Since the Water Wars started, there has been some trouble and controversy. 

The senior class wanted something fun to do and came up with a competitive and interactive game, Water Wars. This was a success until May 11th at Violet Elementary School in St. Clair Shores when a rumor started that some of the participants were running around with actual lethal weapons. They were not real guns; they were only water guns and the kids were participating in the popular water wars game. 

“The seniors chose to do water wars because it was a fun activity that brought the senior class together. It was something that the students could bond over and look back on one last time before we graduate,” said Madeline Fremont, a senior at Lake Shore. 

This fun game was meant to bring the seniors together to have one last memory of their time at Lake Shore.

“We went up to Violet after Enno and his partner Nick got up there. It was all fun and games… When we got there they were off hiding while some little league practice or game was going on. We looked around for them, but we couldn’t find them and out of nowhere a parent started screaming at them. She seemed upset they were hiding there. The cops had been called twice on previous occasions, so as things got heated, we all decided to just leave,” said William Larkin-Tramble, a senior and participant in the water wars game. 

They obviously meant no harm and just wanted to have fun.

“I think things got blown out of proportion because she was upset that Enno and Nick didn’t take her screaming to heart and the fact that the kids lied saying they were going to shoot up the school with all that chaotic energy in the mix it was bound to spiral out of control,” said Tramble. The screaming and lies told definitely did not help the situation.

“One of the women yelled ‘I called the cops already, why are you threatening the schools with guns,’” said Devin Davis, a senior and someone who was involved in the Violet incident. This is another example of how it was blown out of proportion.

“The kids were trying to get a better opportunity; the kids were trying to get a day off of school,” said Davis. Davis thinks the other kids involved were just trying to make it a bigger deal than it was.

“Parents for sure overreacted,” said Niguel McClound, a senior and another water wars player at Violet when the scare happened. Everyone at Violet when it happened thinks the parents overreacted.

“Water Wars got shut down because people are easily offended and soft these days. Things were easily misunderstood and people jumped to conclusions about what the Lake Shore Class was actually doing. Instead of approaching the students and asking what was going on, they started rumors, and that caused parents around the community to freak out,” said Izzy Keith, a senior at Lake Shore. 

Jumping to conclusions was definitely a reason for the scare.

Things definitely got blown out of proportion and the students involved were just kids trying to have fun in their last year in high school. This can be a lesson learned for everyone.