MCHS seniors gathered before classes started on Tuesday morning to celebrate “Senior Sunrise,” a newly instated event orchestrated by Student Senate. Students met in the Riverhawk stadium at 5:30am for refreshments, photo ops, and, of course, to watch the sunrise together.
“We had seen other schools on Instagram and around Iowa doing these events,” said Student Senate President Sofia Ahari, who helped plan the event. “So, we were like, ‘maybe instead of this being a personal thing that people do by themselves or with friend groups, we can invite the entire student body to enjoy it together on the first day of school.’”
Hosting an event so early in the school year – and so early in the morning – was not without its challenges. One of Ahari’s concerns was that word might not get out to all the seniors that the event was happening. However, she was not disappointed in the turnout.
“I was a little bit shocked that so many people came, because it’s an event that we’ve never done before,” said Ahari. “I was really happy and kind of surprised by the amount of people that pulled up.”
Students began arriving at the track around 5:30 and enjoyed a breakfast of a variety of muffins, donuts and fruit provided by Student Senate while waiting for the sun to begin to rise. “We wanted to make sure that everyone had something to eat,” said Ahari. “Cause it happened at, you know, 5:30 in the morning.”
As the sky begins to lighten, students migrate to the track to watch the sunrise and to take advantage of a variety of photo props created by Student Senate. “Smile, you’re a senior!” proclaims one sign, as “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles plays in the background.
When asked about Student Senate’s plans for the rest of the year, Ahari laughs. “It’s kind of premature, but we are planning a Senior Sunset,” she says.