Seniors 'sell' Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy as clever class prank

COEUR d'ALENE — Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy was for sale for $1 million Tuesday morning, much to the surprise of the faculty and staff.

Principal Dan Nicklay didn't even see the "for sale" sign when he first pulled up to the school. 

"My first thought was, 'What the heck's that doing here?'" Nicklay said.

He then realized it was the Class of 2024's senior prank, and all gasps of astonishment were replaced with chuckles and sighs of relief.

"It’s very clever, very funny, the kind of stuff our kids do," Nicklay said.

Tables were stacked on top of each other, chairs were shrinkwrapped together and price tags were on every object as though Charter was holding a massive liquidation sale.

"The trophies in the trophy case were in boxes," senior Hailie Velasco said. "Every teacher had a letter of termination on their desk. It was really funny. There was one teacher who thought the letter of termination was real, momentarily."

The masterminds behind the prank issued a "Declaration of Tomfoolery" that went out to the entire senior class to ensure every student was on board with the escapade. The authors wrote that one thing must be kept in mind when the senior prank is crafted: legacy.

"Is our prank memorable? Does it set a positive example for future generations? Will it upset our administrators and teachers, causing them to look upon our class with a frown for years to come?" the authors penned. "The ultimate prank must go far enough to leave a lasting impression on our school without creating a feeling of ill-will towards our generation, and a pajama day fulfills neither of these requirements. We must do better, we must shoot for the stars, and we must be successful in this final endeavor, ensuring that our class’s legacy will be celebrated in the history books for years and years to come."

The tricksy trio took the prank to another level by creating a faux website, cdacharterforsale.netlify.app, enticing potential buyers with phrases such as, "This mighty fine establishment offers no real ceilings, leaky pipes, hazardous water pressure, an ancient HVAC system and gum in carpets."

"It was very well orchestrated," Hailie said.

A previous graduating class bombarded the school with squeaky rubber duckies, and last year's seniors handed out hundreds of kazoos to fill the halls of Charter with noisy joy.

"The first hour we were here was just a cacophony of kazoos," Nicklay said.

He commended Charter's seniors for their thoughtful, harmless, fun and funny pranks that don't create more work for staff and keep the students in good standing if ever they wish to visit their alma mater after graduation.

"We want to think of them as that funny, fun group," Nicklay said. "I’m so pleased our kids get it."

    Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy's 2024 seniors pranked their school Tuesday morning by putting it up "for sale" for $1 million. The "About this property" section on the flyer reads: "Ready to attend a school where you can accept the challenge? Complete with a fully remodeled interior, intact and waterproof roof and a full-size football field with our lack of any real sports teams."
  

    Tables and chairs were wrapped up and ready to move Tuesday morning after Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy seniors orchestrated a prank making it seem as though the school were for sale for $1 million and all items inside were for sale. "It’s very clever, very funny, the kind of stuff our kids do," Principal Dan Nicklay said.