Every senior looks forward to the picture-perfect senior sunrise. Cotton candy colored clouds, painted cars, starting their day with their closest friends. This year, the weather had other plans. Instead of bright skies, seniors woke up to a gloomy morning. Despite the not-ideal forecast, seniors continued the long-standing tradition. Senior sunrise at NAHS has been a tradition for many years, paired with the ever-famous senior car painting. These days are long-awaited by seniors, marking the start of their final year of high school. The morning is filled with laughter, excitement, and even a few tears as they begin their last first day.

The senior traditions start with bright colors and a newly unleashed sense of creativity. Girls gather on top of the NAHS parking deck with their cars and countless shades of paint pens. Windows ended up covered in signatures, inside jokes, and other memories from their previous years. Senior AJ Snider saw the morning as a moment bringing the class together. “I love how all of us are brought together after summer! It is so much fun seeing how everyone decorates their cars and the feelings people have going into our last year together,” Snider said.

However, the energy from the night before was dampened by the morning of senior sunrise. Many students were not impressed with the conditions. Some even decided to leave the event early and skip out on the dreary weather. Jordan Sarae transferred to NAHS for her final year of high school, and it certainly didn’t start as planned. “When I saw the grey clouds outside, I was already annoyed, and then to step out and feel the humidity? Not what I was hoping for,” Sarae said.

The weather also affected those who spent hours painting their cars. By the next morning, most of the artwork was washed away. Bright designs, doodles, and colorful names that filled the roads the night before were completely ruined. Senior Riley Hutchinson was someone who unfortunately lost her beautiful doodles to the rain. “I was very sad that all of my hard work was washed away in one night, along with my friends’ signatures,” Hutchinson said.

While the rain and sticky air may have created a less-than-perfect experience for Senior Sunrise, the tradition carried on. Seniors still came together to begin their final first day together, reminding the dubs that the spirit of senior sunrise is about more than just the weather. With prom, senior pranks, and graduation still coming, the class of 2026 has plenty more memories waiting to be made.