High School Seniors Eager to Lead the Way

By: Shelia Mader

Five Jackson County high schools welcomed students back on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the senior year for the Class of 2026. With graduation on the horizon next spring, traditions, some decades old and others more recent, are already setting the tone for a memorable final year.

For many schools, senior activities begin long before the first bell of the new year. Some traditions have been passed down for generations, while others are unique to individual campuses. At Marianna High School, one of the newer customs has quickly become a favorite: personalized senior parking spaces. Started roughly seven years ago, this tradition gives seniors the chance to design and paint their own spot before the school year begins.

Marianna High senior Teigan Chaddock was among those braving the summer heat to stake her claim. “I’m very excited for senior sunrise,” Chaddock said. “I’m so excited to be able to bond with my friends and watch the sunrise together for our last year together in the same school.”

Hollister Roberts, a man of few words, summed up his feelings simply, “I’m just excited for all the senior events we’re gonna do and just one last ride before we get out of here.”

Kelsi Jenkins brought her usual enthusiasm to the year’s kickoff, “I’m just excited about the whole year, everything that we will get to experience and the memories we will make. Painting my parking spot was a great start to my senior year.”

One senior, who preferred to remain anonymous, shared his plans with a bit of humor, “I’m just ready for some good, clean pranks we can play on some of our teachers, things that only those of us who’ve had certain teachers would understand. I want my last hoorah to be full of laughs, with no harm done.”

Across the county, all five high schools celebrated the return to campus with a shared tradition, the Senior Sunrise Breakfast, giving each Class of 2026 a chance to come together at dawn and start their final year on a high note.

The Jackson County Times will feature coverage of each school’s senior sunrise event on our website and in next Thursday’s edition. From the publisher and staff of the Times, best wishes for the best year ever to the seniors of 2026, may it be one you’ll never forget.