To prevent another year of 12th-graders purposely skipping school either after attending Senior Sunrise on an October morning or not coming at all, the ASB has decided to move the traditional event two months earlier to this coming Thursday.
“Students took advantage of it being on a Friday in October, and they just ditched after the event,” senior class adviser Christina Zubko said. “What was really sad was even the people who had bought tickets [for the event in the past] decided to not come to breakfast. We had so much food left over last year.”
The original plan was for Senior Sunrise to be this Friday, but since it preceded an SAT testing date, ASB decided it was better to move it to the day before, Zubko said.
By changing Senior Sunrise to earlier in the school year, the ASB hopes to discourage seniors from skipping classes, which results in a loss of money — called Average Daily Attendance — for the school, Zubko said.
Based on the number of tickets sold, around 300 seniors are expected to attend Thursday’s Senior Sunrise, which starts at 5:30 a.m., Zubko said. The end time is based on whether event goers have a Period 0 or a Period 1.
Senior Cael Cosby is among those who have already bought a ticket, which costs $10 with an ASB Gold Card and $15 without.
“It’s one of the Sunny Hills events that I’ve been looking forward to while I was an underclassman because it seems like a great way just to spend more time with friends,” Cosby said.
Before the installation of the jumbotron in the quad, the projector used to display the movie and other media onto a screen could not be seen once the sun rose, so the ASB tried to show all the videos before sunrise at around 5 a.m. However, since the new jumbotron withstands the sunlight, they were able to delay the start of Senior Sunrise by a few hours, Zubko said.
“I’m glad that it’s later so we have more sleep the night before since there’s still class after,” senior Francesca Martelotti said. “[But] I have 0 period, so I see how it could be an issue for some people.”
Another change from previous years includes allowing seniors to vote on the movie they want to watch and incorporating Porto’s baked goods into the breakfast, which includes George’s burritos, Starbucks coffee and milk. Seniors had until Aug. 16 to select their choice for a film by using the Five Star app.
“High School Musical 3” earned the most votes, beating out “High School Musical 1,” “High School Musical 2” and “Camp Rock,” senior class president Rachel Kim said.
“I’m glad that we can choose our own movie so the seniors can have the freedom to watch what they want,” said Martelotti, who voted for the movie that most ended up selecting. “It’s good that the majority can vote on what they want so it’s fair for everyone.”
On the other hand, other seniors feel the abrupt change in date and the ASB’s discouragement of skipping school may result in fewer students attending Senior Sunrise, especially with the SAT being given two days later.
“It would’ve been better if Senior Sunrise was later because this week I have to take the SAT and I’m just super busy with studying,” said senior Regina Yeo, who does not plan to attend the event.
Nevertheless, Zubko said seniors should strongly consider attending.
“I think it’s a neat event,” she said. “I like the fact that seniors show up in their pajamas, wrapped up in their blankets. I mean, how could you go wrong with a video and a burrito?”
Kim agreed, adding, “I just hope all the seniors enjoy it because it’s a very traditional event that happens every year. I just want every senior to have fun.”
