Senior Sunrise: The Ascension of Adulthood

The senior sunrise was a senior-exclusive event that took place on August 23, 2021 at 6:15 in the morning. It was a gathering at the stadium in which the seniors attempted to watch the sun rise. Due to the time sensitivity of the event, any participants had to get up earlier than they normally would– and on a school day to boot! Some students brought blankets and food to cope with the cold.

Senior Sheldon Canley found the event to be “pretty boring” noting that the sun “barely came out.” The stadium obstructed the view of the sun along with Lompoc’s typical marine layer of fog, so the event’s impact was more metaphorical than visual. For people like Senior Sugar Gaitan, though, there was still immense value in the experience. “Although the sun technically did not rise (c’mon people it’s Lompoc we saw that coming) it was still a memorable event for the class of 2022. The outcome was larger than I expected, but you can tell that the bond between us Seniors is typically pretty strong and that’s  why people showed up– just to be around one another!”

The senior sunrise was the start of the senior’s high school end. It possessed a great finality and it made that final “push-before-adulthood” feel all the more real.