Senior parking spots are as complex as they are enticing to create, and Harrison students go all out. Before school lets out for summer, all interested juniors turn in sketches of their design along with $60. Then they anxiously gathered in the cafeteria after school to see which spot the random drawing would assign to them. Two weeks before school officially starts, the Senior parking lot is filled with students drawing, sketching, and painting their final designs. Hundreds of colors and patterns paint the bland parking lot into a mural of the senior classes’ personalities and passions. With multiple Star Wars designs, and intricate collages of summer adventures, each of the designs represent a unique senior ready to start their final lap. Although each spot is fascinating in its own way, we wanted to find out which spot was Harrison’s favorite. With the help of the senior class, we found the best of the best.
Senior spots are actually a new tradition. In the 2010s the idea of “senior spots” started becoming a norm in American high schools, although these early spots were more an expression of seniority than of creativity. After three years of trudging from the distant parking lots, seniors decided to claim the closest spots to the school for their final year. Before long, this informal hierarchy created at most schools turned into the “senior parking lot”. This blossomed a tradition that schools across the country participated in, including our Harrison High school. Most schools charge about $60 per spot. This price can cover everything from school funding to the cost for checkups. This creative tradition allows students to celebrate their senior year and express themselves. Hopefully this tradition and creative outlet is here to stay.
And the award goes to Ethan Roush, for his “Senioropoly” spot. He created a colorful Monopoly board, painted on a clean black base, that is as creative as it is well executed. Each spot on the Monopoly Board represents another stop in his senior year journey. Bright and colorful but clean and polished Ethan took his inspiration from the senior spots that came before him but customized his, so it was uniquely his own.
This wasn’t an easy journey though. When asked, Ethan said his spot took 5 to 6 days to pull together and lots of help from his family. He admitted the spot wasn’t an easy task, but he loves the result. This incredible spot wasn’t cheap either. On top of the $60 dollars to reserve the spot he spent another $150 on supplies. Although the process to make this award-winning spot was definitely not easy Ethan is happy; he took on the task and hopes the tradition will continue for many years to come.
The second-place winner goes to Jaden Murphy, with his Star Wars spot. This spot had a nice slick black base with an incredibly intricate space craft and a carefully designed BB-8. There are also stars speckled all around and the phrase 12 years later… (referencing the 12 years of school) which added another layer of creativity. Jaden got his inspiration for his spot from his love of Star Wars and decided to put a fun spin on it! The spot is incredible and eye-catching while also being very meticulous and well done.
However, this incredible spot took a lot more work than you would think. When asked, Jaden said his spot took around 20-25 hours to paint. He said that his spot wasn’t very difficult, as he had made stencils on a Cricket to chalk and outline to paint, but it was a very tedious task. After all his hard work he ended up with a Senior Parking spot that he loved. This magnificent spot was not cheap as it cost around $160 to paint (this is not including the $60 fee to reserve the spot). The process to make this spot was very difficult, but Jaden wishes for this fun tradition to continue for years to come!
The third-place trophy goes to Samantha Seimer, with her constellation whale spot. This spot is a collection of stars and a whale painted as a star constellation on a dark-purple-blue color background. Samantha got her inspiration from Pinterest, but she used her own imagination to make it amazing. It was incredibly detailed, very creative, and very beautiful.
This beauty was not an easy feat for Samantha Seimer. When asked, Samantha said her spot took about 1-2 hours per day for 5 days to put together and create her spot. She had commented that the whale shark, as magnificent as it is, was very difficult and took a lot of meticulous planning and hours of intricate detailing work. Even with all the hard work and exhausting effort that was put into the spot, she loves the result. This amazing spot, however, was not cheap and cost her $180 dollars to complete (that’s including the $60 dollars it took to reserve the spot). Yet, even after all the money and all the effort that was put into it, Samantha is proud of her spot and had a lot of fun working on it and she would love to see this creative tradition continue!
Not only are Senior Parking spots a great creative outlet for students and a fun tradition, but they also provide many benefits to the school. For example, the senior parking spots bring in a lot of money. For most schools this money goes towards events and activities (especially for seniors) like prom. However, for Harrison the $60 parking spot fee goes to our school’s principal fund and helps cover transportation costs for a variety of school field trips and activities.
Another benefit of senior parking spots is that they can build student morale. By the time the new year rolls around many seniors feel either enthralled that graduation is close or saddened that their final lap is beginning (or both all at once). These heavy emotions can cause seniors to feel down or burnt out, in the early days back in school. However, senior traditions, like the parking spots, can help cheer up these seniors and get them excited for the new year. If the seniors start the year happy the easier the year goes. The parking spots are fundamental to helping students succeed while also brightening up our parking lot.
Senior parking spots are a recent tradition that has started to help many people. It has benefited school funds, creative minds, and lazy seniors all while being super fun. Not only do they help schools raise more money for events, but they also make seniors more excited to start their final year strong in a creative way. Hopefully this tradition is here to stay!
