Every start of the school year, the senior class of Sam Barlow High School wakes up earlier than usual and heads to the school’s football field wrapped in blankets, all for the same purpose: to watch as the sun rises and mark their last year of high school together.
It was the first year of school after the COVID-19 pandemic. Students can finally leave home to attend school instead of staring at a screen for seven hours on the same bed they slept in. The school organizers agreed that an event to bring the seniors together was what they needed. Senior Sunrise has become a tradition since then. April Anderson, the Activities Director at the school, states that Senior Sunrise symbolizes the beginning of the seniors’ last year. Ms. Anderson says that watching new seniors every year leave can be “sad because it is the end of their leaving,” but it is exciting at the same time because “seniors are adults now and are going to go out and start their lives.”
The football field was filled with excited 2026 seniors sitting on the grass, taking photos to capture their first and last moments of high school. They made signs, brought digital cameras, and played card games. “For me,” says senior Ephrata Ejamo, “Senior Sunrise symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter.” When asked how she feels about her final year, she says she feels hopeful and excited for a new beginning.
While Senior Sunrise marks the beginning of the year, Senior Sunset concludes the high school chapter. Unlike Senior Sunrise, Sunset is offered with a variety of games and activities, set in a different location. Most students claim that thinking about their coming last months of high school made them aware of how much they have grown over the years. Annabel Tinto, class of 2026, says that thinking about the end-of-year events, such as Senior Sunset, made her realize how much she had grown as a person and matured over the years. Senior Sunrise and Sunset might be a tradition for others, but for Barlow students, it is a moment of reflection and gathering.
