Before the Class of 2021 can truly be named seniors and rulers of the school, there are a few things they need to take care of. Senior traditions are an annual occurrence at North Atlanta, and despite many COVID limitations the class of 2021 was able to make it work.

One of the most unifying traditions North Atlanta seniors partake in is the Senior Sunrise. On the morning of the first day of school, the seniors all get together to watch the sun rise in commemoration of their final year of high school. At the sunrise, most of the students congregated in small groups and a majority of the students wore masks. This year students met at Piedmont Park to watch the sunrise, but unfortunately cloudy and rainy weather didn’t make for much of a view. What was clear was that COVID-related limitations were not going to get in the way of tradition. “It really didn’t end up being a big set back though since we were all just so excited to see each other and didn’t care where it was,” said senior Virginia Moses. 

Every year, seniors at North Atlanta paint and decorate their cars in spirit of it being their last year in the building. In past years, senior girls have gathered on the top level of the North Atlanta parking deck to decorate their cars and take pictures. Since the parking deck is closed, this year seniors met at the Suzuki School parking lot on Peachtree Battle to take their photos. Senior Daishalyn Satcher was excited to finally participate in this tradition, having seen it done in years past.  “When seniors decorate their cars, usually the hardest part is figuring out how their graduation year fits into the word ‘senior,’” she said. “Usually they write catchy phrases on their back windows and of course all the pictures go straight to the gram!”

Along with the car decorating and picture taking, this year some of the PTA parents organized a drive-by event on Aug. 21 at the Northside United Methodist Church where the seniors could drive around and show off their newly decorated cars. Senior parents passed out Class of 2021 t-shirts and Chick-Fil-A while holding up signs and cheering the seniors on. The event was the perfect way for seniors to come together and celebrate the great year ahead of them.

From a not-so-sunny Senior Sunrise to a last minute drive-by, it’s safe to say that the class of 2021 have earned their spot as seniors. They were able to make the most of the traditions despite the setbacks they faced, and in true Warrior spirit, the Class of 2021 is ready to take on their final year at North Atlanta.

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