Soaked: Senior Assassins game promotes class unity

By Jenna Spoont, Staff Reporter

The Senior Assassins game—a way to bring the senior class together, by tearing them apart. Two hundred twenty-nine seniors signed up to compete in the annual student-led tradition, which is not school-sanctioned and takes place entirely off school property. After paying a fee of $2, the seniors were assigned a target to “assassinate.” The winner of the game will win the pool of money, approximately $400.

“It brought everyone together,” senior Abbey Gilligan said. “Everyone was talking about [the] Senior Assassins [game.] It got you involved. Even though it was stressful, it was fun. I would seriously get paranoid walking out of my house.”

The rules of the game were created by senors and leaders Matt Cowell and Chloe Doto.

“I wanted everyone that was a senior to get the chance to play, and I was willing to sacrifice playing so everyone else could,” Cowell said.

Students have gone to desperate measures to eliminate their victims. In hopes of moving on to the next round, students have to follow nine strict rules to ensure that they play fairly.

The Senior Assassins game involves strategy and stealth. Graphic Margot Field/The SPOKE

“There were so many rules,” senior Owen Coffin said. “It got too hard, almost.”

The first rule states that a student must tag their victim using water only, and the water must be visible on the victim. The participants are not permitted to use water bottles to splash their victim, nor can they get a target on school grounds or inside the target’s home. The target’s car cannot be in motion during an “assassination,” nor can the victim be “on the clock” at work.

“The best rule is not being able to get shot in your house, because you have to feel safe somewhere,” Coffin said.

After an elimination, the “assassin” and the victim must report the event to Cowell and Doto. Then, the “assassin” is assigned a new target and moves on to the next round. “It’s definitely something I’ll remember, and I know a lot of other people will,” Doto said. “It’s something outside that’s not school related, that a lot of people are involved in.”

Eight students advanced to the fourth round of the Senior Assassins game, which will conclude on March 30.

“Even without money as a prize, I would still do it again,” senior Jackie Ciotti said. “It’s just fun to play with friends, plan and plot and scheme to try to get these people. It can get really creepy, but that’s the game.”

Jenna Spoont can be reached at jspoont@stoganews.com.