As the sun broke through streaks of lavender, orange, pink, and yellow in the sky, about 200 Lane Tech students either catapulted themselves into the lake or watched from the sidelines of Montrose Ledge from 6 to 7 a.m.

“Senior sunrise” is a tradition that Lane Tech (and other high schools’) seniors participate in at the beginning of the school year. However, Sept. 13 was not the first time senior sunrise took place this year. The first senior sunrise for the class of 2025 on Aug. 30 was subject to inclement weather, much to the dismay of various students.

“I think that the rain made the experience less enjoyable, because I was worried that my stuff in my backpack, such as my Chromebook and notebooks would get messed up due to the rain. It was also difficult to see the sunrise due to the mass amount of clouds in the sky,” senior Melania Herrera said.

“It was more like a ‘seniors wake up early and go to the ledge and hang out,’” senior Adrian Onofre said. 

Due to this, a redo was scheduled for a date two weeks after the first one, and the weather was significantly calmer than the first time. 

“We had a poll on our Instagram, and 86% said that they were wanting another senior sunrise. So we were like, all right, let’s just schedule it,” senior class student council senator Sonali Jain said. 

Groups of students hugged and high fived, grateful for any excuse to see each other. Even if it meant getting up before the sun did. Although the turnout was significantly less than the first time, the event was just as lively. Both swimmers and onlookers alike were subject to the choppy waters that day. The strong crashing waves left those on land squealing trying to get pictures of the sunrise while attempting to avoid getting splashed. Lake dwellers worked to keep themselves afloat so as to not capsize under the weight of the rising, swelling waters.

However, many were wondering why the first senior sunrise wasn’t postponed in the first place after a poll on Instagram from the class of ‘25.

According to Jain, not all of the student council members were on the same page about rescheduling, and that canceling the first senior sunrise would have potentially tampered with plans and arrangements the majority of students already committed to. 

“I think the decision to redo the senior sunrise was a good idea, because I feel that it keeps the peace between student council and the student population,” Herrera said. “Scheduling a second senior sunrise showed that student council did listen to the students’ decisions and disappointment after the first senior sunrise.”