Nerf Wars at Arrowhead High School Bring Fun and Controversy

Arrowhead High School seniors have participated in Nerf Wars for years.  The game consists of senior students who that sign up to play.  The students who choose to play are put into brackets to verse each other off of school grounds, each week.  The winning team is the team with the least amount of deaths (people who were shot).

Eventually the top two teams play each other in the championship and the winner is crowned.  The game has rules.  The rules include the following: you cannot be shot when naked, you cannot be shot on school grounds, you cannot be shot when clocked into work, you cannot be shot while in a school associated sport.  Everywhere else is fair game.  Other rules include the following: if the door of a house is unlocked, you can go in at your own risk, but if the door is locked, you cannot break in and enter.  You only can use nerf guns, not shields, darts, or any other kind of nerf product.

That Nerf Wars are a tradition and are just in the name of fun, but some teachers and parents disagree.

Pat Downing, the senior study hall teacher, says, “The Nerf Wars are harmless.  If they were smarter, they wouldn’t brag about it at school and just keep it online, like it started, but when they bring it to school, it becomes a problem.”

Alyssa Stachowiak, a senior, says, “I was going to be on a team for Nerf Wars, but I didn’t want to have naked people in my house or running through my yard.  It seems fun and funny, but I don’t want to stalk people and get stalked by other people.  If people want to do it, they can do it.  I think that some parents are overreacting about the objective of the game which is, ‘to kill people,’ but it is all for fun.”

Stachowiak agrees with Downing that Nerf Wars are harmless.

Arlo Ennis, a senior involved in Nerf Wars, says, “The Nerf Wars is one of the most fun things to happen this year.  It’s a good way to enjoy time with friends, and it is a fun activity for senior year. I think that most people are overreacting to the war, and they should know that it is just all in good fun.”

Sam Sellner, a senior on a Nerf Wars team, says, “Nerf Wars are epic.  It’s a great way to get rowdy with your friends and have fun.  Because of Nerf Wars I’ve met other seniors I would have never seen at school before they started.  There’s a lot of people who are overreacting to them, but it’s just a game for fun.”

Arrowhead High School sent an email out to parents last week informing them of the game and asking them to talk to their children about it.  It also was to make sure that their children were not putting themselves or other children in danger.

Nerf Wars is a tradition of fun and an adventure, with a harmless childrens’ toy.  With the students keeping the game off campus and off of employment grounds, the students are not risking education or employment.

The game is a way for seniors to have fun during their last year at Arrowhead High School.  The rules and regulations of the game keep it safe and organized.  Also, the students choose to get involved in the Nerf Wars, and they have the opportunity to opt out.