The sun rose as dawn shined across the horizon, illuminating cars filled with seniors, signaling the start of a new day.

On Wednesday at 6 a.m., about 100 seniors grouped on campus in the main and west lots in separate and distanced vehicles to view the sunrise for the annual “Senior Sunrise,” hosted by the Class of 2021.

Tessa Clements, senior, said of the event: “It was actually really nice to be able to be back at the school and see my friends. I liked being able to see people and enjoyed it even though we were in our cars.”

Students were advised not to leave their cars to maintain physical distance, so some students talked to one another from each other’s cars, while some had carpooled with their friends. 

“It was actually really fun, and it’s not what we’re all used to, but I think [senior class officers] did a great job trying to create a senior activity for us,” Vanessa Flores, senior, said. “It was really nice seeing everyone I knew sitting on their cars or popping their heads out of their roofs because it made it seem more normal.”

Seniors counted down from ten as the sun rose from behind the hills, and after, they returned home to get ready for their first distance learning class of the day. 

“When the sun started to show over the hills, we all honked our horns and it was nice because I knew that everyone is struggling with the same things,” Flores said.