An emergency assembly was called for Lower Dauphin seniors on Monday to urge that they halt play of the game “senior assassin.”
Senior assassin, or “water wars,” which is organized by LD students and is voluntary for seniors, is played by giving each participant a name of another player, who they have to videotape squirting with water in some capacity. Multiple rounds are played, and the last person standing wins a cash prize.
“It’s a game that started a long time ago,” says senior Aaron Gingrich. “It was a good idea, but I think it’s too much of a gray area with today’s issues. No harm is intended, so it’s a shame it didn’t work out the way we were hoping.”
Multiple instances occurred on the first morning of the game, Apr. 29, where the police were called on reports of suspicious activity. The community, who is largely unaware of the game, reported two students who were outside others’ homes with water guns.
In light of the events on Monday morning, Principal Justin Hanula called an assembly during the school day, imploring that the seniors stop the game. Because the organizers are not affiliated with Lower Dauphin, the school has no official jurisdiction over whether or not the game continues, and the seniors are fully aware of this.
“I understand why they did [the assembly], but I don’t think it’s going to make anybody stop. The best chance they have at getting people to stop is to have their parents tell them to, which I know they started doing with the emails,” says Ethan Kurtz.
Monday afternoon, after the assembly, an informational email was sent out to LD senior parents, informing them of the situation. Despite the pleas to stop, however, the class of 2024 is, with a few exceptions, going to continue playing senior assassin for the time being.
