It’s all-out water warfare for the Class of 2025 — but the players must go all-in. 

In this game, strategic trapping, backstabbing, guilt-tripping, secret alliances, and bribing (with snacks) are allowed. Survivors and the thirstiest player — or the player with the most kills out of the 94 participating seniors — win bragging rights, respect, and more. 

And with that, the 2025 Squirt Games are in full swing. 

The Squirt Games is a version of the popular assassin game, Senior Assassin, played by American 12th graders before high school graduation beginning in the 2010s. The rules are not complicated: each player’s goal is to eliminate their target using water-based weapons — squirt guns, buckets, even hoses — while avoiding getting splashed themselves. 

However, players who, among other reasons, fail to make a move for too long risk receiving a mark, turning them into open targets for anyone — even the eliminated players. Once marked, survival becomes harder. Marks last one week and are publicly announced on the @squirtgames25 Instagram account. The only way to escape? Complete a challenge from the organizer Jacob Tsai (‘25). Punishments start simple — like Cody Chang (‘25) wearing his clothes backwards, or Kayden Wang (‘25) and Luca Guizar (‘25) doing pushups — but grow more difficult as the game progresses. 

Strict guidelines make sure the game is fun but respectful and doesn’t disrupt academics or student life. This game is not affiliated with The Bishop’s School or allowed on campus. Jacob emphasized this in the Squirt Games rule document, underlining and bolding the statement: “Lawbreaking will not be tolerated,” followed by the all-caps warning: “FOLLOW THE LAW.” Non-water fluids, high-pressure guns, and scalding water are banned. Gameplay on school grounds leads to disqualification, while safety zones — such as surrounding streets, the Bishop’s garage, private property, and religious spaces — offer protection. Floaties grant temporary immunity, but misconduct and unsafe behavior mean elimination. 

The rules may sound simple, but the game is not. 

Angelina Kim (‘25) proved to be the first one with assassin instincts, making her mark on the game with the first hit — Jack Harvey (‘25) — at 8 a.m. sharp on Monday, January 27, the first day of competition. 

The day before, she had scouted Jack’s neighborhood, pinpointing his house and his car through a strategic alliance with Ezra Granet (‘25), Jack’s good friend. The next morning, she woke up 15 minutes early and arrived at Jack’s house by 7:30 a.m., hiding behind his car. Armed with a makeshift water gun crafted from a Perrier bottle and relying on her conspiring parents as the getaway drivers, she outmaneuvered Jack in his own driveway. “I sprinted out, I stopped before he got to his car… and I went ‘Jack, I’m really sorry,’” Angelina recalled. “He tried to sprint, but he couldn’t because the car was blocking him.” She then squirted him out, patted him on the shoulder, and smirked, “‘Next time.’” 

“I think I might actually win now,” Angelina reflected on the moment she snapped a selfie with Jack and uploaded it to the Instagram account @squirtgames25 for proof — a required step of the game. As she headed to school that morning victorious and eager to share her story, a double rainbow arched across the sky. 

While players scheme, Sophia Bao (‘25) and Jacob work behind the scenes to keep the Squirt Games running — managing the Instagram account, providing live updates, and helping ensure fairness. 

“It’s really fun to come up with captions, post failed attempts, and just see the ways people go all out for this game,” Sophia said, saying that she often finds herself “consumed” by the game and enjoys posting funny content. “It’s definitely worth [the effort] just keeping it up.” 

Jacob and Sophia are also the masterminds who decide who gets marked, sometimes using creative categories to increase the stakes. “We’ve marked people for PDA in the Senior Rec room,” Sophia revealed. “Sometimes people just need to be called out.” 

Ruben Gutierrez (‘25), the player with the most eliminations, also known as the “thirstiest” player, has dominated the Squirt Games leaderboard so far with his ruthless streak of takedowns. His philosophy? Strike when they least expect it. His most memorable success? Tricking his friend Hugo Avila Marquez (‘25) into ditching his floaty and luring him outside of campus, then eliminating him on the spot. “It was messed up,” Ruben admitted, but in this game of strategy and manipulation, it was also brilliant. 

His aggressive playing style has made him a marked man. “There’s a big target on me,” he said. To survive, he’s staying low — keeping his location private and even wearing his floaty during a Lacrosse scrimmage. 

And with every elimination, Ruben inches closer to his goal: ultimate victory — perhaps even the thirstiest player title and the player who stays dry to the end. “Do I think I’m going to win?” he repeated. Then, with the confidence of someone who has spent too many hours crouched behind parked cars, he answered, “I think I’m going to win.” 

His advice for other players? “None,” he said. “Keep doing what you are doing. Let me get you out.” 

Selene Wang (‘25) has remained a neutral observer of the frenzy, offering insight into the mental aspect of the game. “This gives us seniors an emotional boost. We get to meet people we don’t normally interact with,” she said. Beyond that, she also sees a deeper emotional impact: “Because it feels like life or death — like there are real stakes — we put a lot of emotional investment into it. Even though it’s just a game, we care a lot.” 

“It’s a great way for second-semester seniors, who have been stressed out for the past four years, to finally have some fun,” Selene concluded. 

Ruben echoed similar sentiments. “We all work so hard at Bishop’s — this is just something that lets us take our minds off of school,” he explained. “It’s a long, extended game, but it still brings us together.” 

At the end of the day, Squirt Games is more than just a game of cat and mouse. It’s a final adventure, a chance for seniors to bond, strategize (and betray), but most importantly, to have fun before they leave Bishop’s behind. 

And until the end of this school year, no one is safe.