Written By: Reagan Metzger, Staff Writer
SUNRISE: The Class of 2025 participated in their Senior Sunrise event to mark the beginning of their final year of high school and create long lasting memories.
Students from the Class of 2025 made it to school by 6:00 AM and marched up to the field to participate in a long-standing Poly tradition: Senior Sunrise. This ASB event marks the beginning of this class’ most anticipated year of high school, and the new seniors were eager to participate. From donuts to reuniting with classmates, and even multiple photo stations, students spent their early morning enjoying and capturing these precious moments as well as meeting some daunting realizations about the year to come.
On Monday morning, just a few days before Senior Sunrise, the Class of 2025 embarked on their first “lasts” of the year. Like every first day back to school, students dreaded the end of their summers, but many seniors dreaded it for other reasons. Senior, Jacob Batcha, realized that he felt “more sad than scared. It was the last time he would ever feel that way and he still hasn’t accepted that he will be graduating in just nine months.” Many students in twelfth grade can sympathize with that statement.
The days leading up to Senior Sunrise were all about getting back into the groove of the high school routine. Because of busy schedules, homework, and Poly events, Senior Sunrise was a great lesson for the class of 2025. To quote an all-time eighties classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” This quote embodies the goal behind the early morning event. ASB senior, Liz Chinchilla, agrees and acknowledges that “we wanted to have an event where the entire class could come together as a group and celebrate the beginning of the end.” That is exactly what they did. Clustered groups of up to twenty, students were found on the turf with blankets, laughing, chatting, taking pictures, and overall enjoying each other’s company. Music was played to add to the ambiance. Specific songs were chosen to remind the seniors of these important memories. Some honorable mentions include, “Good Old Days” by Kesha and Macklemore, “Slipping Through My Fingers” by Declan McKenna, and a class favorite, “White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean. A sense of nostalgia was undeniably present that morning because of the somber truths that the chords and lyrics prompted students to consider.
At around 7:00 AM, students packed up their blankets and snacks to leave the field. Some sat in their cars until the school day began, others met for breakfast and coffee with their friends. All in all, Senior Sunrise was a remarkable opportunity for the Class of 2025 to band together before the start of an emotional year. With the success of this event, many grow eager for the senior events coming later down the line. Here’s to the class of 2025, and the many more memories to come.