I woke up with a start to my alarm at 4:55 AM. Sure, I was tired, but that hardly mattered because I was so excited to watch the sunrise with my class. I climbed into the car in the dark to begin my 30 minute drive to school. It was oddly peaceful and quiet on the roads and inside my car. Without any of my usual carpool buddies, I soaked in the stillness of the morning listening to nostalgic instrumentals and dreaming about my hopes for senior year as I drove.
I bounced into the gravel parking lot of McCarthy Field, greeted by warm, sweatshirt hugs and excited waves from classmates. Soon, my whole senior class was standing together on the fields to watch the sunrise. We took pictures with each other and with our decorated cars. We played songs like “Upside Down” and “Dog Days Are Over” on a car stereo with the windows down. Seeing each other at this sunrise felt like a joyful reunion, and I was so thankful for the unity we experienced.
After an hour on the field, we all drove to Montrose and meandered inside to claim the senior commons. We had already tentatively set up in the senior commons during AP kickstart week, but this time we moved in with confidence. The Montrose Parent Guild had kindly decorated each of our lockers with baby pictures and little senior survival kits. They also stocked the commons with donuts and muffins for our first breakfast! We set up lockers as we discussed summer memories and by 8 AM we were ready in our full dress uniform, headed to our new M-block room in Vinebrook.
Our beloved 12th grade dean Mrs. Maricich gave us the “senior talk,” setting her expectations for us to be the new leaders of the school. Following our pump up from Mrs. Maricich, we headed for the A&A to take our spots in the front row of the assembly. Our very own Leah Vaz ‘27, our student body president, excitedly welcomed everyone to the 2026-2027 school year.
Head of School Mrs. Elrod addressed the school with a first day of school message to pay attention to what matters most. Combining the stories of Montrose alum Emily Bowman and NASA engineer Nancy Grace Roman, Mrs. Elrod gave brilliant examples of what can happen when we pay attention to what matters most. She highlighted Fr. Dick’s famous saying that “the key to happiness is always paying attention to the others, the others, the others.” She pointed out that the brick closest to the entrance to our brand new miracle field turf has Fr. Dick’s words “the other, the others, the others” engraved on it. She admonished us to remember to pay close attention to the others whenever we see that brick, and every time we step onto Montrose campus. I had noticed that brick by the soccer fields during tryouts week, but it suddenly took on new weight of meaning when I learned that it was a quote from Fr. Dick.
A first day of Montrose would not be complete without the all-school handshake line. As a senior, I was given the privilege of lining up right next to the front door. The new middle schoolers passed by in a flurry of smiles and red sweaters, and the new high schoolers and teachers all said hello. I was so happy to welcome the two new freshmen, Stella Cote and Felicity Savoy, whom I’ve gotten to know on my soccer team. I remembered my first Montrose handshake line when I was a freshman, and after meeting hundreds of new faces, when my soccer captains knew me by name I felt so known and loved.
From the handshake line we filed into Mass, where Fr. John spoke in his homily about the way God is always paying attention to his daughters. After mass, the school bustled into motion as girls found their first class for the day. A few hours later I played get to know you games with my mentoring family, and then we played a game of newcomb of Mrs. Langhurst mentees vs. Mrs. Bettinelli’s mentees. Thankfully, Mrs. Langhurst’s family (my family) won the game!
The end of my last first day looked a little bit different from my other first days at Montrose, because my varsity soccer team had an away game, meaning we had to leave school early. In our new schedule, Common Home Room takes place on Wednesday afternoons, so I missed the Student government announcement for the theme of the year. But, I later found out from friends that the theme is Bloom! I’m looking forward to seeing how our theme of bloom will play out in the year as we grow, thrive, and become the best version of ourselves through connection, faith, and motivation.
At the soccer team’s away game I started feeling the effects of my early morning wake up. However, despite some exhaustion, our game versus Beaver Country Day was one of the most exciting in my Montrose soccer career. We won the game 2-1, scoring our second goal during extra time less than one minute before the referee ended the game. I couldn’t have asked for a more meaningful and exciting last first day. Every moment was packed from sunrise till sundown, and I can’t wait to soak up every memory with this precious Montrose community.
