The Senior Assassin game has begun, and seniors have been much more cautious with their every move.

A Malvern senior wakes up gets ready for school, eats breakfast, and looks for the signal from one of the only people he can trust, a parent. The coast is clear, he can take on the task of walking to the car.

Why has the morning walk to the car become such a daunting task? Senior Assassin 2014 has begun.

This year, about a third of the senior class is participating in a game which is now simply known as “Assassin.” The game has been going on for years now at Malvern and a few other high schools around the area including Villa Maria and Notre Dame Academy have their own games as well.

The idea is simple. Everyone has a target, and you have to “assassinate” them with some form of water, whether it be a bottle of water or a fully loaded Super Soaker for those who spared no expense. Seniors who signed up for the game paid an entry fee of $5, and were assigned a target by Ryder Harkins ‘14, who is running the game this year.

The task is simple, but the rules are anything but.
– No assassinations on school grounds or at any school sanctioned events (i.e. Prom)
– No assassinations in a target’s workplace
– No assassinations in a house of worship
– You may not break into a target’s home. You may only enter with permission of a resident
– You CAN shoot a target through a window/screen/garage if they are in the garage and the door is open.
– Finally, no assassinations can be made when the target is… naked. (The BFC has been unable to determine origins of this rule. We remain curious.)

Since the email was sent out, alliances have formed and friendships have been torn apart. You may trust your best friend with your life, but when a few hundred dollar prize is on the line, they could turn on you in the blink of an eye.

Many assassinations have already been made, with some amazing stories to go along with them. Jeff Hagen had one of the best assassinations, as he happened to spot Jake Reber ‘14 at the airport over Spring Break. Reber, a student well known for his “Twitter game,” tweeted afterwards, “Props to Jeff Hagen for assassinating me at the airport the other day. Zero props to airport security for allowing an assassination to occur.”

Joe DiSipio, who is still alive and thriving in the game, notes, “The thrill of watching my target realize what happens is worth so much more than the $5 Harkins stole from us.”

There’s no telling when the game will end. Some games in years past are still going on, and the cash prize was most likely spent on something else. (Rumors have circulated that Harkins has already spent the money, but this can neither be confirmed or denied.) Whatever the result of the game is, senior participants have enjoyed the game, even with the constant threat that your assassin could be watching you.