By Kit Humbarger
Assistant Features Editor
On February 27, the game Senior Assassin began at Costa, and now there are less than 25 seniors left in the game. To enter the game, seniors had to pay $2 and follow the game’s Instagram account; the winner will receive the earnings.
Senior Oliver Back arranged this year’s game, running the behind-the-scenes work and participating in the game himself. According to Back, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with running the game, but doing the work with others makes it more entertaining.
“I decided to run [Senior Assassin] after my English teacher Mrs. Houterman told me to do it for fun,” said Back. “I organized the game, made the rules, and posted the kills [on Instagram] with the help of my friend James Conye.”
The original rules of the game were simple: students, using a water gun, had to find and eliminate their target before another player hit them. School grounds were safe from 8:30-2:30 every weekday, and players’ Snapchat location had to be on at all times.
“I joined Senior Assassin because all my friends were playing,” said senior Brett Becker. “It’s a super fun game and made my senior year more interesting.”
The only way to ensure safety in the game was to wear swim goggles at all times. The goggles had to be around the player’s neck or on their face to count. According to Becker, his favorite part of the game was getting to wear the goggles every day.
“I loved wearing the goggles and going out in public with them on,” said Becker. “It made the game super fun and helped me connect with a lot of people.”
After three months, there are still lots of seniors left in the game. Most are convinced they will win the game, and are willing to do anything to achieve that goal. According to Back, he and his partner are in a strong position to win.
“My partner Garrett Gronbach has 10 kills, so I think we have a chance to win,” said Back. “We’re working hard to win the game, but there’s really no way of telling.”
To verify a kill, players must send video proof to Back and Conye. The videos are then uploaded to Instagram daily. According to senior Roxy Fusco, playing with a partner helped build a connection between her and the other players.
“My favorite kill was probably Erin [Inskeep],” said Fusco. “I had seen her run across the street, so I jumped out of the car, hid in a bush, and then killed her while she was running.”
The use of social media during this year’s game made it more engaging for the rest of the Costa community. With the constant updates posted online, students, staff, and parents could follow along with the game and its constant changes.
“My favorite part was seeing everyone at school get involved in the game,” said Back. “They knew who was in and who got out and all of the rule updates, including the teachers. It’s cool to see something I made have a big impact on my school.”
While not sponsored by Mira Costa High School, many believe Senior Assassin should be a yearly tradition for the graduating class. It brings together the senior class one last time and provides a source of entertainment for the rest of the school before summer begins.
“I think Senior Assassin should be continued in the future,” said Fusco. “It’s something that the seniors get to do together at the end of the year to make memories together. I had a lot of fun
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