East Hartford seniors mark their last first day of school with sunrise tradition

About 6,400 students across East Hartford Public Schools headed back to class Wednesday for the first day of a new school year.

At East Hartford High School, some members of the Class of 2027 started their day much earlier than most.

Students gathered on the football field before dawn for the school’s senior sunrise tradition, marking the beginning of their final year of high school together.

“So this is the beginning of the class of 27 senior year. So they’re really excited,” Principal Matt Ryan said. “They were all out here for a while since, like, 5:30 in the morning, and they went inside because they’re going to have breakfast.”

For senior Ariel Diaz, his last first day of school came with reminders of just how far he has come.

“My mom insisted on buying me this backpack because she bought my first. She wanted to buy me my last,” Diaz said.

Diaz also brought something else with him to the football field: a Pokémon book he’s held onto since elementary school.

“As a matter of fact, I got something to show you. Okay. This is from fourth grade. My Pokemon book from fourth grade. I got it at the book fair. It’s kind of in pieces, but I felt like bringing it just because if it’s like a momentum of my, like, my childhood, you know, Pokemon has been a big thing to me,” Diaz said.

As he reflected on the years that brought him to his senior year, Diaz also thought about the people who helped him get there.

“I want my parents to, hopefully feel proud that I was able to sit here and talk to you,” Diaz said.

For fellow senior Cristina Cotto-Juarbe, the sunrise took on a different meaning as she looked ahead to the months before graduation.“We’re all starting a new chapter. And even though, like, we’re still in high school and we’re still we still have nine months left until we’re actually graduating. It’s just like the start of something new for all of you,” Cotto-Juarbe said.

She also had a message for her parents as she began her final year.

“Thank you guys for raising me. Just for being awesome. And I love you so much,” Cotto-Juarbe said.

East Hartford High School is connected to the Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy, which is ranked the No. 1 high school in Connecticut.

The first-day activity extended across the district.

At Langford Elementary School, students lined up outside, met their teachers and said the Pledge of Allegiance before heading into the building.

East Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Thomas Anderson said one of the district’s focuses this year is strengthening communication between parents and teachers.

“When it comes to our district, parent-teacher communication is something we are really focusing on this year.

There are things we may say, such as certain acronyms that may not make sense to parents…” Anderson said.

More than 20 school districts across Connecticut returned to class Wednesday, putting school buses and additional traffic back on roads across the state.

For East Hartford’s Class of 2027, Wednesday was more than another first day. It was their last one, beginning with a sunrise shared with the classmates who will spend the next nine months alongside them before graduation.

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