![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
The class of 2024 gathered in the library for their winter senior breakfast on Friday morning, Dec. 15, to interact with friends and peers. The event was made possible through the assistance of parent volunteers and organizers.
Parent volunteer Le Trieu wanted to make the event special for her daughter. “This is my last [kid] here, so I wanted to be here for her and her friends,” Trieu said. “I know a lot of her friends. [The preparations were easy.] It was easy to show up and try to make it special to the seniors.”
Seniors had to be “RSVP’d,” to eat the burritos and juice that were being served. Students could choose between various flavored juices, coffee, water, and burritos from Anita’s, a restaurant on the rise in Ashburn, serving New Mexican-style food.
However, senior Ankita Kamath was expecting a different menu for the breakfast.“It’s pretty cool that they got burritos from a different place, and that there’s coffee. But I was expecting some donuts,” Kamath said. “I think the fact that they put this together is pretty amazing, but a [few] more options would have been better.”
Kamath wanted to make her last year more special with her friends. “[I came here] to spend time with my friends because we’re all leaving next year, so it’s nice to spend as many moments together as possible,” Kamath said.
While enjoying their breakfast, important class updates were shared with the seniors; they were asked to vote on possible class trip locations and their graduation speakers through a QR code presented on the screen. The staff is continuing to collect senior fees through the online payment portal to purchase the caps and gowns.
Senior Soham Chandra attended the Senior Breakfast to hang out with friends. It was also something new that he wanted to explore. He enjoyed it due to the company of his fellow seniors and the good food. “I feel that we should go to some sort of amusement park for the senior trip,” Chandra said.
The breakfast was a success, leaving only a few suggestions from the senior class about the food, saying more variety should be offered.
