Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) senior Henry Whittemore was smiling broadly as he sat near the Eagles logo in the middle of the Aerie Stadium football field Tuesday night with his classmate, Abby Hase.
They were there to celebrate Senior Sunset with a few hundred of their fellow graduating colleagues.
Suddenly Henry turned serious. “It’s sad,” he said. “Emotionally, really sad.” But he was looking forward to graduating and he and Abby are excited to attend the school district’s TASSEL program in the fall, a transition program for students 18-21.
“Have a good night!” he said, his smile returning as his attention returned to Abby’s cell phone.
Amber Holm said she and her friends had attended the Senior Sunrise at the beginning of the school year and now were back for the sunset. It all seemed to go quickly, she said.
“And there will be tears by the end of the night,” she said with a smile.
Students began gathering on the EPHS football field to eat pizza, chat, take selfies and enjoy a pleasant evening at the Senior Sunset event. 
Friends (l-r) Asma Bakari, Faisa Mohamed, Fattuma Hosh and Sadiya Hassan enjoyed spending time together at Senior Sunset. 
Hundreds (thousands?) of selfies were taken at the Senior Sunset event. In this one are (back l-r) Amber Holm, Vanessa Barnes and Lauryn Unke; (front l-r) Kahlen Ruzek and Kaitlyn Scheppmann. 
Eden Prairie High School students watched the sun go down at the Senior Sunset event Tuesday night at Aerie Stadium. 
Courtney Fussy, left, Lily Cooper, middle, and Marta Borggreve, watched the sunset. Courtney is attending the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, majoring in psychology (and competing in Nordic skiing); Lily is attending the University of Colorado, Boulder, majoring in education and English; and Marta is attending the University of Rochester (NY), majoring in mechanical engineering. 
Katie Clark took an overhead shot of (top to bottom on ground) Anna Jaeger, who is attending the University of St. Thomas after graduation; Ashley Clark, who is attending the University of Northwestern in St. Paul; and Claire Koehler, who is attending Georgetown University. Katie is attending Normandale Community College.
Organizers of the Senior Sunset event were expecting more than 250 students to participate. The nice evening might bring more, one said. “And the pizza doesn’t hurt,” he said.
Graduation for EPHS seniors is Thursday at Target Center in Minneapolis.
