Ending up in a shootout with a classmate would under most circumstances be both terrifying and really unusual. However, due to the tradition of Senior Assassin, a game that has now started at Prospect, it is an annual event. 

While a lot of students can find the game fun, going around stalking people with the intent to “kill” them with a water gun can be very dangerous. Despite the students only splashing each other, this is the U.S., where people are very aware of the risks actual firearms pose. 

If residents or police find that a water pistol looks too realistic, the offending senior could end up in legal trouble, such as being arrested or suspected as a dangerous individual. The game can be unsafe, and if seniors decide that they wish to play it, they should need to know the risks associated with the game, according to many Illinois police departments including the Mount Prospect Police Department.

“[The playing of Senior Assassin is] putting unnecessary stress, unnecessary safety risks, unnecessary pressure and negativity around the community for something that doesn’t need to happen,” Dean Jesus Zamudio said. 

Senior Assassin is a popular tradition at high schools in the U.S. and Canada in which seniors attempt to eliminate other seniors with a water gun. People are randomly assigned a “target” and need to film themselves spraying their target with a water gun. Those who are “killed” and those who fail to get their target by the end of the week are eliminated. Then new targets are assigned. 

The game has an entry fee — $5 at Prospect. The money collected for the entry fee will be given to the winner, giving a substantial cash incentive to play the game. The cash prize for Prospect this year is $1,195, according to junior Allison Coval.

By week 3 of Senior Assassin, there were 32 people left, a number much decreased from the 239 at the beginning of the game. It seems unlikely that the game will continue much longer.

Coval, the social media organizer of Senior Assassin, believes that at this point, most people are playing to win. At the beginning of the game, many people joined because of the low price and the thought that it is their senior year and having fun is important.

There are many detractors of Senior Assassin, as the game has caused issues across the nation for many years.

This year, Dundee Elementary school in Dundee, Ill. experienced a hard lockdown due to parents mistaking a water gun for a firearm due to its appearance. The senior was detained by authorities.

“We at District 214 and myself personally do not support and do not condone the game,” Zamudio said.

Zamudio listed some of the precautions and consequences for Senior Assassin occurring at the school. The game is not permitted on PHS property. If students are found with water guns on their person or in their car, there will be repercussions, such as detentions along with the punishments a parent might issue.

Coval and the other organizers have put measures in place to mitigate the risks such as saying that no “assasination” would count on field trips. They also discourage “killing” targets in restaurants and businesses.  

Coval says that they haven’t had to deal with police or teachers apart from sending emails to teachers planning field trips that said teachers wouldn’t have to worry about Senior Assassin on the trip.

Despite this, the game can get people hurt. 

“We don’t support this, we don’t condone this and this is in no way affiliated with Prospect High School,” Zamudio said.

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