The 2020 senior class officers organized the first annual “Senior Sunrise” on Friday, Sept. 13, to commemorate the beginning of their last year of high school. With blankets and breakfast in hand, seniors scattered across the Warrior Bowl as early as 6:45 a.m. to experience the multitudes of colors brought by the rising sun. 

Many seniors have voiced their opinions about the want of an annual Senior Sunrise. Seeing other schools post pictures on social media has inspired our own student body to create this event for ourselves as well. So, the Senior Class officers heard their thoughts and made this desire  into actuality. 

“In reality, Westwood has very very few traditions for the seniors that include the whole class,” Senior Class President Brandon Qin ‘20 said. “So I really hope that in the next years, that Senior Sunrise will become [an] event that all seniors will eagerly look forward to.”

Seniors streamed into the Warrior Bowl field before the sun rose to be greeted by friendly faces – their senior class officers. The officers presented an option for students to write a letter to themselves that will be read at the end of the school year during Senior Sunset, signifying the end of a memorable four year era. 

“We believed writing letters would bring long term sentimental value to the Sunrise or Sunset event,” Senior Class Vice President Sara Sayyar ‘20 said. “Our hope is that opening the letters at the Senior Sunset will provide seniors the opportunity to see how far they’ve come and bring closure to their time at Westwood.”

Many students also brought breakfast to indulge in as they enjoyed the sunrise. Additionally, dispersed among their friends, many seniors took pictures and polaroids to create an everlasting memory of this event. 

“My favorite part of Senior Sunrise was seeing everyone come out as a class, and appreciate the last moments we have together for the year,” Audrey Lemen ‘20 said. “I’m really looking forward to spending quality time with people that I won’t see as much this time next year.”

Events such as this will ultimately allow students to become more involved in their final few months of high school, and to create memories that will last a lifetime. The senior class officers hope that this tradition continues to grow in the following years and becomes ingrained as a tradition of the senior class.

“I really hope the Senior Sunrise becomes a highly anticipated event that becomes ingrained in tradition,” Qin said. “[In the following years,] I hope to incorporate more of the parents to include breakfast for the seniors as well as other activities. A wall where the seniors can write their hopes and aspirations would be really cool but overall, I’m really happy with how the Senior Sunrise came out.”