairburyjeffs.org

Cultures, languages, and curriculum are a few things

that make schools all over the world different. But no matter the size of your school, or the location, every school, and ultimately, every class has a class clown. The class clown is that one person in class that is always… well, clowning around. Whether they are telling jokes, bothering teachers with sarcastic tones, or pranking fellow students, they are always holding others’ attention, and making the class more exciting.

Class clowns are always entertaining the group, but it’s for their biggest pranks that they are remembered.

“One time in my Advanced Welding class, I stole Mr. (Dennis) Kenning’s truck. He was pretty mad about it, but I didn’t get detention or anything,” senior Kitrik Ahl said.

Other pranks in school have included Jace Harris’s resourceful

lasso trick.“In science last year, I made

a lasso using my headphones, then I used it to lasso Mr. ( Alex) Niederklein. It was hilarious,” sophomore Jace Harris said.

While some pranks are made public in class, others become known just by word of mouth.

Samuel Netherton ’14 tells a

well-known joke he likes to call “the potato joke.” “What do you get when you eat all the potatoes? They’re all gone!” He tells his joke to anybody who listens, including teachers and school officials. A graduate from 2010 remembers one of his most memorable stunts.

“One day, during algebra, Mr. (PJ) Smith left the room. With electrical

tape, I taped Trevor Schlake’s desk to the door handle, so Smith couldn’t come back inside,” Gunner Tracy said.

Also using tape as a master tool for an unforgettable prank was senior Skyler Sides. “One thing I did this year that was pretty funny was when I taped all of Mr. Weatherholt’s stuff to his desk,”

Sides said. With all these jokes and pranks happening in school, one would think detentions were never ending, but even for class clowns, that’s not how it always works. “I never ever get into trouble,” Sides said. “Even with all my shenanigans, I was never really in trouble much. Teachers were just always irritated with me and they

were always telling me to stop messing around,” Tracy said. Even if no detentions were issued, the class clowns still seemed to have time to think of pranks to distract the class. “A lot of the things I did were just me being me,” Tracy said.

“ I don’t really have any prank inspirations, I just think of funny things,” Ahl said.

time job, clowning around in school might affect their productivity at work.

“Being bored at work often causes me to mess around even now,” Tracy said. “I only mess around at work when Aiden Burkitt (‘14) and Sebastian Lawrence (‘13) are working with me,” said Harris. “I’m not usually messing around when I’m at work,” Sides said. Clowning around in school can have its side effects, such as getting distracted at work, but often students find that it effects them in a positive way for the most part.

“Being a class clown for me was a positive experience because the more and more I was messing around I got used to it, and I became more spontaneous and outgoing,” Tracy said.

“Being a clown during school for me is a positive thing. I can always lighten the mood in a stressful situation,” Ahl said.

“For me, clowning around can be both good and bad. I like to make

“ I look up to Aaron Hilligas and Sheridan Hutchision for prank ideas,” said Harris, remembering the 2012 graduates.

Students behave differently in classes depending on who their classmates are, and who the teachers are. Some class clowns choose to clown around more depending on the

teacher. Sometimes the teachers’ reactions are part of what makes pranks so great.

“I like to mess around in Mr. (Tom) Scott’s classes,” Ahl said.

“Ms. (Diane) Schutt was definitely fun to mess with. I would irritate her a lot, then give her a big hug to make her get even more mad,” Tracy said.

Course subjects also induce boredom, which almost always leads to messing around.

“Out of all my classes, I mess around in English the most because it’s boring,” Sides said.

“Geometry was always fun to clown around in last year,” Ahl said.

Now that a lot of students have to carefully balance school and a part-

everyone laugh during class, but I don’t learn a lot,” Sides said. The positive outcomes of being a class clown are what makes it worth it to most students. “I love to make everyone laugh,” said Ahl. “Clowning around in school makes boring classes more fun,” Sides said. “Being a class clown showed people that I am a fun person to be around and that I am easy to get a long with. It helped me make friends,” Tracy said.

Jokes and pranks are something present in all schools, but the people that pull them are what makes them memorable.

8 DPS 11.30.12 911.30.12 DPS

“Being a clown during school for me is a positive thing.”

Photo Credit: K. Krause H. ReikofskiClass clowns tend to gain attention from doing mindless pranks like

squirting people with water.

Causing interuptions during class, clowns have a higher risk of get-ting detentions or being sent to the office.