The seniors have had an eventful first two weeks of school. They have been able to partake in senior traditions such as senior sunrise, child backpacks, and some have even begun painting senior jeans. Many more traditions have yet to take place, leaving seniors excited to participate in the traditions they have watched upperclassmen participate in.
Senior year for the class of 2026 was kicked off with senior sunrise. This tradition includes all seniors going to the football field the morning before their “last first day.” Students began showing up as early as 5:15am with blankets, pillows, and some even brought breakfast foods to share with their friends. Sunrise was a great opportunity for the senior class to spend time together before entering their last year of high school. “Senior sunrise was good, I like how it allowed for the entire senior class to get together before the first day, ” said Chloe Crider (26). This tradition has been going on for as long as students can remember. Students will meet up after school on the last day of school and finish the tradition with senior sunset.
Another tradition that has continued into this school year is child backpacks. Seniors buy children backpacks with their favorite childhood show, movie or character. This is a way for students to reflect on how much they have grown up. “My favorite tradition is the little kid backpacks because I like to see what everyone’s favorite thing as a little kid was,” said Crider.
Senior apparel is another tradition that many students have taken up in recent years. Senior girls primarily have started painting “senior jeans” that they can wear to football games and school events. On the first day of school, many students wore their customized jeans. Seniors also customized other clothing items such as sweatshirts and shirts. Senior Raegan Fields said, “I decided to customize my shirt and sweatshirt for the first day, so I could have them as memories.”
A popular senior tradition for other high schools is to paint senior parking spots. EHS students have been fighting for this tradition to be allowed for years. After three years of trying, Principal Grable was finally able to get senior parking sports approved. She announced this at the senior class meeting on Aug. 18.
This new tradition brings along a lot of controversy about how to make the process fair. Grable explained that every student who wants to paint a spot must pay fifty dollars, and whoever gets their design approved and their fee paid first will get to choose their spot first. Sept. 13 is the day that the school will allow students to come and paint. The school is even graciously providing supplies for the students to make the process as seamless as possible. Although this is the first year of senior parking, it seems that admin and the district have planned out every detail possible. After the school year, it will be obvious if the staff deems this tradition worthwhile, and if it will be able to become a yearly occurrence for EHS.
Seniors have been able to experience many senior traditions in their first few weeks of school, but the traditions don’t end now. There are many more traditions to participate in, especially in the spring semester. Senior prank, senior skip day, and the newest tradition, senior assassin, are all things seniors can look forward to. Senior year is a special time for students, and it is important that the high school allows students to experience all of these “lasts” before graduating.
