Senior Audrey Farnsworth was determined to keep Water Assassins from getting canceled this year; however, COVID-19 was an unexpected curveball. Expecting classes to be canceled for only a week, Farnsworth, the game coordinator, was going to continue the game. However, in the face of a longer school shutdown, Farnsworth had to make a tough choice.

“After receiving the email that school would be canceled until at least May 1, I knew I had no choice but to cancel the game because we would not have enough time to complete three more rounds, given we started again on May 1,” Farnsworth said.

Having the game canceled meant that Farnsworth would have to refund the money to the participants still in the game. Seniors who participate in the game pay a total of $10 to the game coordinator for the jackpot for the last team standing, and a portion to go to the game coordinator.

“Since I only refunded the people that were still in, I made the decision that I should donate the remainder of the money. With everything going on, I figured there are people who need the money much more than I do, especially right now,” Farnsworth said.

The total donation ended up consisting of not only those who progressed to round two, but those who had gotten out earlier as well. Senior and participant Grace Hanley was one of the first to ask to have her money donated, with many following suit.

“I saw the post and immediately thought that there were people who needed it more than we did with everything going on. To us, $10 is $10, but to people who are out of work and can’t afford to feed their families during this time, it could be life-changing,” Hanley said.

With the money collected, Farmsworth was able to donate $1,000 to the food bank in Oxnard.

“Despite the cancellation, I am really thankful for everyone who participated in the game and I hope everyone had a good time. It was a great experience for me and it was really cool to see our class come together and donate a large portion of the money to those who need it,” Farnsworth said.