The most traditional is the grand “teepeeing” of a house with toilet paper, but in recent years the popularity of pranks like this has declined due to new technology that has developed, making it harder to not get caught. For a look back for old times sake, Lake Ridge teachers relive their youthful indiscretions and recall some of their favorite Halloween pranks.

Leigh Ann Smith, U.S. history teacher, was involved in a major prank while in high school one year around Halloween. Her entire class went outside their rival school’s football stadium where there were trees all around. Smith and her peers all bought ribbon that matched their school’s colors, and wrapped the hundred year old trees. She was a gymnast at the time, so she was in charge of climbing all the way to the top and covering the branches that were hard to reach. The ribbons stayed there for weeks before the rival school was able to take it all down.

“That school called our school principal and our principal said,’Unless you can prove who it was, there is nothing we can do.’ There were no cameras and no security footage, so what could they do? It worked out perfectly for us,” said Smith.

Thomas White, U. S. history teacher, pulled a number of pranks while in high school. His school was new, so they hadn’t yet installed locks onto the windows. Sometimes, he would sneak out through the window to the concessions and sneak back in with nachos. His teacher would always be confused as to where he was getting the food from, but never found out. White also had a friend whose parent was the principal of the school they attended, so he and his friend stole the master key to all the rooms in the school and made copies of it. Since they had a key, they snuck in the senior class students for their senior prank during Halloween and they saran wrapped all the lockers. They also snuck into the basketball courts and spray painted the entire court.

“We actually didn’t get in trouble for the graffiti because they actually thought it was an improvement. It was really good it was like actual art. My dad thought it was hilarious. I didn’t get in trouble,” said White

Brandon Austin, European history teacher, is known for his outgoing and wild personality at Lake Ridge. During his sophomore year of high school, all of his friends were starting to get new cars and since his friend kept messing with his own car, he decided to retaliate. He opened a can of tuna and placed it under his seat on a hot day in October. His friend did not find it for months. Another time, he would place deviled eggs all around his English teacher’s classroom where he knew they would not be found, even inside the tissue boxes.

“I’m always in a prank war with someone, so I got caught all the time,” said Austin.

Kids enjoy Halloween in it’s simplicity in dressing up and getting candy, but the memories teachers have made with their friends are worth a good laugh and a glimpse of who students’ teachers used to be.