Most schools allow their seniors to participate in a tradition of designing and customizing a dedicated parking spot that allows them to express themselves, foster school spirit and it provides seniors with a guaranteed parking spot.
The school should allow seniors to paint parking spots.
In September of 2020, student council vice president Kirsten Richards presented the idea of allowing students to paint parking spots, but administration denied this proposition. Their fear was students wouldn’t use the right paint and they’d have to monitor what was painted on the parking spots, or alternatively, if students used washable paint and the rain cleared it, it would leave streaks and ruin the aesthetics of the parking lot. However, if the school allowed seniors to paint their parking spots, it should be a requirement that students bring in a rough draft of their parking lot design and the school should provide a list of approved paints students can use such as traffic paint. This way, it allows students to express their creativity within reason and it gives administrators peace of mind about what is being painted on their parking lot. Additionally, the school could schedule a designated day, preferably before school starts, for students to paint their parking spots with adults monitoring the process. The school and whichever club hosts Senior Sunrise can combine the two activities into one as Senior Sunrise should typically fall the week before school officially starts.
Schools who allow their students to paint designated parking spots charge them a fee beforehand. The money raised from this could be recirculated back into fixing up the parking lot each year, and depending on how much the school charges, any extra money raised can go into supporting other senior class activities such as prom or project grad. The money raised being used as something the school can fallback on if something goes wrong in the lot gives the administrators one less worry. Furthermore, paying for a designated parking spot will stop many of the problems in the parking lot such as students “stealing” each other’s parking spot. Charging a reasonable fee will be beneficial to maintaining the parking lot and continuing senior traditions. A lot of students would be willing to pay a reasonable, one time fee for a chance at expressing themselves creatively and being given the opportunity to have their very own parking spot. For students who may not be able to afford the cost of materials, the school can utilize the money raised to assist them, offer alternatives such as chalk or students can request paint donations.
Lastly, allowing students to paint their parking spots allows them to be creative and artistic. One of the many concerns regarding students being given the permission to paint is that it would not mesh well with the current aesthetic of the school. However, despite the school wanting to keep a polished look, with the ability to approve and disapprove the designs and paint, the aesthetic of the school should not be a concern. Despite what the parking lot may look like, if students are given the chance to paint it, the level of education the students will receive is not dictated by what their school parking lot looks like. The behavior of students should speak for the school’s image more than the student’s parking spot design choices. To add onto that, allowing seniors this opportunity gives them more chances to bond with each other and leave their mark on a place where they’ve spent so much time. It gives them an additional tradition to partake in that is fun and safe.
Administrators should reconsider allowing students to participate in a senior tradition of painting their parking spot. The creative, aesthetic and monetary aspects of this tradition would generate an exciting school environment and allow for personalization of the school.
