This year’s class of 2026 carries on the tradition by participating in senior assassin at the end of the school year. “This is a game of strategy, skill, and overall ambition,” says Lahni, a senior at NUHS. At the start of the game, you buy water guns and googles. Downloading an app called “Splashin,” which shows your location and the location of your assigned target. Everyone gets a target they have to hunt down before time runs out, splashing them with the water gun to get them out. The goggles have to be on your head or face so you’re safe if your target gets you. There is a timer set for a few days. After the time runs out, you are given a new target. The seniors decide on a day to have a purge; this is when goggles are no longer safe. Homes and schools are off limits; it’s about finding your target at the right time and catching them off guard.
Senior Assassin is a student-led game that involves everyone in the class who wants to join. However, using water guns, driving cars, and sneaking into houses can all cause major problems.
“The school wants nothing to do with it,” Mr Bergmann said, the principal of NUHS.
Since the name of the game includes the word “assassin” and the game includes water guns that resemble weapons, it is dangerous to have this game associated with the school. One of the main rules of this game is that it can not be played on a school campus.
“It’s illegal to bring any weapons on campus, even water guns. It can easily cause a shutdown and involve law enforcement,” Bergmann said.
As soon as the targets were revealed, the brainstorming started. From stalking locations to showing up at people’s work, the rules are the only thing holding people back. “I’ve laid in someone’s backseat, followed my target to Walmart, and knocked on his door to try and get him” said Kolt Peterson. Since you can see your target’s location, it makes it easier to know where they are, but their location only updates every 10 minutes. Due to that, people have to time their attack and sneak up on their target, “I’m definitely gonna catch him off guard,” said Lahni Kaupa. Some people even go as far as driving to mankato or other towns to get people. “During purge there is really nowhere to hide except your house” said Kaupa.
