Sonia in a Snap

Mirador10 Feature 3/12/10

Student of the Issue: A Random FeatureEvery issue, Mirador selects an individual to feature based on their sport, talent, or miscellaneous hobby. This issue, however, Mirador blindly selected a student from the

yearbook. Mirador will dive into the life of junior Sonia Abraham and discover everything from her fears to her favorites.

The Basics5’3”1. ¼ Armenian, ¼ Romanian, ¼ Norwegian, 2. and ¼ GermanThree older brothers3.

by Alex Seclow

What if instead of stressing out about that third period math test, you have to worry about getting to school without getting “shot?”

The game of Assassin is increasing in popularity in high schools and universities across the nation. While it has many names, from KAOS (Killing As Organized Sport), and Battle Royale, to Circle of Death, the principles of the game remain the same.

The rules vary but the main objective is to “kill” your assigned targets until you are the last person standing.

Weapons range from Nerf and dart guns, to water guns. In another variation, players are eliminated when directly touched with non-projectiles such as spoons, plastic knives, and Sharpie markers. Some games include “safe zones,” such as homes, school campuses, and common hangout spots, where players are safe from being “assassinated.”

The game can get complicated and include “bombing” and “poisoning” targets. An entire Costco store in Fife, Washington was evacuated because of a bomb threat. In the end, police officials discovered a box with a note that said, “Bomb, you’re dead.” A student later confessed that it was all was part of his school’s Assassin game.

In the bombing version of the game, if a player opens a package, envelope, or email attachment that says the word “bomb,” then that player is out of the game. To poison a player the word “poison” is taped on the bottom of a food item or object. Many players wear gloves to protect themselves from potentially “poisoned” doorknobs.

While the game’s popularity among high schools is a more recent trend, it is nothing new for college students and adults.

Campusassassins.com, run by 2007 University of Illinois grads Ryan Mulligan and David Grayson, who manage and record college games, has been in existence since 2005.

StreetWars, a program also started in 2005, is a three-week assassination game involving water guns that takes place in major cities from New York, Los Angeles, to San Francisco. Participants receive pictures and home addresses of their targets.

At Amador High School, participants each put in $10 towards a purse often exceeding $3,000. The Grand Master, or umpire, sets up an order so players know whom their targets are and who is targeting them.

“It is a senior tradition,” said an anonymous Amador senior. “We start playing second semester and it gets really intense. It’s funny because people stop going out so much because they are scared they will get ‘shot.’”

In Amador’s version of the game, students play in pairs and the players can only play off school grounds and away from students’ homes. At San Ramon Valley High School last year, a student broke into his target’s home, which caused the game to be temporarily suspended.

Now these schools make homes “safe zones” to ensure the game doesn’t get out of control.

The game involves a lot of strategy as players research their targets’ background and schedules to predict where they will be to find opportunities to “shoot” them. Players use Facebook and targets’ families and friends to gather information about their whereabouts. Sometimes alliances form and get tangled as friends are forced to attack each other.

In 2006 there was an incident in which the Foothill High School administration came across a MySpace page titled “Assassin FHS” that was dedicated to keeping track of the 104 students participating. This page included a scoreboard of all the “kills,” specific rules, and stores where participants could find black rubber bullet guns.

Foothill Vice Principal addressed this MySpace page in Pleasanton Weekly’s article “Assassins descend on Pleasanton.”

“The only thing the school can do about it is, if we hear any activity happening on campus, make sure the students are held

accountable for playing on campus,” said Campbell. “But as long as they do it off campus, not during school time, all we can do is inform them that it’s not a game we think they should play.”

Assassin Game Gains Popularity, Hype

Abraham poses with a tree even though she isn’t so fond of nature.

Photo: E. Alper

This new, unofficial, informal game of high school is causing a few issues in communities

A StreetWars participant stalks his unaware opponent for the “kill.”

Photo: J. Tongen

by Evelyn Alper

Abraham, born on June 24, 1993 at 10:06 p.m., shares a birthday with William MacGillivray, a Scottish naturalist. However, these two people could not be more opposite.

“I hate nature. It’s cold, damp, and you can get infectious diseases,” said Abraham. This emotion may have been ingrained into her consciousness after many mishaps with the great outdoors.

At the age of 12, Abraham had “a battle with a mountain.” As Abraham hiked down a cliff to reach a sandy beach in Humbolt, her foot slipped, causing her to loose her step, and tumble down the hill. Her knee caught her fall via a shard of splintered rock.

“I couldn’t walk for a month,” said Abraham.

One year earlier, a large tree interrupted a relaxing bike ride.

“After I fell off my bike, I decided that I never wanted to ride a bike again. They’re trying to kill me,” said Abraham.

Abraham also experienced the power of nature as she “tumbled through the sands of Earth’s wrath” in the Hawaiian ocean. A wave swept Abraham under the water, helping her

decide that this was the final straw. Nature would no longer be a part of her life.

“I also fear all animals, especially bears. They are the number one enemy to Americans,” said Abraham.

Pain also seems to be a theme in Abraham’s life. Her earliest childhood memory is being dropped on her face by her brother. She broke several teeth and still has a scar on the inside of her mouth.

Now a junior, Abraham would rather spend her time inside thinking about her dream job: being the ringleader of a circus (while steering clear of the animals).

Abraham admits that she is “a natural alpha.”

In spite of her adventures gone wrong, Abraham still wants to travel to Greece so she can eat baklava, and to Thailand, where she can drink Thai Iced Tea in its natural environment, instead

of at Baan Thai.“Sonia is one of my funniest friends. Her sense of humor

is sort of cynical, which I find completely hilarious,” said junior Katie Johnson.

Interesting Facts“In the seventh grade, I had pet rats that 1. both died after two years from disgusting, festering tumors.”“I’m neighbors with Joseph Sweiss and 2. Marina Allen.”“I believe in a pre life, but not an after life.”3. “I usually sleep for 12 hours on weekends.”4.

Three WishesTo have a time machine 1. To have an automatically replenishing 2. refrigeratorTo have three more wishes3.