Senior Committee starting new tradition by hosting first ever BHS Senior Sunset

Senior Committee knows how many opportunities Covid-19 has taken away from the Class of 2021, so they’re making sure their new idea isn’t going to be one of them.

Senior Committee is hosting Bearden’s first ever Senior Sunset, and due to the forecast for rain on Thursday, the event is being pushed back a week to Nov. 5 from 5-6 p.m. on the baseball field.

Seniors can reserve spots and buy food tickets for the event in the West Mall during lunch. 

At Senior Sunset, seniors will be able to socialize, eat, and enjoy the sunset while maintaining Covid-19 protocols. The idea for this event originally came from other schools participating in a similar event, Senior Sunrise.

“We decided that it was going to be way too early before school, and the administration didn’t really like the idea of a sunrise,” Senior Committee member Ellie Raulston said. “So we decided to do a sunset, and we also thought more people would be willing to come if it was after school and they didn’t have to get up at 5 in the morning.”  

Through Senior Sunset, Senior Committee hopes to bring excitement and a sense of community to this year’s senior class in the unprecedented times that have barred students from coming together like they had been able to in the past. 

“The senior class has had a lot to deal with this year,” senior Natalie Duncan said. “Disappointments over senior events being canceled, worries about sickness, and even just sadness in quarantine has really put a damper on our senior year. 

“We are hoping that this new event can be something new and exciting for all our seniors, and can be a time that we can celebrate all that has happened throughout our senior year so far, the good and the bad.”   

A large part of planning Senior Sunset was to make sure that this event will be a great opportunity to socialize as a senior class while continuing to stay safe and maintain social distancing. 

“We have sectioned off the bleachers and made every seat six feet apart from another seat,” Raulston said.

Added Duncan: “All students are only able to enter with a ticket that has their assigned seat. Students can pick their seats with their friends, they just are required to stay in their spots. This is just so that if anything was to happen, we would be able to have a good estimate of where students were sitting.”

Even though a large part of Senior Sunset is the senior class being able to socialize in a safe environment, another main goal of the event is to fundraise for the senior gift. 

“It is a fundraiser for the overhang back at the English wing entrance,” Senior Committee sponsor Mrs. Anne Fine said. “We are trying to put an overhang on that entrance for students who get on the bus. 

“The special ed kids who may have wheelchairs or extra things, so when it is raining they don’t feel like they’re rushed, and for the teachers that are helping them, we want to keep them protected.”

To fundraise, Senior Committee will sell food tickets to the students attending. Students who buy food tickets will be able to enjoy a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich dinner, including a chicken sandwich, potato chips, candy, water, and a Senior Sunset sticker, while watching the sunset. 

Senior Committee also aims for Senior Sunset to become a tradition in the years to come. The original date of Oct. 29 was chosen so that it would be the night before Homecoming, but waiting a week for good weather will allow the Class of 2021 to finally have a fun unique opportunity come their way.

“We talked about doing it the night before homecoming and hoping that it becomes a homecoming tradition in the next few years,” Raulston said. “I think it is definitely possible that it becomes a tradition.”