LOS ALAMITOS, CA– After receiving a warning of consequences from Los Alamitos faculty, hundreds of seniors still participate in the annual “Senior Assassin.”

Emerging in early April, the Instagram account titled @seniorassassins_ gained a mass following among Los Al seniors. The report promoted a safe and off-campus solution to the previous year’s “Assocksination” where students would pay $5, receive a target, and be instructed to eliminate them with a sock. The competition was a roaring success up until its cancellation following the 2020-2021 school year due to excess property damage and trespassing. Damage includes broken windows/doors, intrusion of homes, collisions of cars, students being hit by vehicles, banning stores due to disruption, and more.

“It started as an idea of being fun but it has proven to have unintended consequences that have brought physical damage to individuals and the school itself,” Mrs. Franzen, a teacher of 30 years, said.

Unlike “Assocksination”, where the competition took place primarily on campus, the 2023 “Senior Assassin” does not permit any student to participate on campus, on private property, within homes, during work hours, or in any religious space. In addition, although initially requiring a $5 entry fee, the cost was later waived following student complaints. All eliminations must be caught on camera and all videos are posted to Instagram. The Instagram currently has over 50 posts with captions showing the victims and perpetrators in various locations like parties, homes, parking lots, and public spaces.

Although intended to remain undetected by faculty members, the competition soon garnered attention from Principle Kraus and other administrative staff members. The creator of the activity was confronted and promised to cancel the tourney following the meeting. An email was soon released relaying information to both senior students and parents. If students are caught participating in the competition, they run the risk of not attending prom, senior night at Disneyland, walking at graduation, etc.

“I don’t have a reason to do it,” Sierra Erlandson, a senior, said. “I’ve got my own stuff going on and [when] Bowen decided not to condone it, I just let it go,” Erlandson said.

The tournament, although agreed to be canceled, continued and, after the significant fall-out from students, began on April 7.

“Why would I do something that takes up so much time? I’m way too busy,” Grace Phelps, a senior, said.

Currently, the event has not taken place on campus, however, due to Senior Assassin-like events in the past, Los Al faculty express worry about the possibility of the activity migrating onto school grounds. Although the entire campus is off-limits, nearby restaurants like Volcano Burger and Subway are available locations to eliminate opponents. These locations, although off-campus, are not aware of the competition’s happening which may impose a threat to the destruction of private property.

Currently, Volcano Burger has closed down all patio space during lunch hour due to recent vandalism taking place in bathrooms and rocks being thrown at cars in the drive-through. These recent actions have not been confirmed to be directly correlated to “Senior Assassin” and have been determined to have most likely come from juniors and seniors buying lunch.

None of the school’s faculty condone the competition and students are highly discouraged from participating as, if “Senior Assassin” enters campus, students can and will receive disciplinary consequences.