by Sara Buttram, Tribune writer
TRUSSVILLE — For nearly a decade, students at Trussville’s Cahaba Elementary School have ended their school year by walking out of class, and into a battlefield. As the students filed out of the front doors, they were greeted by a brigade of over one hundred parents, siblings, and friends stationed across the street and armed with water guns. Once the buses drove off and the group of students that walk home were dismissed, the onslaught was unleashed.
This war of water has become a staple among the community of parents and students zoned for Cahaba Elementary over the years. Rising Hewitt-Trussville senior, Micheala Phillips defines the experience as, “having fun, the beginning of summer, and getting to torture my siblings.”
The crowd was so large that it nearly covered the entirety of the flagpole plaza that faces the school. This militia was no joke. They boasted a diverse water artillery; pistols, super soakers, and blasters with a 10-foot range. They launched water balloons like grenades. There were even buckets full of water to keep ammunition in high supply.
The scale of the event as of 2026 is incredible, especially in comparison to its beginning.
The tradition began with Cahaba moms, Ambre Amari and Kimberly Johnson and others who waited for dismissal on a hot May afternoon and ambushed their students with water guns.
“It was so hot out… it was a fun way to surprise them and cool them off,” Amari recounted, “We would pick a random day of the last week (of school) to surprise them.”
Over the years, their little ritual grew and grew.
“We never put anything on Facebook, we never put anything out on social media, we would just spread the word among other moms that would wait outside to pick up their kids.”
What started as a small prank between a few families became a symbol of the beginning of summer, and a treasured tradition shared by a community. Check out the video and photos below.
