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Students sacrifice a Volkswagen in the name of tradition Cupertino--Continuing the annual tradition of senior pranks, the Homestead High School class of 2000 wants to make sure they end their school year with a bang. Shrouded by secrecy and darkness, a group of seniors welded a Volkswagen bus around a tree in the middle of the school courtyard during the wee hours of May 31. The bus, with its floor and roof cut out, boasts a colorful paint job with "Mustangs" and "2000" emblazoned on the sides. It was the buzz of all conversation the day of its debut. Students and teachers "oohed" and "aahed," and some came to take pictures. "In terms of pranks, this doesn't go very far, and I've seen cooler ones," said senior Kelly Zimmerman. "But this is funny," "This is more of a gift than a prank," said junior Pavla Mikula. Students agreed that the bus won points because it wasn't malicious or destructive to school property. Past pranks have included putting crickets in air filters and spreading confetti on school grounds. Even the schools administration gave kudos to the pranksters. "In terms of creativity and cleverness, it's fine," said principal Eric Paulson, who plans on leaving the bus intact until graduation. "I think it's a decent prank because it didn't cause any damage." Pranksters in waiting, the junior class has observed and taken notes, and ideas are already brewing. At stake is the pride and standing of the next year's graduating class. "We have a reputation to keep because we won homecoming this year. We're not going to let this go to waste," said Laura Simpson, a junior. Michele Leung [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]