May the odds be ever in your favor!

“I’ll kill you!”

“Not if I kill you first.”

It’s the third week of November, and it’s as if the academy has suddenly become a Hunger Games battleground. Students are constantly watching their backs, afraid that they’ll get killed in hall-wide games of assassins. For most halls, this game started within the last week. It’ll end when there is 1 person left standing in each hall: likely the stealthiest, most calculating individual.

Also happening this week is Wing Wars, a competition that engages the 4 wings of every residence hall at IMSA in various competitive events. Events include things like dodge-ball competitions, eating competitions, roommate wars, RC trivia, talent shows, and more. Each event has 1^st-4^th place, and a certain number of points are awarded for each of these places to the respective wings. In addition, students are given daily themes to dress up for, with some halls counting students who dress up for points and others simply doing it for fun. In the dormitories, roommates and friends anxiously search through their clothes, looking for similar outfits to wear for Twin Tuesday, or perhaps dressy clothes to wear for Fancy Friday.

Wing Wars is a miniature version of Clash, the competition between the seven residence halls that happens around March. But more than being competitions, these events always result in a closer community of people. In Assassins, you may have a target you’re unfamiliar with, and killing them can spark a new relationship. According to Phine Mejias (’17) in 02 D wing, “I got to know my sophomores better. In practicing for the talent show, I also learned that my wing guide knows how to sing and dance. She’s so multitalented!” Emma Mattson (’17) also noted, “My favorite part of this week so far was Roommate Wars because I got to know my roommate better!”

Wing Wars is a chance to de-stress after a busy school day for typically anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. With Thanksgiving break approaching, teachers are piling on homework and assessments, and spending time with friends as well as getting to know your wing-mates, hall-mates, and RC’s better is a welcome reprieve.

That said, may the odds be ever in your favor!