This year, on Sept. 22, the annual tradition of “Senior Sunrise” was upheld once again on Aliso Niguel High School’s football field. The seniors lined up in the dark at 6 a.m. outside the football stadium and, once scanned in, were shown to numerous tables stacked with complimentary breakfast items, including bagels, muffins, croissants, yogurt, Krispy Kreme donuts, fruit and plenty of other snacks.
Concerning the food, senior Urva Pawar (12) said that “The croissants were the main part of the show in my opinion.”
Additionally, Tariya Jackson (12) said she “liked the variety they had with food and of course, the free energy drinks!”
Once on the field, seniors had been instructed to bring cozy blankets to set out on the turf, forming a comfortable environment for the seniors to enjoy all while eating their breakfast, chatting with one another, and observing the cloudy sunrise.
As the sun rose, students took photos in the colorful cardboard cut-out sign provided by the Associated Student Body that read “Senior Sunrise 26.” Many students posed in groups using digital camera photos.
Activities for students included being able to sign a wooden 2026 sign and playing with a rainbow parachute. The wooden sign was placed near the breakfast tables, and all seniors were encouraged to sign the wood with the provided multicolored pens. The provided rainbow parachute was given to the students to play with to remind them of elementary school. Lots of students commented that it made them feel very reflective on their childhoods.
Both Tariya Jackson and Jana Gonswa (12) thought that the “music was so sad and nostalgic”. Tunes such as Dr. Dog’s ‘Where’d All the Time Go’ and Lorde’s ‘Ribs’ were played and caused bittersweet feelings amongst students.
Senior Sunrise serves as a way of passage into senior year, just as Senior Sunset serves as a send-off for seniors.
Jana Gonswa (12) continued to say that senior sunrise made her feel sad to realize that, “We’ve finally made it to senior year, growing up with the same people all four years! We’re all going our separate ways after all of this, and that’s kind of crazy to think.”
Camryn Reece, Senior Class President, helped put the event together, saying that, “Even though the event seemed smooth, the behind-the-scenes planning was anything but. Back in May we scheduled senior sunrise during football’s bye week, but when we got closer to this week, their bye week was cancelled, so football practice would be going on during the Senior Sunrise. Luckily, after many phone calls to reschedule, practice was pushed to after the event so all the football seniors could join!”
Unfortunately, the sky was cloudy most of the morning, with the sun only peeking out for a couple of minutes at a time. Despite this, many seniors thoroughly enjoyed the Senior Sunrise event, making a memorable start to their senior years. The event concluded around 8 a.m., when the sun had fully risen. Thanks to the many efforts of ASB and the countless helping hands behind the scenes for making this event a key memory in the class of 2026’s senior year!
