JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – Have you ever paused to look at God’s wonderful creation and been struck by its beauty? On Monday April 8, I was given a chance to appreciate God’s workmanship. For the second time, the Senior Class of 2024 was given the chance to greet the sun as it slipped above the horizon.

When I asked fellow senior and sunrise attendee, Josiah Joseph, what his thoughts were on the sunrise, he shared that the best part of attending sunrise was the turnout. Compared to our first sunrise in early November, Josiah and I agree that the turnout was much better the second time around. One thing Josiah highlighted was that everyone was more connected this time around, adding that “I didn’t see anyone standing alone.” It was refreshing, he stated, to see the entire class being themselves and letting our hair down, so to speak.

Mr. Wolz, one of the senior advisors, shared a brief message with the seniors before dismissing us. This message was a continuation of what he shared in November. In the fall, he introduced the fact that “life has cycles,” and as we prepare to close the current chapter of our lives and enter the next stage, he informed us that we are exiting the stage of orientation. Orientation, he explained briefly in a recap, is when everything in our life is as it should be—in other words, everything is familiar and structured. But with graduation on the horizon, Mr. Wolz informed us that we were entering a time of disorientation.

In this state of disorientation, we will find ourselves out of our depth, many of us will be submerged in a not-so-Christian environment in schools across the nation, and for some, across the globe. As we face this disorientation, we are encouraged to reorient ourselves as quickly as possible by finding a local church and joining a community of believers on campus. Disorientation is coming, he emphasized, strongly encouraging us to follow through with this action step.

Josiah, too, emphasized this point during our interview. His main takeaway was in line with the message as he reiterated Mr. Wolz’s use of 1 Corinthians 12. We are the body of Christ, and building up the community and fellowship between peers as we branch out into the world is the best way to continue growing our community of faith. Josiah encouraged our classmates not going to a private Christian school to “stay consistent” by finding Christ’s community and plugging into a Church as soon as possible upon arrival at college.

On the subject of branching out, I asked Josiah how he feels as we face the fast-approaching end to our senior year. He answered me honestly, saying that he is sad because he knows he’ll never see the same people ever again. “We have a routine,” he added, that includes going to first period, then second period, and then break. But that routine will end—the cycle will break—the moment each of us walks across the stage and accepts our diploma.

But graduation is a bittersweet event for everyone who is leaving behind friends and family to explore adulthood and exercise more freedom. This is because when we enter college, we are entering a new chapter of life than offers more blessings and new doors for us to explore as God leads us.

Senior Sunrise is not, however, solely focused on Mr. Wolz’s amazing message or getting a group of teenagers out of bed before the sun. The students who attend are excused from first hour with the hope that they will spend the extra time with friends. In November, I was happy to spend time running around town with several other seniors—an experience I feel was well worth being a minute or two late (and therefore unexcused) for second hour.

Similarly, seniors flocked to breakfast options in little groups, many choosing First Watch as their before school rendezvous. There is, however, one major difference between this sunrise and the last, and that is this: the senior class is well into an all-out game of Senior Assassin, which includes hunting a target off-campus. While the rules have made clear that senior events (like the sunrise) are off-limits, slots of time before and after those events are free-game.

When I asked Josiah his favorite part of the sunrise, he was happy—almost giddy—as he answered, in great detail, his (nerf gun assisted) assassination of Brianna Kidd while at breakfast. According to Josiah, he “planned it very well,” slyly asking Brianna for a ride to First Watch, where both intended to dine. Unbeknownst to Brianna, Josiah rushed to Kody Gehring, asking to borrow his nerf gun, tucking it into his bag before joining Brianna in the car. Before breakfast was over, she had been eliminated.

Senior Sunrise and Senior Assassin are just two of many things to look forward to during senior year. As a class, we look toward Grad Bash at Universal, Senior Trip at Sky View Mansion in Tennessee and all of the graduation parties after successfully walking across the stage, shaking hands and receiving our diplomas. Senior year has been one to remember and I wouldn’t change things for the world.