Brayden Mathias

After a soggy sunrise, pink-clad seniors headed to Senior Hall to decorate it.

On a gloomy Wednesday at 6:30 a.m., seniors dragged themselves to the turf all dressed in pink. They were headed for the second annual Senior Sunrise – a tradition started by new Head of School Christian Donovan in which seniors greet the first day of school as the sun comes up.

So on August 30th, they rose early. A few students who arrived before maintenance workers opened the campus even had to scale the large fence at J-Lot. 

After the gates opened, many students started to arrive at the turf with their blankets and coffee in hand. But then they were surprised by pouring rain! Screams started to fill the empty atmosphere. All of a sudden everyone was awake – from the shock of the rainfall.

The seniors then had to migrate to the Zamorski Alumni Center for shelter. With wet clothes and hair, they gathered in the communal space for a powerful speech by Christian about a memory from his childhood. The moral of his story was to do the right thing, even if it might be a hassle. 

After the speech, some people started taking pictures to document their last first day of high school. Thanks to Mikel Smith ‘24, the entire class got to enjoy Dunkin’ donuts to end the morning.

After the gathering, some seniors started to feel the effects of the early morning, and took naps.

Although the seniors never saw a sunrise that day, the sight of people smiling and being happy even in the pouring rain showed the sense of community in the class of 2024.