Grizzlies make bright memories at inaugural Senior Sunrise event

August 28, 2025

Standing Bear High School seniors welcomed the dawn of a new era in their lives when they watched the morning rays of sunlight peek over the horizon.
 
More than 40 students made bright memories together at the inaugural Senior Sunrise celebration. They enjoyed the start of their final year at Standing Bear with games, group photos and smiling conversations on the football field. The new sunrise tradition was meant to symbolize the beaming hope that they have for the rest of 2025-26.
 
Student Council members Janet and Shahnaz said it was fun to mark the beginning of a milestone year for everyone. The Class of 2026 will be the first full group of Grizzlies to graduate from Standing Bear, and student leaders felt a Senior Sunrise event would be a good way to kick off the year.
 
“We’re going to step into such a big new chapter of our lives, but on top of that, I mean, we’re the trailblazers for this school,” Janet said. “I mean, we’re setting the legacy. We get to start so many fun traditions for all the grades that are going to come after us, and I think that’s just such an incredible opportunity, so it’s very fun.”
 
“To me, it feels like it’s an honor to experience something like this,” Shahnaz said. “There’s so many opportunities open for us, and I really think this school is amazing. It’s a great school to go to.”

 
Fellow seniors Nickolas and Eden were sitting on a blanket with their friends in the middle of the football field as the sunrays streamed in. Nickolas said it was exciting to know that the motto found on student t-shirts – “The Legacy Starts With Us” – was talking about their 120-person class.
 
“We’re setting the ground for other seniors for the next, I don’t know, however long this school is going to be,” Nickolas said. “It’s just truly like an honor.”
 
Standing Bear Associate Principal Trisha Lind said she and other administrators felt it was important to establish meaningful traditions like Senior Sunrise. She said the activities gave students a chance to create core memories and be part of something that grows a sense of belonging.
 
“What we enjoyed most was having an opportunity to enjoy an activity of celebration with our seniors and be part of some of our first traditions being set by our inaugural senior class,” Lind said. “This group chose us in year one, and they have been instrumental in paving the way as upperclassmen for what many of our ‘first’ experiences are and look like moving forward.”
 
Many Class of 2026 members came to Standing Bear when the school opened its doors for the first time in the Fall 2023 semester. Freshmen and sophomores were the only groups of students to pass through the hallways that year, as Lincoln Public Schools leaders wanted to create a smooth transition for everyone on campus. Three grades took courses in the building throughout 2024-25, and all four grades are filling Standing Bear’s classrooms this fall.

 
Nickolas said he has benefited from the close-knit bonds that seniors have developed since their first day together. That unity was on full display throughout the early morning. Students tossed beanbags in games of cornhole, played giant-sized versions of Connect 4 and held up custom-made Senior Sunrise picture frames for their photos.
 
“It feels really cool,” Nickolas said. “A lot of students transferred in from other schools, and we all have some things in common. We all came from different schools and we were all just looking for new friends.”

 
Eden said she was proud to take part in the first Senior Sunrise. She felt these types of traditions fulfill Standing Bear’s mission of helping students learn about the powers of place, connection and cooperation.
 
“I think it means making a community at school,” Eden said. “We’re setting the standards. How we’re acting now is how we’re going to be perceived in the future and for years to come. I feel like it means we’re making a safe place for people in the future and we’re creating this for people to come.”

 
Student Council members like Janet and Shahnaz are working on creating many more community-based moments this year. Janet said the group is already planning to offer a Senior Sunset celebration next spring. The evening event will symbolize the end of a legacy-building era for the Class of 2026 at Standing Bear.
 
Janet said she was glad to know that the inaugural Senior Sunrise had been a success, even if it meant an earlier-than-normal wakeup call for the Grizzlies.
 
“It was really fun to just see everyone was in a good mood,” Janet said. “I mean, coffee was definitely a great thing today, but we were having a great time. I mean, setting this all up and getting to be a part of this, and on Student Council, getting to be behind the scenes was also very special to me. I had a great time.”
 
Want to learn more about LPS activities like Student Council? Visit home.lps.org/athletics/get-involved to view opportunities for students at LPS middle and high schools.
 
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