In light of the beginning of the final chapter of their high school career, the senior class celebrated their first event of the year, Senior Sunrise, on the football field, Aug. 27.
“Senior Sunrise is saying hello to senior year,” senior cabinet member A’riyah Whitaker said. “Every day starts with a sunrise and ends with a sunset. You say hello to a new day with the sunrise, not knowing what you’re gonna get, but hoping it’s a good one. It’s the same thing for senior year.”
Bright and early at 5 a.m, the seniors gathered on the field for the yearly tradition, filled with games, photo opportunities, snacks and of course time to spend with their peers.
“Before senior sunrise I had pulled an all-nighter with three of my closest friends, waiting for the fulfilling morning ahead of us,” senior Aarna Uppal said. “We had my favorite breakfast at International House of Pancakes (IHOP), where we saw numerous other kids from our grade. I also really enjoyed the set up of the field and being able to set up blankets and hangout with friends.”
Many seniors had a lot of fun and looked forward to the event, especially being able to spend time with their closest friends that they formed tight friendships with throughout high school. They enjoyed watching the sunrise and being in each other’s company.
“My favorite part of the whole event was being able to make just the beginning of my memories with my closest friends and other students in my grade for my senior year,” senior Sophie Levy-Wright said.
The school’s student council worked hard to ensure that the event would be enjoyable and memorable for the senior class. With planning led by senior cabinet members Whitaker, Anders Sundberg and Ava Orellana, it was a success, where students excitedly created core memories that would set the tone for the rest of the year.
“A major part of the planning process was going through all our individual ideas and deciding how to best put them together to create a cohesive event,” Whitaker said. “Another [significant] part was organization. Once [school began], we had to hit the ground running, organizing and dividing certain [tasks] in a way between the three of us to get as much done in the quickest way possible.”
Throughout their planning process, the senior cabinet members decided on a variety of activities. This included a senior handprint poster, free breakfast, letters to their future selves, designing their own sunglasses and lawn style games. They also worked with the school’s yearbook staff to help take candid photographs and a senior sign-off video to capture the event.
“Obviously I loved getting to hop around taking photos and seeing everyone be so close and friendly with each other,” yearbook editor-in-chief senior Hadley Preston. “I was so surprised that everyone did the senior in. Yearbook is making a video with them and it’s going to be so stinking cute.”
Not only did Yearbook capture the memories, but the students, themselves, did as well. All across the field, seniors pulled out their digital cameras and phones, taking several pictures to not only keep for themselves but also share on social media.
“I was somehow made a designated photographer for my friends,” senior Aidan Sayadof said. “It was honestly really fun to photograph the moments and also be part of pictures myself. I had a really fun time being around my buddies and celebrating this year.”
As this event was just the beginning of the end of high school, seniors have a myriad of events and memories to look forward to as the year progresses, and graduation approaches.
“It was bittersweet knowing that this was our first senior event and the start of our final year of highschool,” Uppal said. “I had so much fun, and I’m looking forward to everything else that this year has for us.”
