As quickly as last year ended, a new year has already begun. 

The senior sunrise took place Friday, Aug. 23 at 6:15 a.m. in the 200 hallway. The sunrise was an official launch of the beginning of the senior school year where the seniors all got together, ate food and talked all morning. With that in mind, there was a better than expected turnout according to the class committee.

Ms. Sheffield is the sponsor for the event, along with the class committee, and has been prepping for the sunrise while ensuring that all boxes have been checked off before Friday. 

“We have a company that donated a sign that says ‘Seniors 2020’ and it’s just like a picture opportunity. Some kids painted a backdrop for some other opportunities to take pictures in front of. We’re just trying to fit the personality of this class,” Sheffield said.

It’s been a team effort for the class committee and Ms. Sheffield to maintain this tradition that Mrs. Braswell had first created two years ago. 

“A few years ago, she was the sponsor for the senior class and she had this idea that they would start a new school year together with a sunrise and then finish the school year together with a sunset,” Sheffield said.

Along with the other traditions for seniors, such as Grad Night, the Bridgewalk and senior sunset, senior sunrise has given the class opportunities to get together and enjoy their first lasts before the end of the year sneaks up on us. 

“It’s really just to get the seniors excited that this is their last year and to celebrate all the accomplishments that the last four years has brought us,” senior class committee member, Oliphant, said. “The sunrise is a tradition here at Liberty. They’ve been doing it since the first senior class and it represents the celebration of saying, ‘We made it’.”

For class committee sponsor, Ms. Sheffield, it’s going to be hard to leave this years seniors knowing that she’s spent the most time with them and has had this class the longest. 

“When I started at Liberty, it was also this group’s first year and I was at Frontier with them last year so I’ve known this particular class the longest. They’re all great kids but these kids have a special place,” Sheffield said.

With many memories created throughout the last four years, past seniors have described the sunrise as an unforgettable bonding experience to start off the year by being all together. Senior Maddie Meinhardt attended with a group of friends and looks forward to what this year will bring with them.

“It feels unreal because high school goes by so fast and you feel like it’s going to be a long part of your life but before you know it, you have all these events you want to attend for closing a chapter of high school,” Meinhardt said.