The annual game “Tap Out” — where students are tasked with eliminating other participants by tapping them on the back until there is one winner — began on Feb. 3. As of Feb. 7, there are 12 people left in the competition. Liv Kriger ’25, who was eliminated, leads all participants with five eliminations. In second place is Jasiri Johnson ’27 with four eliminations.
The opportunity to participate in the game is available to all students. To eliminate a target, a player must be seen on video tapping their target on the back. The video is then posted to a Facebook group and the player receives a new target. Eventually, to determine the winner, an event with another game to eliminate players is hosted on a planned day.
Game master Cosgrove ’26 said her priorities are to make sure that it is a fun and safe experience for everyone and to ensure that it is a game where anybody can participate.
“This year we made sure that safe spaces were truly safe, and made the cafeteria a safe zone,” Cosgrove said. “I led Tap Out out last year as well and it was a fun experience. I love communicating with the student body, so sending texts and assigning targets is really fun. I enjoy the fact that Tap Out is for the whole school, and that people from any grade can be matched as target.”
Cosgrove said Prefect Council is currently looking for alternatives to using Facebook and recording videos since phones will be banned on campus next year.
“We are still figuring out how we will adjust the game based on the new phone policy, but we are open to ideas such as clothespin Tap Out or another physical object,” Cosgrove said.
Jonah Greenfeld ’27 said he values Tap Out as a fun social activity and a break from his workload.
“It’s such an integral part of the school because it brings vitality and fun to an otherwise monotonous, hard and super stressful time of the year,” Greenfeld said. “It’s definitely worth participating because of the fun break it brings, social connections and the and opportunity to have fun being competitive.”
Greenfeld also said he found the use of Facebook to participate in the game was inconvenient for himself and others.
“I don’t like the Facebook thing at all,” Greenfeld said. “I almost didn’t compete because I didn’t want to download and make an account, and I know a lot of other people who feel the same way. A private account on Instagram would be much more accessible in my opinion.”
Josh Massey ’26 said he appreciates the excitement that the Tap Out provides despite the anxiety associated with the game.
“Tap Out definitely instills a lingering fear throughout the community,” Massey said. “The librarians mentioned that even in their sanctuary, they can feel that people are a bit on edge. I can appreciate the ingenuity of the rules that give the game structure but don’t take away its heart and soul, that being fear. As dangerous and loud of a life as I live, I don’t know the last time I screamed this much.”