At the strike of midnight, last Sunday, April 23rd, Senior Assassin officially began.  205 members of the Class of 2017 paid five dollars each to participate in the popular tradition.  As a result, the winner can expect to make over $1,000 this year.  

In regard to the structure of the game itself, each player is assigned a target, who they must shoot with a water gun.  The target is a fellow player.  When they successfully shoot the individual, they take on the pursuit of their next target, which is the target of their previous target.  If players do not get their initial target within two weeks of the start date, they are automatically eliminated, and a new round begins with a reshuffling of players and their targets.

Many rules govern Senior Assassin due to the safety concerns of both HHS and the community.  Students are not allowed to get others out at sports practice or on the HHS campus.  Additionally, the target cannot be shot while at work or from out of a moving vehicle.  Water guns must not appear similar to actual weapons.  Seniors are also required to post on the Senior Assassin Facebook page when they are eliminated.

Senior Allison Burton was the first senior eliminated this year, getting out just hours after the game officially began.  She posted a wary message to the Facebook page and urged others to be cautious of their friends.  Allison noted, “I was a little annoyed because I never really got to play, but I got over it after a few days”.

At school on Monday morning, many students were paranoid as they were unsure as to who was their “assassin”. Whispers and murmurs spread through classrooms as students either schemed to get their target out or tried to deduce the identity of their “assassin”.  Some seniors even started documents on Google Docs to try and record a full list of targets and “assassins”.

Senior John Joyce enjoyed the mood that Senior Assassin set on the Class of 2017.  He said, “my favorite part about this game is definitely the impact it has had on the discussions I’ve had with my friends.  It seems like the topic comes up in every class.”

Overall, students are thoroughly enjoying the game and see the activity as a fun way to pass these last few weeks of high school.  However, they must remember to play safe so that no students face injury or endanger members of the Hingham community.