Eureka High Senior Portrait Project Spotlights Class of 2026

A row of display boards stands in the main entrance hallway at Eureka High, adorned with professional-caliber portraits of members of the school’s Class of 2026.

They were all taken by students in Eureka’s Photo Advanced class and their teacher, Jessica Esfahani.

“It’s really cool. I’ve seen a lot of seniors stop by and look at the wall as they’re walking into school,” said senior Brenna Heaghney. “They get to be featured in the school, so that’s pretty memorable.”

Heaghney and classmates Lia Burke, Anna Covert and Katy Orf all served as both photographers and models in this year’s project.

When the annual Senior Portrait Project first started five years ago, 30 senior portraits were featured. This year, there are more than 140.

“It’s nice to be able to include as many people as we can,” Covert said. “Since we’re also high school students, we do the shoots, give them photos, and they don’t have to pay for a professional. It’s more accessible to more people.”

Orf said she enjoys photography because it allows her to be creative outside of more traditional forms of art.

“I’m horrible at drawing and painting. I see a blank paper, and I’m like, ‘What do I do?’” she said. “Whenever I have tangible props, backdrops and have models that I can dress and pose, that’s really interesting to me because I can make it visually appealing to myself and other people.”

This year’s senior portraits feature the students in a variety of settings, from parks to pastures, from school to athletic fields.

“My favorite part of photography is capturing your friends and family in special moments or at any random time of the day,” Burke said. “At a game, you can take a picture of someone and they’re very locked in when they’re playing, and it’s nice for them to see what they’re doing after the fact.”

As Eureka’s seniors prepare to take their next steps, these photos serve as powerful reminders of how far they’ve come.

“I want to thank Ms. (Esfahani),” Heaghney said. “It’s a big task that she takes on, but she does it because she loves the students and she wants to highlight them in their senior year and make it very special for us.”