Senior Assassins Controversy

Selah Sanchez

It’s a more and more common sight: students donning unusual attire, from armband floaties, tutus, to cowboy motifs. That is because this year’s round of Senior Assassins is underway. For those unfamiliar with this relatively new tradition, Senior Assassins is a competition where players (Seniors, as the name implies) are assigned a player as a ‘target’ every week, and must find them and ‘kill’ them using a water gun. Immunity is granted by wearing certain accessories unless it is a Friday ‘purge day’, where no one is safe. The winner– the one who stays alive the longest– receives a cash prize accrued from student participation donations.

The game started on February 27, and will continue until there is a winner, or graduation. Once they catch their targets, students must submit video evidence of their ‘shot’ to an Instagram page run by student organizers Lula Buckle (MT ‘24), Samy Dejbakhsh (MT ‘24) and Lily Aniceto (MT ‘24). So far, the game has gone smoothly, with videos of successful clips being uploaded regularly. Participants like Tabitha Finamore (IA‘23) have expressed excitement, saying “I’ve had a lot of fun having something to do in between blocks... it’s a game that’s competitive but at the end of the day it’s funny.”

At OCSA, water guns have been replaced with wooden clothespins, which assassins must use to clip their targets’ clothing. The change– implemented last year as well– was brought about due to “school safety,” as Dejbakhsh said. The safety concern, being implied gun violence. Buckle added, “... In today’s political climate... I just don’t think it’s worth the risk.” Parents and admin alike have expressed concern over the use of water guns, therefore replacing them was the easiest way to approve the game. The decision has sprung some divided opinions among the student population, but while it is not ideal, it is at least understandable. Buckle argued that the bonus of clothespins is that it’s “trickier ‘cause it’s closer range, which we think will make the game more exciting.”

Another issue included missing school hours. Skipping classes or attempting to pull students out of class has been done, which is unfair to teachers and admin. There have been several announcements and modifications to the rules, even after the game started, to mend this. According to Buckle and Dejbakhsh, admin was not against the game, which is run independently of official Leadership. However they did express concern, Buckle reported that “They did express that they wanted to be in the know about the rules and just make sure everything checks out under school.”

Despite its modifications, many students agree that Senior Assassins is a strangely unifying game. The reason for this is that targets are assigned at random so there is the chance that players may get someone that they never knew before, providing the opportunity to get to know them beforehand.

As Dejbakhsh puts it, “To seniors, I believe that this game is seen as very fun and a way to connect with their peers! People can get very into this game, which makes it so much more enjoyable for all the participants.” Certainly, it is a fast-growing and well-looked forward to tradition.