Every year there is an infamous tradition among the senior class: Senior Assassin. The game is simple: eliminate the target by squirting them with a water gun without getting eliminated and move on to the next round. If a player makes it to the end, they win a cash prize gathered by the entrance fee. Historically, the administration has had to strictly regulate this game because of the chaos it has caused, banning it on campus during school hours. Recently, this rite of passage has turned even deadlier, with students using nefarious tactics to win the grand prize. 

This shift has been credited to Aaditya Warms (12), who has been identified as the person who first violated the rules. When asked about the reason behind his actions, he said that his target has been his “opp” since elementary school. “I remember that he told Ms. Smith that I cheated on the spelling test, so she gave me a bench slip,” said Warms. Since then, their feud has become increasingly hostile, building up anticipation for  Senior Assassin. When Warms realized who his target was, he engineered his water gun to heat up the water to boiling temperatures before firing, leaving his target scarred with third-degree burns.

After this initial violation, others started to follow, using Senior Assassin as a means to harm people they disliked. “After hearing about what Aaditya did, I knew I had to take this opportunity to get back at my ex so I made my water guns shoot icicles and shot him with them,” said Chill Blain (11). Another student abandoned the idea of a water gun completely and sprayed their target with a fire hydrant, claiming it was a variation of a water gun and was within the rules of the game.

While the game is technically not affiliated with the administration, after these incidents, they felt that it was vital for them to protect their students and enforce harsh regulations for Senior Assassin. After putting out a statement condemning the students’ actions and the game as a whole, the administration has stated that they will be enacting a “what goes around comes around” rule where further violations will result in the violator being subject to their own weapon. While some are upset by this rule, stating that it qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment, it seems as though this rule will stay in place for the duration of this year’s game.