Seniors wake up bright and early to watch the sunrise and commemorate the first day of their last year in high school.

On the first day of school, seniors began to gather in front of the band room as early as 6 a.m. They were not standing in line for the famous hot pink schedule or camping out for teacher recommendations––they were waiting for the sun to rise.

The event, known as Senior Sunrise, was a first. According to Class of 2014 Social Manager Donovan Phua, it is a tradition at other schools but new to MVHS. It was intended as both a bonding event and a kickoff to the last year of high school.

“[ASB Social Manager] Colin Kim and [ASB President] Marisa Yang talked to the 2014 officers about it,” Phua said. “And then they really exploded it and made it into a real event.”

Officers communicated with several staff members to make Senior Sunrise happen; approval from Assistant Principal Mike White was necessary to hold Senior Sunrise on campus, and teachers Katie Collins and Martin Jennings were asked to be chaperones. Noah’s Bagels supplied free breakfast foods and beverages for the event after the class officers asked for donations.

Although there was an obvious lack of school announcements, news about the event was spread mainly through a post on the Class of 2014 Facebook group. Despite concerns of lack of promotion, several seniors were in attendance––which surprised both Phua and senior Zerreen Kazi.

“There were more people than I had anticipated, which is good,” Kazi said. “It was kind of anticlimactic ––the actual sunrise–– because it doesn’t just pop out at you. But it was still memorable.”

Students waited together for the sunrise by eating breakfast and catching up on stories from summer vacation. According to senior Stuti Arora, watching what she called “a really pretty sunrise” with her friends gave them one last chance to relax together before the official start of school.

A similar event, “Senior Sunset,” is scheduled to happen in June, as a symbolic end to the year. However, during Senior Sunrise, attendees moved from its original location in front of the band room to the bleachers, which offered a better view. The 2014 officers plan to reduce unexpected changes for next time.

“In fact, I think we’re going to plan for something away from school,” Phua said. “I know it might be better for everyone to have it here, but because sunset doesn’t happen during the school day, it’s going to be a lot easier for us to plan it outside [of] school and make it a lot more memorable and fun.”