Each year, Wilde Lake seniors organize a game of Senior Assassin. Seniors join an app called Splashin. Each senior involved gets assigned a target they track on the app to eliminate with a water gun. There’s typically a cash prize involved, Wilde Lake’s was $600.

This tradition goes beyond Wilde Lake, as high school seniors nationally play this game. However, in other schools, the game has crossed lines. According to CBS News, “police departments in several Massachusetts towns are warning graduating high school students about the dangers” of Senior Assassin, which “has prompted 911 calls.”

One of the reasons 911 calls have been made is realistic water guns. The Guardian article “Illinois police fear people will mistake students’ water gun game for ‘genuine threat’” says some students are choosing to use black water guns or realistic guns for the game. This is also true for Wilde Lake. 

Junior Milo Nielson says because of recent shooting incidents in the Wilde Lake community, using realistic water guns is not only dangerous, but insensitive. 

“I think it’s really dangerous to use black/realistic water guns, especially in Columbia where recently there’ve been so many horrible incidents involving firearms,” he said.

Another concern for safety is the constant location tracking on Splashin. Players have their target’s location on the app 24/7. When a student buys premium, they have every player’s location on the app. Almost half of Wilde Lake seniors playing the game purchased premium. 

Junior Annika Seshadri says, “I would definitely participate in senior assassin next year, but I don’t know how I’d feel about everyone having my location 24/7, it makes me a little bit on edge” she said.

“Senior assassin is fun in theory but in reality, it’s very invasive on home and private life. Being tracked 24/7 can cause a multitude of problems and lead to uncomfortable and unexpected situations,” said junior Anya Waldner.

However, students like junior Tiffany Berry argue that signing up for the game involves being willing to deal with the consequences. “You agreed to sign up and you put yourself in the game, so it’s your fault if an incident occurs,” she said. 

While the game has become dangerous in some instances, some students argue for the benefits of the game. 2025 Senior Assassin winner Amy Manzanares says the game gave students purpose during a time of year that is normally hard for seniors. 

“When April hits, many of us are struggling to care about high school at all. Playing Senior Assassin gave me something to care about,” she said. “Also, at that time, I think many seniors were worried about losing friendships post-high school. I think the game gave us one last chance to bond and form alliances as high school came to a close.”