School Buzz On the Road: Ellicott seniors wake up early for sunrise tradition

CALHAN, Colo. (KRDO) - Every school year, Ellicott seniors wake up before dawn and send their goals into the universe.

It's called 'Senior Sunrise.' Each student writes their goals and aspirations on biodegradable balloons, and in unison, releases them to the clouds.

"My message on the balloon was that I hope to do good things in my future and to better myself because there's nothing more that I want to do than to better myself, Senior Eduardo Dominguez said.

District parents and grandparents award the students' early alarms with a made-from-scratch breakfast of champions of homemade tortillas, (very) spicy salsa and breakfast burritos.

"I've been here my entire life, and I've grown up knowing these people, and I have my grandma teaching at the school, my auntie teaching at the school, and I think it's just a really good environment overall," Dominguez said.

"What we have that I think a lot of schools don't is that ability to connect with the kids, and it's not just the numbers that come into the classroom and what we're teaching them the content, but it's really getting to know who they are and what their goals are in life and supporting them in those skills that aren't just academic," Ellicott Principal Mike Miller said.

Ellicott is our final 'School Buzz: On the Road' of the 2026 school year. You can find each district KRDO visited under the School Buzz tab on KRDO.com.

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