Wet and Wanted anticipated The MockingSquirts.
The handful of Berkley High School seniors filed through the kitchen of classmate Noah Golembiewski’s house in Huntington Woods, some stopping to fill up water guns at the sink, before heading into the fenced yard.
Many held large, white plastic water guns with bright orange tips and splashes of neon green and blue as they watched passing vehicles — sometimes crouching; sometimes squirting water — and finding strategic positions in case their opponent this week, also a team of Berkley High seniors with water guns, came by.
Eliminating their opponents by getting them wet with water is the goal each week during the student-organized, non-school-sanctioned, senior tradition called “water wars” or “senior assassin,” a game that has been played for years in metro Detroit and across the country.
“It is kind of the last fun thing we get to do as a whole class. I feel like it brings, surprisingly brings, people together more than it brings people apart,” said Josi Esker, 17, of Madison Heights, a member of Wet and Wanted. “Like you’re going against a team of someone you haven’t interacted with in your entire high school career and now you’re suddenly like texting them, talking to them, like having to interact with them in person. It’s kind of creating a couple more new friends before you’re moving on to college.”
The game often is fun for high school seniors — and in some cases, juniors — but it can be unnerving for some first-time parents whose teens are voluntarily participating and don’t know what to expect, and unsettling for others in the community, especially those who don’t know it’s going on. They may see someone crouching down and hiding with what appears to be a gun and call police.
Law enforcement across the country, from Connecticut to California, and many in metro Detroit have posted on social media in recent weeks, alerting their communities about the springtime activity and providing safety tips and reminders about laws and ordinances that could be enforced.
The city of Northville and Northville Township police departments, along with Northville High School, posted a joint message on the city’s Facebook page saying they “understand that while this is an opportunity for kids to get out, interact, compete, and welcome spring, they want families to be aware of the risks and dangers of going ‘too far’ to win that day’s competition match up. It goes without saying that everyone’s number one concern is and always will be for the safety of our community, including your students and loved ones.”
Noah’s mom, Laura Golembiewski, posted a public service announcement on her Facebook page about the game, encouraging people to stay calm and allow the teens to have fun. She said safety is a top priority and parental guidance, community support, public safety involvement and education is important in making this outdoor activity successful.
“It can be a fun and safe thing for the kids to do,” she said. “The kids are having fun. They’re putting their phones down. They’re working together. They’re doing competition and teamwork and those are the things that I observe, not just if there are safety concerns and things like that. As a parent, I’m observing that, and I hope that that’s what the community will observe as well.”
How is the game played?
Some high school participants use Instagram to play, where rules, teams, weekly matchups and videos of eliminations, which are judged, are posted; others may use a specific app, such as Splashin.
Some versions of the game include immunity if participants wear goggles, floaties or a life vest. There are rules, which may differ, and may include: no trespassing, hours of play, ways to break a tie (such as a coin flip or playing another game, such as Uno or bowling), not using water guns that look real and that rule-breaking will eliminate a person or team.
School and school-sanctioned events, places of worship and inside public places often are among the spots that are off-limits.
The last person or team standing or with the most points wins, sometimes getting a sizable purse as the teens often have to pay to play the game. For the Berkley High teens, of which there were about three dozen teams initially, the Wet and Wanted members said the winning payout is about $850 a person.
Some advice for parents and teens
The Golembiewski family’s first exposure to the game was in 2022 when Noah’s sister participated and won. The parents said they are supportive of their children playing, offering their home as a gathering spot for the teens to strategize, whether that be early morning or later at night, and to help when they can, such as hooking up the outdoor hose for water; switching cars for their teen to drive; being an extra pair of eyes, or opening an umbrella to offer protection from water.
Laura Golembiewski encourages parents to talk with their teens about the game as they get closer to their senior year and for teens to be smart and compromise if they get squirted. Set boundaries, especially with teens being able to drive vehicles; follow the teams on social media, and know the rules.
She said community members may have legitimate concerns — a teen may be in the wrong driveway or someone may not want them on their front yard — but that’s where education and teens respecting the rules comes into play.
“They still need guidance. We want them to have fun before they go into adulthood, but again, having that guidance and that support,” she said.
Brianna Roeder, 17, of Berkley, a member of the Wet and Wanted team, said: “It’s about staying respectful while doing it. Having fun while being respectful.
“Most of us don’t mean any harm. We as a team don’t mean any harm. We’re just playing the game to play,” she said. “This is our last hurrah as, like, children. We’re living our elementary school dreams. Just let us be kids.”
“Just be smart,” Esker said. “Be respectful and think before you act.”
Police get reports, urge precautions
In the Northville post, it said police last year received reports of people on or around property, including cars, during the day and at night, acting in a suspicious way while carrying what they believed to be a gun.
“Although a student who is carrying the look-a-like weapon knows that it is a water gun, the person making the report or responding to the threat does not. These are serious reports that, given the wrong circumstance, could lead to serious injuries to those participating in these activities. Please discuss the safety elements of this activity with your senior and please ask your child to be safe, smart, mindful and respectful of others,” it said, adding that while the majority of students conduct themselves in a respectful manner, police have, through the years, had numerous conversations with parents and students about incidents stemming from the game.
Local ordinances that could be used to enforce issues in those communities include trespassing, curfew and disturbing the peace.
Sometimes, serious situations can arise. This year, an 18-year-old in Indiana was charged after law enforcement went to a Planet Fitness on April 10 believing they were responding to an active shooter situation after a 911 call about a man armed with a handgun outside, appearing to be waiting for someone to come out, police there said on Facebook.
The post said they found the teen sitting in his vehicle. When detained, he said he was playing “senior assassin.” His water gun was visible and initially appeared to be a firearm. The post said officers were aware the game was being played, but the incident occurred prior to school dismissal and the teen and his opponent were not in school.
About a week earlier in Louisiana, six people playing the game hid underneath and behind vehicles in a driveway, where the resident believed they were going to commit crimes because of their hooded garments, hiding and seeing the figure of a gun. She called police and her adult son, who feared for his safety, fired a handful of warning shots into the grass on the front lawn. The six fled, but were later caught and charged, police there said on Facebook.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that it doesn’t condone the game, but to keep precautions in mind and that residents who see something or someone suspicious should call 911 and not confront the individual.
“Hiding in dark places and carrying anything that can be mistaken as a firearm is a recipe for disaster,” it said. “The same goes for wearing masks or camouflage.”
Other precautions to participating students include:
The city of Huntington Woods also posted on Facebook, saying the student teams may be “using stealth and disguise tactics. You may notice teenagers behaving suspiciously or moving in groups in residential areas.”
Residents were encouraged to exercise vigilance, avoid confrontation and report concerns to parents or nonemergency community contacts. Parents should remind participants to use easily identifiable water guns, act responsibly and respect private property and bystanders, adding: “Even activities that seem harmless can quickly become dangerous or disruptive.”
Shelby Township police also posted on Facebook, reminding the community that the activity occurs outside of school hours; often involves students waiting outside homes and near cars, showing up at workplaces and moving around neighborhoods, and that participants typically carry water guns, some of which can look realistic from a distance.
“We want residents to be aware so that no one is alarmed if they observe students running around or holding water guns,” the post said.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @challreporter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: ‘Water wars’ fun for high schoolers, but police urge caution
Reporting by Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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