Hackley is a school full of many traditions that the student body looks forward to each year from First Friday to Stings to Class Day. Each spring, seniors return from spring break to the Hilltop excited to participate in one tradition specific to the senior class: the Spoon Game.
The Spoon Game is a version of a senior assassin game in which students are assigned targets that they must eliminate. Each senior is assigned a spoon with their name on it as well as a slip of paper with another senior’s name. That senior is their target and they must attempt to steal their spoon within the guidelines. There are restrictions to how one can steal their spoons such as not being able to steal someone’s spoon out of their hand, during class and assemblies, and not being able to seduce someone to take their spoon (which became a controversial topic amongst seniors this year).
The “spoonmaster” this year is junior Aidan Aybar who assigned all individuals their targets and is in charge of the game.
“It seems to be a very significant tradition for the seniors that brings out the best and worst in the seniors. I think it lets people see other seniors’ strategic sides while also bringing out some immature sides. I think the people still in are having a lot of fun with it,” Aybar said.
The Spoon Game is one with varying opinions amongst the student body. Students described the game with words ranging from painful and horrendous to cunning, exciting, and interactive. One senior, Mac Wyman, who has attended Hackley since kindergarten has been looking forward to the Spoon Game for many years.
“I love it because it’s good competition and everyone is invested in it. I remember seeing [the game] as a freshman when my brother Cole was doing it and being excited to do it as a senior. Now that I’m a senior, there is no way I am letting go of this spoon,” Wyman said.
Faculty at Hackley have enjoyed seeing the game evolve over time, getting to see new sides of members of the senior class every year.
“I love to see how invested and creative the seniors are when it comes to the rules and gameplay itself. I also appreciate that the rules have evolved to take matters such as personal space and not interrupting class time into consideration,” Head of the Upper School Andy King said. King said that the game originated back in 2016 with former Dean Seth Karpinski’s senior class.
The Spoon Game is ongoing and will continue until the final spoon has been stolen. For the final few weeks of their time at Hackley, it will allow the senior class to compete against one another while uniting the community under one set of rules.