On Thursday, April 18th, just as the final school bell rang through the halls, the instagram account “@jesuitseniorassasin” delivered a message via Instagram story: “Senior Assassin will be ended immediately. Refunds will start rolling out within the next 2 days.”
Originally starting at 6 AM, on Wednesday, April 17th, seniors headed to school that morning with water guns loaded and goggles and floaties in hand.
“My partner and I camped outside of our target’s house for 30 minutes at 7 am with our water guns strapped and goggles equipped. With goals of getting an early kill we were unfortunately met by her angered father, who kicked us off the street,” said senior Jack Reding.
Across the nation, the social media challenge “Senior Assassin” surged in popularity, captivating high school students everywhere with its exhilarating challenge.
The game consists of seniors engaging in a water gun game, attempting to “assassinate” selected targets within their class.
Participants must strategize and track down their targets while evading being “assassinated” themselves, using orbeez ball guns, water guns, and water balloons.
Seniors were able to use shields such as goggles, swimming caps, and floaties, in order to stay protected from their assassin.
According to the set of rules, the game was explicitly said for off-campus play; any school property served as a “safe zone”, granting players immunity from elimination.
Seniors attempted to “assassinate” their targets during their off-campus lunch periods in nearby locations such as New Seasons Market, Chipotle, and Chick-Fil-A.
At 1:46 PM on Wednesday, the Director of Campus Safety, Cathe Kent, issued a statement.
“Jesuit High School has become aware of a game called ‘Senior Assassin Challenge’ on social media which is occurring among some students. We have already spotted ‘water guns’ visible in vehicles parked on Jesuit’s campus. Please do not have water guns in your vehicle on campus or anywhere on campus at any time. Participating in this game on Jesuit property (which includes the entire Valley Plaza area and parking lots) or at any school-related activity is prohibited at all times and would result in significant consequences.”
Later that afternoon, senior class president, Landon Lagesen, issued a new rule on the Jesuit Senior Assassin instagram.
“Water guns MUST be brightly colored and obviously not real.”
Lagesen also emphasized current rules.
“ANY HIGHSCHOOL CAMPUS OR PARKING LOT IS NOW OFF LIMITS.”
Despite the new set of rules, seniors continued to “assassinate” their targets with a variety of strategies.
Evelyn Tossi expressed her excitement about her success in the game.
“My partner had seen our target in the gym in the past, so we knew he would eventually show up after school to work out,” Tossi said. “We waited and when he finally showed up I snuck behind him while he was sitting down and I sprayed him with my water gun.”
Julius Christensen recalled Hudson Rommel‘s skillful assassination.
“It was a regular Wednesday Night, I stopped at the local Chick-Fil-A with the team to have a post-game dinner with the boys. Then when leaving the premises, Hudson Rommel jumped around the corner and sprayed me with a water gun!”
Soon after, the escalating intensity of the game raised concerns among both parents and the administration, ultimately leading to the game being banned.
During off-campus lunch periods, seniors were using orbeez guns, toys that use hydrated water gel balls as their projectiles for shooting, in order to assassinate their target.
Jesuit High School began receiving complaints from students who were disturbing establishments.
“The next day we got a complaint from a local business […] kids running in and out not just with a squirt gun but with the Orbeez that as you know, makes almost like a machine gun (noise).”
“And they were running in and out around the parking lot. It was stressful for many patrons that were in there not knowing what’s going on,” Kent said.
Beyond Jesuit, in Itasca, Illinois, a rollover accident occurred by two students actively participating in the Senior Assassin challenge.
Two students were playing the game, involving water guns, when one vehicle lost control and rolled onto its side.
Another big safety concern is students being mistaken for actual threats.
In Gurnee, Illinois, a group of seniors went into a restaurant wearing ski masks and holding water guns that looked like firearms.
They were targeting other students who were eating and tried to spray them with water.
An employee at the restaurant mistook the students as criminals and called the police.
Luckily, no one was injured, but police warned the situation could have escalated quickly.
Steve Deklotz, a vice principal of Jesuit High School, became concerned about the safety of senior students, which was one of the contributing factors to the ban of the game.
“I think the safety issue was probably the biggest one, and seeing how other people had made some (big mistakes), it caused some real, actual safety issues, but I think we just didn’t want something that could add a big variable for some seniors to make some significant mistakes based on what had been happening.”
Furthermore, a factor contributing to the ban was the awareness of racial injustices.
In the past, there have been tragic incidents where young black individuals were shot while engaging with a replica toy gun.
On November 22, 2014, Tamir Rice, a 12 year old child, was killed by a police officer while playing with a replica toy gun.
Finally, a portion of the game is that each team of two has to pay a $10 fee. Pulling the prize money to be around $600. The last team standing would win the prize money.
Deklotz shared his concern on how the prize money could heighten the competitiveness among seniors.
“I would say a meaningful amount of money is involved in the game, when you look at the kind of pool, so that becomes a concern too. It definitely ramps up the level of competitiveness.”
Landon Lagensen, senior class president, was in charge of the game and its logistics.
He expresses his intentions on introducing the challenge to his classmates.
“I wanted to bring a community within the class of 2024 outside the walls of Jesuit. Some seniors had tried to run a Senior Assassin already, but looking at their rules I realized that someone was probably gonna get hurt. So as class president I volunteered myself to assume the responsibility. I made thorough rules for everyone’s safety, and encouraged students to tell their parents about the game. Senior assassin was going to happen, I just wanted everyone to be safe playing it.”
Some seniors felt hesitant about joining the game, others weren’t aware the game was happening.
Sofia Waters explains feeling apprehensive about playing the game.
“I didn’t want random people showing up at my house.”
After the cancellation of the game, some seniors were left frustrated.
“During the short time we were able to take part in senior assassins, there was a completely different energy on campus, during lunch, and at break. It was bonding our class in a new way for our last couple of months, and it’s unfortunate it was cut short,” Sarah McGuire.
“I am super sad they canceled Senior Assassin. We as seniors have limited time left, and although we are ready for the next stage of our lives, we are going to miss our friends we have made here at Jesuit. Senior assassin brought everyone together one last time as a community. I’m very disappointed that Jesuit, a school that emphasizes community, canceled an event that brought everyone together,” Elliot Parellious
