Trends come and go, but many of them return over time. Two familiar water games have hit AHS this spring: Senior Assassin, a live-action water-tag game for the graduating class, and USC’s Speak Your Mind ice bucket challenge. Students within the high school and across the nation are joining together to make a splash this April.
The game “Senior Assassin” is a live-action game played most often by seniors of a graduating class, as described in the Catcher Games article on the topic. This hide-and-seek game uses toy water guns to tag students and “eliminate” their peers from the game until an individual or team is the last one standing. There are different ways to organize the game, but Atlantic seniors have used the Splashin’ app for game organization. The app is designed to instruct players on the rules and assign teams of four students to target another team. A player is “eliminated” when they have been sprayed with water by another student. A video of this elimination must be shared within the app to check the elimination’s validity. Students are also encouraged by the app and the game masters’ guidelines to stay safe, follow all rules, and respect the boundaries of everyone involved, including the wider community.
The first round of Senior Assassin started on April 16th and was planned by seniors Aiden Smith and McKenna Sonntag. “Our Senior Assassin is ran different than some schools,” Sonntag said. “One unique rule to AHS’ game is we have given the teams the chance to ‘buy back’ teammates for further rounds with their eliminations.” Smith and Sonntag implemented game “waves” and non-violent “purges” to extend the game’s runtime and increase involvement. Sonntag said, “My main goal for this game is to give the class of 2025 a fun, cohesive experience and memories to end our final semester here at AHS together.”
Senior Drayce Moore is participating in Senior Assassin along with his teammates and has eliminated two people thus far. “I think it’s a good opportunity to… bring everyone in [the] class together a little closer and just to do something fun together.”
Senior Assassin isn’t the only event this spring that has left an impact on its participants. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge began in 2014 to spread awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It took three men’s diagnosis and their communities’ support to truly help the challenge go viral, and from there, the internet was obsessed with the Ice Bucket Challenge. The three men – Anthony Senerchia Jr., Pat Quinn, and Pete Frates – have all since passed away, but their legacies were immortalized by the success of the campaign. Over 220 million dollars were raised for ALS research in just one year.
Over a decade later, the newest viral rendition of the challenge takes a different approach to the challenge mission. The #SpeakYourMIND ice bucket challenge was started by the University of South Carolina’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club. USC junior Wade Jefferson helped found the university club after losing two friends to suicide. MIND’s mission is to “normalize mental health, support each other,” and “advocate suicide prevention.” Donations gained from the challenge go directly to Active Minds, which has been described as the “nation’s leading nonprofit organization mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms.”
The USC and ALS challenges function very similarly. To participate, one must be “nominated” to take the plunge by another participant. Participants must record themselves stating who nominated them and who they dare to take the challenge next, typically three or more people, who then have 24 hours to take the challenge. Then, a bucket of ice-filled water is dumped onto their heads. Participation is used to show solidarity with the challenge’s mission and the goal of the fundraiser.
Freshman Ashlynn Albert participated in the challenge through nomination by her classmate David Blake. “I was excited when I got nominated,” Albert said. She heard about the challenge through social media. She said, “I thought this was very, very good to put out, letting people know it’s okay to ask for help. I’ve struggled with mental health issues, and seeing everyone come together to spread awareness about mental health really put a smile on my face.”
Whether you don water goggles or ice buckets, AHS has made it clear that they are making a splash this spring. For more information on USC MIND or Active Minds and how to support them, follow the links listed.
