By: Annalise Brinker, Oliver Hoffman, and Zoe Corn
Butterflies flitting around campus, warm weather, blue skies, and fresh grass are not all that is new to Greenwood as the days pass by.
Greenwood’s seniors and soaking up the last rays of sunshine here at Greenwood before it is time to say “sayonara,” particularly by taking part in activities like senior assassin, a seemingly innocent activity.
“Senior assassin is not bad. I love the kids having fun. I love watching kids be competitive. It’s like anything we compete in or do, it is only bad when people make it more than what it should be about,” principal Michal Gasaway said.
Despite the fact that they are just water guns, school shootings have escalated by 129% from 2000 to the 2021-2022 school year according to usafacts.org; meaning that educators with student safety as a priority like Gasaway must take this matter seriously.
“The seniors probably join it to make memories and to enjoy it before graduating,” freshmen Tenley Llewellyn said, “But I understand why they can’t do it in schools. Because of the association with school and guns.”
No school activity should put students at risk of harm, or even put students in an uncomfortable or potentially unsafe situation; authorities have even condemned the game, as it is potentially tragic.
“I completely understand that it’s fun and all, but it is totally uncalled for with what’s happened in Indiana recently. We can’t just ignore the shooting that almost happened in Mooresville a few months ago,” sophomore Gabriella Clark said.
Unfortunately, a group of students have taken it too far, resulting in a catastrophic car crash in which the car was completely rendered hopeless and a few teeth were lost from seniors chasing each other by car with water guns.
“I think that it would be okay if it was outside or at a water park, but I do not think it is okay to have it in schools because it could take away from learning,” junior Lucy Elmore said.
Senior assassin is a fun end-of-year festivity, but seniors must handle the activity with care because there are punishments in place for seniors who take it too far.
“We would follow our school handbook policy on defiance, since it has been explained that it can’t happen on our school grounds. But even though some might not like it, they have been great and respected my stance on it,” Gasaway said.
Despite the punishments, underclassmen are surprisingly not repelled from the activity, each for their own reasons.
“I would join because it’s fun. I see it on Tik-Tok. It’s entertaining to watch and see what people do in senior assassin,” Llewellyn said.
Students who recognize the activity as a problem have come up with creative solutions, but there are few solutions to make fake guns allowed, horseplay, or devices that distract from learning to school.
“Time outs would be good, keeping a teacher with you at all times to make sure you don’t go against the rules or even get kicked out of the senior assassin,” said Elmore.
Overall, senior assassin does not belong at school whether it be due to the academic distraction, or even the increasing struggle with violence in school.
“It’s a shame that senior assassin is such a big issue. It’s a harmless and fun game. The world is becoming too insensitive, so now we even have to worry about kids shooting other kids because it keeps happening, it’s scary,” Clark said.
