When Senior Assassin, the popular game in which students playfully “eliminate” each other with water guns, made its way to U-High in early April, seniors were excited. Over half the grade signed up and intended to participate. But disappointment and frustration surged when the game organizers announced on Instagram that the school had decided to abruptly end the game.
Although safety is of the utmost importance, the shutdown of Senior Assassin — and the subsequent reactions from seniors — highlights an underlying issue: Lab is becoming less fun.
Students not only have little say when it comes to the cancellation of something like this, but they are also left in the dark about the reasons behind it, leading to a grapevine of rumors.
Of course, introducing Senior Assassin in any school community requires thoughtful safeguards to protect both the students participating and those who might be impacted indirectly. Failing to do so risks widespread confusion, which could subsequently lead to more serious consequences. Nevertheless, we believe the rules designed by the game organizers reflected school safety concerns and rules, while also considering the implications for off-campus “assassinations.”
The rules clearly defined school grounds and school-sanctioned events as off-limits. Eliminating a “target” during sports team practices and games, trespassing into the home of a student, participating in the game while driving or moving a car, and using items not identifiable as water guns were all prohibited. The organizers showed a thoughtful understanding of the risks and consequences of teenagers running around spraying each other with water guns.
While the game organizers explained that school administrators had discovered the game and were permanently terminating it, student participants had no idea what the reason was for the abrupt termination. The Student and Family Handbook clearly prohibits weapons, including fake weapons, but this specific violation was never directly communicated to the dozens of students who signed up as the reason for the cancellation. This lack of communication spurred rumors about what had happened and what consequences possibly were coming. Senior Assassin is not the most mature game in the world, but seniors are old enough to hear why an activity that more than half the grade participated in, bringing them together, got shut down.
Administrators often claim U-High is a space that celebrates student input and voice, yet when it comes to determining what students may do off school grounds, there is no discussion. Students deserve to have a seat at the table — especially when they are the subjects of discussion — and certainly at the very least have the right to know why certain decisions are made.
Ms. Campos • May 10, 2025 at 9:22 am
While the organizers clearly tried to say that this game is not affiliated with Lab, on day one it was brought into Lab by participants pulling out their toy guns and “getting a little aggressive” as they waved them around, as described by the intervening adults. Other, non-participating, students got “a little riled up”, so it became an issue that the school needed to address.
Some of the rules are very concerning and unsafe, and others are just very problematic. Example A: Students are permitted to go after their target in Booth and/or the Reg. That will be the fastest way to get Lab students banned from those spaces. Example B: It’s okay to go after people on a team bus after a game/contest. That is potentially dangerous for the driver and occupants as people will naturally move quickly and possibly move around a minibus to try to escape their attacker. Example C: They can aim at their target in that person’s home as long as they are invited indoors. Or shoot water into a home through any open door or window. This is really disrespectful to those families. There is no mention of getting permission from parents to spray water around/in their home. Example D: Water can be shot at a target as long as neither the shooter nor the target is driving. That is still incredibly unsafe as the water may hit the driver and result in them swerving or losing focus on their driving.
It was also very disconcerting to read the rules and to see the words “assassins”, “kill”, “killer”, “shoot”, “gun”, etc throughout the document. I understand it’s a game, but in the context of a school it is troubling. Just because we have thankfully not experienced gun violence in our school does not mean we should ignore the all too real societal problem of school shootings. Fun can, and should, be had at school – but without imitating very real tragedies that other schools have sadly experienced.
I am grateful that the senior class officers immediately offered a replacement activity that allowed seniors to have fun while in and out of Lab trying to get their targets (by removing a clothespin they had clipped to their clothes), which resulted in over half the grade participating.