Senior Assassin is a Lake Stevens High School tradition that has been going on for years. All seniors who would like to participate pay $10 to play. It starts after finals of the first semester. Participants are allowed to have a partner or go solo if you choose. Each partner gets their own target and their own assassin going after them. Another rule is that participants are also allowed to buy back in if they get assassinated within the first round for a crisp $20 bill, which you have to pay within 24 hours of getting out.

The goal of Senior Assassin is to spice up your senior year with this intense game. The winner gets all the collected money that everyone paid to play. The total will be announced when the first purge commences. 

To access the rule book for Senior Assassin, it is on the LSHS Class of 2020 Facebook page posted by Dan Nguyen.

Reasons people participate in Senior Assassin vary.

“I saw when my older sister did it when I was a freshman, and I’ve just always wanted to do it since then ‘cause I thought it was a really cool idea,” LSHS senior Cody Demerchant explained. 

The game has also grown in popularity due to word of mouth. 

“I found out cause my girlfriend who was a senior last year did it, and it seemed like a lot of fun, and I heard you can win a lot of money,” LSHS senior Jayden Digos stated.

Many people feel that this is a great tradition. 

“It needs to stay for a really long time, it’s been a tradition at the high school for a lot of years and should definitely stay,”  Demerchant expressed. “I think it should stay too, It makes senior year a lot of fun and it’s something you look forward to,” senior Jayden Digos noted.

Thoughts on the senior assassin given all the school shootings? “It’s nerf guns, it’s not on school campuses, it’s strictly off-campus. It’s not in certain public places, like restaurants and gyms. So it’s strictly where it would be okay like if you see a little kid runnin’ around with a Nerf gun. It’s the same thing so… it’s harmless,”  Demerchant exclaimed. 

What common challenges have many of the students faced?

“Definitely trying to find people’s schedules and addresses, so we can try to track them down; it’s pretty hard,” senior Cody Demerchant explained. 

“There’s a lot of Paranoia like with who has you as their target, and you’re [trying to] find your target, and in the mornings you get out of your house and be cautious at all times, everywhere you go,”  senior Jayden Digos stated. 

What’s the best way to stay in the game?

“Have a Nerf gun with you as soon as you get out of your car,” senior Cody Demerchant added.