A handful of Staples students are bowing out this year, deciding that four weeks after the Colorado shootings might not be the best time to lurk in bushes and hide under cars in hopes of knocking off a target, even if it is with a foam dart. The epidemic of bomb scares and copycat threats that followed the Littleton killings has added to the tension over the toy-gun sprees. At a parent-teacher meeting this week, principal Gloria Rakovic urged parents to try to dissuade their seniors from participating. This is a teachable moment to talk to kids about how their behavior is perceived by others, and whether they care how people perceive them. It's Secret Santa, with squirt guns and Nerf assault rifles.
Underclassmen sometimes serve as body guards.
Siblings are enlisted as lookouts. Despite the concerns about Littleton, Colo., the games are to go on at many schools from California to Virginia, school officials say. But in a number of cases, the students themselves have altered or curtailed this year's edition out of a sense of duty and a precocious instinct for public relations. At Staples , for instance, a rebel group of seniors is boycotting the game and plans a barbecue instead. For entertainment, there will be Capture the Flag.