Senior year is full of traditions and memories, but one thing that has students constantly watching their backs is senior assassin. Using water guns and goggles, seniors try to eliminate their assigned targets while avoiding getting out themselves. What starts as just a game quickly turns into a competition full of strategy, suspicion, and excitement around the school. For a lot of students, the game changes how they act around their friends and classmates. “I think there’s a lot of traitors around in senior assassin, and everyone’s just working for themselves, so it’s hard to trust everyone,” said Claire Johnson (12). As the game goes on, students become more careful about who they trust and where they go after school. Even though it may seem simple, students say there is actually a lot of planning involved. “ A lot of planning goes into it. You have to figure out where they live, where they work, you have to see if you can figure out when their shift ends, or if they’re wearing goggles all the time,” Johnson (12) said. Many seniors spend days trying to plan the perfect time to get their target while also making sure they do not get eliminated themselves. Even with finals and the stress of the end of the year, many students think the game makes senior year more exciting. “It makes the end of the year feel more fun when we’re trying to cram for exams in the final weeks,” Johnson (12) said. “It gives us something to look forward to.” As senior assassin continues, students are balancing school, sports, jobs, and the competition, making it one of the most entertaining traditions of senior year.

Next year, the 2027 class plans to take a different approach to the game, assigning an upcoming junior as the commissioner, “It would just make it more fair for everybody…no unfair advantage,” said Noah Skidmore (11). The new seniors have many exciting events to look forward to next school year, and senior assassin is one of the most anticipated of those. When asked what he is most looking forward to about it, Skidmore (11) said, “It’s really fun to be with my friends and see who they have and try to work out who you have and get them out.” While there is just under a year that the game will start, students have already been raving about their excitement to play, making senior assassin one of the most popular senior events.

Senior assassin would not be possible without students organizing the game behind the scenes. This year, senior Finn Stovall (12) took on the role of commissioner, helping coordinate sign-ups, payments, and rules for the competition. “I had to talk to a lot of people and coordinate how I was gonna get their money, and how I was gonna make sure people that didn’t pay wouldn’t get into the game,” Stovall (12) said. Along with organizing players, Stovall (12) also keeps track of eliminations and game updates throughout the competition. According to Stovall (12), the winner of the game will receive a cash prize of around $1,080, giving seniors even more motivation to stay in the game as long as possible. One of the most intense parts of the game is “purge day,” when normal protections no longer apply. During regular gameplay, students can protect themselves by wearing goggles, but on purge day, anyone can be eliminated regardless of protection. “On purge day there is no protection from being shot, so your goggles won’t protect you,” Stovall (12) said. “You gotta be on your game, you can’t mess up.” Purge day often causes students to become even more competitive and cautious as eliminations happen quickly.

As senior year comes to an end, senior assassin has become more than just a game for many students. Between forming alliances, planning eliminations, and trying to avoid getting out themselves, seniors have turned an ordinary tradition into one of the most memorable parts of the school year. Whether students are competing for the cash prize or simply enjoying the excitement with friends, senior assassin continues to bring energy and competition to the final weeks of high school, leaving many students already excited for next year’s game.