On the first day of school, seniors gathered on campus starting at 6 a.m. for the annual Senior Sunrise tradition. In matching pajama pants, they walked next door to Bay Meadows Park, where they chatted with friends and enjoyed donuts and orange juice as the sun rose.
“Mostly, people were walking around taking pictures. It was very chill,” Grace B. ’26 said.
At 8:15 a.m., the seniors lined the driveway to campus and the entrance on 28th Avenue to welcome the incoming freshmen. For each arriving student, seniors cheered and offered donuts, while holding handmade posters adorned with drawings, greetings, and glitter.
A wide variety of posters were held high; Nueva Cross Country recruitment puns were waved alongside warnings to “Stay in Line, Class of 2029.” Some posters made embarrassing but sweet prompts: “Honk & Kiss UR Mom,” and others parodied pop culture: “Straight Outta Middle School.”
Memorably, Connor C. ’26 and Ayaan M. ’26 brought a balloon shaped like the popular collectable plush toy, which dangled from a fishing rod. They brought a matching poster that read, “Honk 4 Labubu.”
The whole event sparked delight; with almost the entire grade participating, the tradition stood as a celebration for the community built within the Class of 2026.
“When you’re standing in the line, it’s people who aren’t really even necessarily friends with each other who are standing and cheering together,” Anika G. ’26 said.
In addition to being a reminder of the school family, the sunrise also marked the first of many senior class traditions at Nueva, such as Renfaire and Prank Day. Grace felt the excitement for the “vibe” to continue into the rest of senior year. “I was wearing my pants over my jeans and, like, yelling at random moms. I just feel like that’s sort of the energy of senior year. Just sort of spontaneous and fun and crazy,” Grace said.
