Senior Sunrise During the Pandemic

On Aug. 24, 2020, a senior sunrise event was organized at Salt Creek Beach as an attempt to bring the class of 2021 together. The event was stated not to be affiliated with Aliso Niguel High School whatsoever but was planned by students in leadership. 

Overall, the event was an attempt to raise the morale of seniors who were ‘missing out’ on typical senior events. Over the course of nearly a year, COVID-19 has affected the lives of many socially, economically, and mentally. The event had good intentions, trying to bring people together who were separated for so long. 

The original planning for this event was created by a group of seniors in ASB. Requests for social distancing and masks were emphasized on the invitation that was shared around on Instagram. Though these requests were specifically stated in the invitation, the majority of the attendees were not wearing masks or socially distancing. Food and drinks were provided, but with little safety precautions. Donuts and orange juice were advertised in the invitation which may have led to the large attendance. The line for obtaining the food and beverages were extremely crowded with little to no masks or social distancing.  Attendees overall had the option to attend and take the risk of potentially spreading or catching COVID-19. Still, precautions were to be taken at all times. 

Another event was planned the following week, which was similar to the Senior Sunrise: The Senior Picnic. Invitations this time around specified more on masks and social distancing. Carpool was also heavily suggested, which violates social distancing and safety precautions overall. These suggestions had good intentions, as stated previously, but this does not fall within safety precautions. This event was also not affiliated with Aliso Niguel High School. Food was also not provided, which would decrease interaction this time around. The attendance for this event was overall very minimal compared to the Senior Sunrise. 

Both events were planned with good intentions overall but could have been executed more effectively. The Senior Picnic was a slight improvement compared to the Senior Sunrise in regards to safety precautions.