Senior Assassin: Classic Tradition or Chaos Waiting to Happen?

Schools across the nation have kept the tradition of the senior assassin, as a last burst of fun in their final weeks of high school. More recently, parents, law enforcement, and school administrators have expressed concerns about this classic high school tradition, causing a decrease in schools that participate. Despite the many opinions on eliminating the senior assassin, there are numerous reasons to continue this well-loved tradition.

Senior Assassin is a fun, creative, and competitive game played by high school seniors. Usually played in the spring, the goal of the game is to “eliminate the ‘target’” you are given by using a water gun to “assassinate” them. Students plan ambushes and hide behind cars as strategies to make the game more exciting. This is used as a way for high schoolers to bond and spend less time on social media. According to CNN’s Kara Alaimo in her article “The ‘Senior Assassin’ game is all good fun– until it isn’t,” "Their generation spends less time with friends and more on social media. In 1999, the average 12th grader went on 2.78 social outings per week. By 2020, that number dropped to 1.89.” Many 12th graders over the past 20 years have spent less and less time being social with their friends, family, and peers at school. Schools participating in this tradition have created a bond like no other, especially after the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic.