During the next few weeks, don’t be surprised to see the seniors stealthily running through the parking lot with a water gun in tow. When you hear about a senior sitting outside another’s house, just waiting for them to come out so they can “make their kill,” don’t be shocked. No, Southwest has not turned into the next mafia hotspot. It’s senior assassins season.
This game has been a legend in the Blue Valley school district for years and senior assassins coordinator Sam Johnson is excited to carry on the tradition.
“I became the official coordinator because the class officers had approached me and heard that I was interested in taking the position,” Sam Johnson said. “I hope I can do my job correctly so everyone enjoys playing this year.”
Being the coordinator means that Johnson will not be able to actively participate in the game, but she has a power that no other senior has – she knows all of the match-ups and all of the top-secret assassins information.
“I love assassins and the thought of playing, but knowing who everyone has and watching everyone so consumed by the suspense intrigues me more,” Sam Johnson said. “I like the fact that I know who is trying to kill who at all times, as selfish as that sounds.”
Senior Maddie Johnson is a player in this interactive battle of stealth and water guns and is interested to see the changes in the senior class dynamic.
“I am pumped,” Maddie Johnson said. “This year should be fun because we have such a close senior class, so I feel like everything will be taken personally and that will lead everyone to get really into it.”
With extremely specific rules and strict time constraints, assassins is nothing to be taken lightly. No one knows who will come out the victor and no one can suspect how the game will turn out.
“I’m guessing it’s [the winner’s] going to be a kid no one expects to dominate the entire game,” Sam Johnson said. “A silent killer.”
The opportunity to play this game can be seen as a rite of passage, of sorts. It marks the end of high school, the end of a childhood and the end of using water guns on a regular basis.
“It’s crazy to think we’re graduating in less than two months,” Sam Johnson said. “But I can’t imagine ending the year in a better way than playing assassins.”
This game can also bring the class even closer than they have become through the years.
“I really love this game and everything about assassins, mainly because it’s a thing that our class can do together,” Maddie Johnson said. “We have all been through alot together with the new school and new friendships and I think it is really special for this class to participate in something that brings us even closer together.”
When asked for any last-minute advice for the participants about to embark on this adventure with their classmates, Maddie Johnson just had one thing to say.
“May the odds be ever in your favor,” she said.
Logistics of the Game:
-$10 per player
-Splitting the pot: winner gets 30 percent, person with the most kills gets 30 percent, and the other 40 percent goes to the senior gift fund
-“The assassin must visibly wet the target using a device intended to propel water, and only water, including, (but not limited to), squirt guns, hoses, water balloons, spray bottles, and full buckets of water. Water bottles do not count as a method of assassination.” -Official rules, assassins Facebook page
-“A player may not be assassinated on school grounds, organized sporting events, religious grounds, and organized events. Players cannot be assassinated while on the clock at their place of employment.” -Official rules, assassins Facebook page
-Seniors, follow @BVSWassassins on twitter for all things related to the game
