It’s called Senior Sunrise — also known as the “first last” for the Class of 2027.

On Wednesday morning, the Seniors gathered on the Owen Family Quad, dressed casually, to say the least. They spread out on blankets and lawn chairs, with some still comfortably clad in pajamas.

Some parents arrived as early as 6 a.m. to provide bagels, doughnuts, coffee, juice and the like.

“Please note that we got here 30 minutes before this thing even started,” Sam Chasteen ’27 said.

He said this while sitting among a cluster of about 20 classmates, all with lawn chairs, their relaxed aura resembling a group of working people settling into recliners at the end of a long day.

“I hope we can stay in these pajamas all day,” came the consensus from Brooke Benedict ’27 and Sarah Kirkpatrick ’27.

Yes, this class seems eager — as classes of the past have sometimes wandered in late, mostly with mattress marks still lining their faces.

Not so with this bunch.

There was music. Faculty members walked by, joined in, asked the obligatory “How was your summer?” and got the small talk out of the way before tomorrow — showtime, go-time — when the first day of school arrives.

This was the seventh annual Senior Sunrise. Looking way ahead to May, they will gather again for Senior Sunset.

The tradition came about around 2020, when so many things had to be canceled and other events began filling the void.

“This is great; it’s just me and the boys gathered around for a good time,” Danny Neumann ’27 and Mitchell Bainbridge ’27 added.

For the moms, it was perhaps “The First Teardrop” day, as several huddled around the food table, taking care of the many hungry seniors.

Through it all, and like most years, many of the comments echoed those from years past, when so many have said:

“Can you believe we are seniors?”

They are.

Ready or not. Believe it or not.

They all enjoyed the laid-back, early morning on the lawn while the sun rose above campus.

Senior Sunrise.

The first of many lasts.

 

— Dunn Neugebauer