The Community Impacts of Senior Assassin

by Antigone Romano

Senior assassin is a standing tradition at hundreds of high schools around the country. The target of the game is for students to eliminate their target, another team of participating students, using a water gun. Though the rules vary, the ultimate name of the game is to be the last team standing, or in other words, not have been eliminated over the weeks the game had been played. 

The event is normally not regulated by the school given the possible dangers and liabilities throughout the game. There are some exceptions to this, such as Phillips Exeter Academy, who played one year without water guns (we aren’t sure how that is possible). 

The officials of the Exeter High School Senior Assassin of 2026 have made some tweaks to the rules, however the game’s core has remained. This year, there will be no immunities. In past years, you were given the option to wear a flotation device and goggles to become immune to the water gun of your opponent. Additionally, the officiators will not take any of the pot, which will be upwards of $1000, as compensation. 

Although seniors every year anticipate the game positively, the surrounding communities fear the implications. Because school affiliated events, such as sports events, are off limits in addition to school property during school hours, participating students must outsource. Given you must eliminate your target by the end of each week or else you get out, students are driven to show up to their targets jobs, homes, or places of hobby. 

However fun or thrilling it is for the seniors, communities victim to the game have had some things to say. Most waterguns are not replicas of true, functioning handguns, although it is common amongst participants of the game to use waterguns that look less like a fun plastic toy and more like a real handgun. If a participant is chasing their target through a neighborhood or around businesses with a watergun that looks more like a handgun, it can cause an emergency response which might include calling 911 or utilizing self defense. Not only can this cause a waste of police resources, but can also cause civilians to use their own weapons or arms to take down their perceived threat. 

In Verona, Wisconsin, multiple officers were dispatched in response to a report where a “male wearing a black ski mask who was armed with a handgun” was “ jogging and crouching down at times” according to the Verona Police Department, though all he held was a watergun. Thankfully no threat from police forces or participants, despite the potential.  That was in 2024, although as schools and districts unwrap this game for the 2026 season, more and more issues are unfolding. Just this week, Fox reported on a situation where a school resource officer was recorded “hitting [a] high school baseball player with a stun gun after [their baseball] game.” The situation unfolded in Marion County, South Carolina and details are not yet clear, though it is known via video that a student was hit in the head after “stepping on [the SRO’s] toe” mistakenly. 

In the end, it is important for seniors to remember as they inevitably participate in Senior Assassin that they do exist alongside individuals who are unbeknownst to the game. It is also crucial to keep in mind that it is only a game and only one pair will win in the end. There is no shame in taking part in the tradition, just be safe!