The warm light of the morning shines gently across Dragon Stadium. It is here that the senior class of 2026 gathers for senior sunrise, a cherished tradition that marks not just the beginning of a new day, but the dawn of their final year together.
“It does not feel real at all,” senior Hadley Hairston said. “I always thought it would feel like forever till I was going to be a senior and done with high school, but it all went by in the blink of an eye, and I wish it didn’t.”
As seniors start taking part in the events that come with their final year, many expressed feelings of excitement and nostalgia.
“It meant a lot because I had seen the previous three classes do senior sunrise, and it was finally my turn to participate,” senior Colin Murphy said. “It almost felt rewarding after a stressful junior year to be participating in these fun senior year activities.”
Senior year is the first year when students do not need to stress over tryouts, elections, or choosing class schedules for the next year. Students can leave that aspect of the school experience behind them and move forward to filling out college admissions forms, scholarship and job applications, and planning for life after high school.
“It feels so exciting, but nerve-racking too,” senior Hadyn Vardeman said. Our class is on the brink of adulthood, so we’re all just trying to enjoy these last moments of childhood.”
For Vardeman, and many others, that means savoring each milestone as it arrives.
“This year I am looking forward to all of our class’s lasts.’ Last football season, last homecoming, last prom, etc.” Vardeman said.
The event carries meaning not just for students, but for staff as well.
“It’s bittersweet,” senior class sponsor Roya Dinbali said. “I have known many of these seniors for the past few years, and seeing something that is their last is sad but exciting because they are moving on to bigger and better things.”
Those bittersweet emotions resonate with students as well.
“I am so excited for this next journey, but I am so bittersweet about going into all my lasts, and spending it with such a great class,” Hairston said. “I’m extremely emotional, but even though I still have nine months, I’m already thinking about how much I’m going to miss everyone!”
