Liquid assets at stake

Second semester senioritis manifests itself in many ways. One of them this year is the popular underground game water assassins, organized and played by seniors.

However, this year, the allure of a large, more than $1,000 cash prize is leading to disputes between participants, as well as concerns from members of the administration.

Student organizer’s participation, money-handling questioned

Senior Olivia San Filippo is participating in the event — and also organizing it.

For the past few weeks, seniors rushed to her with cash in hand, paying their team’s entrance fees. Few of the seniors knew exactly where their money would go — though they thought they did.

Each of the 225 participating seniors paid $6 to enter the competition bracket, and each player from the winning team will earn $225. In total, San Filippo collected $1,350 from the seniors. The cash prize for the winning team is $1,125.

The Class of 2015 Facebook page — where the water assassins event planning took place — never mentioned that San Filippo would retain a certain percentage of the cash.

“I am taking 15 percent of the profit from whoever signed up for Water Assassins, including myself,” San Filippo said. “I am putting so much time and work into this. Anyone in my shoes would understand.”

San Filippo will walk away from the event with $225 whether she wins or loses. Her team also has a shot of winning the $1,125 cash prize.

“She didn’t write in the [Facebook] group chat that she was taking some of the money. I thought all the money I gave her was being put into the pot to win,” said Oak Park senior Tal Roded. “ It’s kind of weird that she can keep some of the money and also try to win all the money. I feel like it should be one or the other.”

San Filippo spends several hours each week to put together targets and “assassins” for the different rounds of the game. According to the Facebook page, she also paid $19 extra to cover teams who didn’t pay their fees.

“[San Filippo] told me in Dance P.E. that she was taking some of the money. It wasn’t ever posted on the Facebook page,” senior Skylar Platte said. “I think it’s totally fine that she’s taking a dollar from every senior because she’s putting together the teams and targets.”

A participating senior, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed:

“If she’s participating, then why take a portion? But she’s nice for being the one to take the time out of her day to organize it. I’m good with it.”

Agoura High senior Macy Mills is the organizer of the Agoura High water assassins event. Mills is also taking a dollar from each senior participating in the games at Agoura High School, but is not playing.

“Being in charge of the game I know everyone’s targets and who everyone has,” Mills said. “So it kind of makes it unfair that [San Filippo] is playing.”

Agoura High School’s game has almost ended due to the disruptive behavior students adopt when playing.

“Some kids were outside someone’s house with their water guns and then several cop cars were called because someone thought they were real guns,” Mills said of the incident that happened a few weeks ago. “There has been harassment and things like that where I have had to threaten people out of the game.”

Mills received the rules for the game from the previous year’s organizer. San Filippo met with a student from Agoura to clarify the rules so they could be adjusted to fit Oak Park High’s campus and schedules.

“I just want to play,” San Filippo said. “I think it will be a fun way for seniors to bond before we all graduate.”

The multiple-month game started Feb. 15 and is scheduled to end in May.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a game played with water guns,” Mills said. “Everyone in my grade is having a good time.”

Administration concerned for student safety

With more than $1,000 in the prize pool, the water assassins tournament may be leading some participants to act erratically.

Principal Kevin Buchanan said that the competitive aspect of the game has created changes in student behavior. Competitors in the game have approached the school registrar and attendance clerk with requests for student addresses and early off-campus passes.

“Students are engaging in risky behavior to avoid getting caught,” Buchanan said.

The competition establishes safe zones at school and at extracurricular activities. However, the perimeters of these activities are open areas for the “assassinations” to take place.

This rule has led to stakeouts, wherein competitors will wait for long periods of time outside the perimeter of a building in hopes of snagging their target.

Senior Arav Batra was recently a target of one such stakeout: “One day, I drove home, and people were outside my house. I was in my car for about an hour.”

“I now get my parents to check outside before I leave,” Batra said.

The stakeout is not an isolated occurrence. In New York state, a player in a water assassins-variant game cloaked himself and his water gun in full camouflage gear outside his target’s home, and a frightened neighbor called the police.

Other schools across the country have outright banned the game for the reckless driving behaviors and road rage the game engenders.

Because cars are stipulated safe zones for competitors, many students participating in the game drive quickly off campus after school ends. Buchanan believes that this could result in traffic accidents or broken traffic laws.

This warning is especially pertinent as in January a hit-and-run incident involving a crossing guard prompted a firm response from the Oak Park Unified School District. According to Buchanan, the district formally requested the California Highway Patrol to increase traffic enforcement and issue more tickets — not warnings — to reckless drivers.

The district also added a link to STTOP, the Sheriff’s Teen Traffic Offender Program, to the homepages of all school websites. STTOP is a hotline for those who wish to report to authorities the dangerous behaviors of young drivers.

As a solution, Buchanan proposes that the rules be amended by either increasing the geographic buffer around the school or increasing the chronological buffer between when school ends and the game begins. He believes that such an amendment will allow for students to leave school safely.

Buchanan also emphasized the school’s authority to enforce school rules and the school’s responsibility to keep kids safe.

“We’ll be using our authority and responsibility here,” Buchanan said.